HORIZON
How Can We Make Wilderness
Navigation More Intuitive?
3 Weeks | 120 Hours | 2026
Skills | Prototyping, Ergonomics, Iteration, Visualization
Software | Solidworks, Blender
Bushwhacking is Difficult to Get Into
A niche sport that's become more popular recently, bushwhacking is the act of navigating and hiking through unmarked/unrouted terrain and ecosystems.
It's not really easy to start howevver.
Heads-Down Loop
Heads Down Loop
Navigation can quickly become frustrating when users have to repeatedly look down to check a map or GPS device to make sure, they're on track.
Sparse Community
Sparse Community
Bushwhacking is pretty disjointed; you'd need to find people in person or scrub through various niche forums to get practical advice on how to start.
Dated Gear
Dated Gear
Wayfinding technology isn't very optimized for an intuitive user flow. They can be pretty confusing to use especially for a beginner.
Hit The Ground Running
We quickly found two main directions that we were excited about. We tested out the user experience by keeping the form vague and focusing on the interactions first and foremost.
This helped identify assumptions and frictions that allowed us to move forward efficiently.
How Might We...
Engage
Can we use other senses to create a more intuitive experience?
Comfort
Can we provide the user with more confidence in their direction?
Guide
Plain and simple, how do we point the way?
Exploring Form
and Function.
We wanted to bridge the gap between sports glasses and safety glasses in order to create something that communicated strength and protection but with a layer of sleekness and adrenaline.
This Project is Fresh!
Thanks for looking around! This project is still under going some changes, specifically organizing the process. Take a look at the final result, and come back soon to see how we got there!
First Things
First
One of the most important steps of bushwhacking is preparation.
Meridian.com is where users can browse and create routes before their journey.
The community aspect helps beginners feel more comfortable by borrowing and adjusting other bushwhackers' routes.
Once the route has been set it's downloaded onto the charging case, creating an offline cache of route, terrain, and map data.
Titanium
Strong
The Horizon glasses eliminate conventional hinges, relying instead on a continuous titanium spine. This structural core ensures rigidity while remaining lightweight and comfortable.
Wayfinding
Made Intuitive
Horizon’s primary feature is the Active Search mode.
By pressing down on the notch on the right side of the glasses, users are guided towards their route through a subtle bar of light in their peripheral vision as well as a beacon sound played in 3D spacial audio.
Once satisfied, users can press the notch again to turn it off.
Off Route Alert
If the user wears too far off their preset route, Horizon will give a short auditory and visual alert.
When the user is back within their route range, it flashes green and provides a positive sound.
Waypoint Dial
A single dial with a button feature, allows users to interact with their route on the fly.
Waypoint Browsing
When a route is created, various waypoints are used as markers to keep track of distance and duration.
Users can set their own waypoints to track places or destinations along their route.
By spinning the dial, a user can browse between these waypoints.
Waypoint Info
Pressing up on the dial once cues a voice to communicate distance to the selected waypoint.
Waypoint Setting
Double clicking the dial then sets that waypoint as the active destination, useful when time is running low.
On-board speakers are positioned right above the ears to ensure clear audio in dense environments
Essential Details
On the left side of the glasses is the marker button. allowing users to mark their positions or points of interest for later review.
Testing Out
The User Flow
To properly visualize and test this design and technology, we created a short (slightly narrative) video detailing the steps a user would go through while engaging with our designs.
Grab some popcorn and enjoy the show!
