Ed—00 MappUQ

Challenge

The University of Quindío faced a problem: its large campus had little to no signage, making it difficult for students and visitors to find their way. At the same time, the university was beginning a broader wayfinding project.

Given this, I saw an opportunity to implement an indoor positioning system through a mobile app, one that required no internet connection, always at hand for students, non students and simple to use.

My role as an engineering student was to validate whether iBeacon technology could support an indoor navigation app, while also delivering a functional prototype that addressed a real need.

Process

I approached the project as both a researcher and designer:

• Technology Benchmarking → Compared different location technologies, GPS, iBeacon (Bluetooth 4.0), and NFC, to evaluate which could best support indoor navigation scenarios. iBeacon proved to be the most reliable option for accuracy and real-world scalability.

  
  

• Research & User Insights → Analyzed existing navigation apps and studied pain points of students and visitors on campus.

  
  

• Learning & Development → Taught myself Swift 4 and integrated iBeacon technology to enable proximity-based interactions.

  
  

• UX/UI Design → Created wireframes, flows, and mockups, designing an interface tailored to new and returning campus users.

  
  

• Prototyping & Testing → Scaled the prototype to a functional iOS app, deployed it on campus, and tested with real users.

  
  

• Documentation → Produced user manuals, technical documentation, and graphic guidelines to ensure continuity as part of the university’s signage initiative.