Join me as I showcase a conceptual travel app I created over a 3-week journey where I took on the roles of both UX researcher and designer.
I aimed to design YourGuide, a personalized travel app designed to transform the way we explore and experience destinations.
Discover how research, design, and empathy have blended to create a unique solution that caters to travelers seeking authentic and meaningful adventures.
Design Thinking
A non-linear, user-centered approach to problem-solving that fosters empathy and innovation.
I used this process for this project to ensure that I deeply understood traveler needs and iteratively developed a solution that addresses their desires.
A personalized and immersive travel app that combines education, entertainment, and exploration to provide real-time information, stories, and history about various travel destinations. Or in simpler terms, a personal tour guide!
Idea
Research
2021 Dutch Study on Tourism
This study was conducted by Breda University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions, along with personal digital assistant service Travel with Zoey, aimed to understand the impact of travel information on tourists' choices and experiences. It involved 150 tourists staying at 10 resorts in the Dutch province of Overijssel during the summer of 2021 and introduced the concept of leveraging technology to guide travelers toward hidden gems.
This study emphasized that interactive recommendation tools, such as Travel with Zoey, can enhance a traveler's journey by providing personalized, socially engaging, and more authentic recommendations compared to passive apps displaying well-known tourist sights. When some tourists were directed to lesser-known attractions, they visited these spots just as frequently as popular tourist sites. Their overall evaluation of the region, recommended spots, and the quality of their vacation remained consistent. This highlights that travelers are equally content exploring hidden gems as they are with renowned landmarks. These findings are a wake-up call for the travel industry, emphasizing the need for a more conscious approach to the information shared with travelers. They suggest that travelers are eager for unique and authentic experiences, setting the stage for innovative solutions to thrive in this evolving landscape.
Insights
Desire for Authenticity
Travelers are seeking experiences that go beyond typical tourist attractions. They crave authentic and meaningful encounters. So, a focus on connecting travelers with hidden gems and cultural insights aligns with this growing desire for authenticity.
Active Exploration
The study demonstrates that travelers are open to exploring both well-known and lesser-visited destinations. This insight emphasizes the importance of travel apps that actively guide and immerse users in their travel experiences, encouraging exploration beyond the surface.
Personalization Matters
The research highlights the positive reception of personalized recommendations through apps like Travel with Zoey. This underlines the significance of tailoring travel experiences to individual interests.
Competitive Analysis
01
Identify User Trends
Explore how the travel app landscape operates, uncovering current trends and shortcomings.
02
Evaluate Competitor Strengths and Weaknesses
Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of existing travel apps to identify areas for differentiation and improvement.
03
Inform YourGuide’s Unique Value Proposition
Leverage competitor insights to shape YourGuide's features and positioning, ensuring it stands out as a valuable solution.
Strengths:
User-friendly interface
Wide range of features
Comprehensive mapping data
Customization options
Social sharing features
Weaknesses:
Limited international coverage
Paid features for advanced functionalities
Lack of community-driven content
Interesting Features:
Route planning with recommended stops
Extensive database of over 35 million POIs
Collaborative trip planning
Offline mode for accessing saved trips
User ratings, reviews, and photos for each spot
Roadtrippers
A road trip planning and navigation app that enables users to discover, plan, and navigate exciting trips across the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Strengths:
Social Networking
Local Experiences
Trip Planning
Discounts and Deals
Weaknesses:
User Interface: While Travello's interface is functional, it may be overwhelming for new users, potentially impacting their initial engagement and understanding of the app's features.
Interesting Features:
Travel Feed: Users can explore a dynamic travel feed filled with inspiring photos, videos, and posts from fellow travelers.
Groups: Travello's group feature allows users to join or create groups based on their interests or travel plans, facilitating connections and advice from like-minded individuals.
Shop: The integrated "Shop" feature lets users conveniently book tours, activities, and experiences directly within the app.
Travello
A travel social networking app designed to connect travelers worldwide.
The Culture Trip
A travel app that offers personalized recommendations and cultural insights to help users discover and engage with destinations around the world.
Strengths:
Unique focus on cultural content and personalized recommendations
Sleek and modern design that is easy to use
Offers a range of content types, including articles, videos, and photography
Allows users to save favorite content and recommendations for later use
Weaknesses:
Content may be too heavily focused on major tourist destinations, rather than off-the-beaten paths
Limited user reviews and community-driven content
Interesting Features:
Curated content
Cultural insights: The app offers information about local customs, traditions, and history, allowing users to engage more deeply with the culture.
Travel itineraries
Market Potential
Evolving Travel Industry
Positive: The travel industry is experiencing substantial growth, driven by a desire for exploration and new experiences.
Negative: However, it also faces challenges like overcrowded tourist destinations, overtourism, and the need for sustainable practices.
Challenges in Trip Planning
Challenge: Travel planning is often overwhelming and time-consuming for users who want unique and meaningful experiences.
Solution: There's an opportunity to create user-friendly and efficient travel apps that streamline the planning process.
Organic Approach in Travel Apps
Challenge: Existing travel apps often feel impersonal and passive, missing the mark when it comes to engaging users actively.
Solution: To address this, I aim to offer a more organic and immersive approach, providing real-time, personalized recommendations that resonate with each traveler's unique preferences.
Extending a Niche Product
Challenge: While niche travel products focusing on authenticity and cultural immersion exist, there's room to extend their reach and impact.
Solution: By catering to the desire for authenticity and creating tailored experiences, I can broaden the app’s appeal to a wider audience without diluting its unique value proposition.
Did you know?
By 2033, travel is set to become a $15.5 trillion industry—accounting for more than 11.6% of the global economy.
There were slightly over one billion travel app users in 2022, with approximately 1.5 billion people taking trips worldwide and more than 75% using a smartphone or website to book.
A study, titled Epic Travel Experiences of the Thrifty Traveler, conducted by Vice Media Group, stated that 79% of respondents believe that traveling isn't just about getting to a new place; it's about personal growth. This highlights the shift from passive tourism to active and enriching travel experiences.
User Research
I conducted user interviews with questions that ranged from recent travel experiences to preferences of popular tourist destinations or off-the-beaten-path locations. The questions also aimed to gauge the importance of education and cultural learning during travel and to determine any desired features in a travel app.
The goal was to uncover users' trip planning methods, information sources, and their experiences with tour guide services and travel apps. By asking about frustrations and pain points with existing travel apps, I could identify areas for improvement and gather suggestions for innovative features.
2 women, 2 men
Age range : 24-50
Travel minimum twice a year
Employed Full Time; salary avg: $45k-150k
There was a strong desire among travelers for a personalized and immersive experience.
Persona
This persona provided valuable insights, allowing me to design a user-centric experience and deliver a travel app that truly connects with the needs and desires of the users.
Meet Alice, a travel enthusiast
User Journey Map
This map captures the user's emotions, motivations, and actions at each stage, from initial awareness and research to trip planning, exploration, and post-trip reflections.
The customer journey map helped me understand the user's perspective, identify pain points, and opportunities for improvement. It provides valuable insights into the user's needs and expectations at each stage, allowing to optimize the app's features, design, and functionality to enhance the overall user experience.
Site Map & Task Flow & User Flow
The site map, task flow, and user flow were pivotal components in creating a seamless and intuitive user experience.
The site map provided a visual representation of the app's structure, organize information effectively and ensure easy navigation for users.
The 3 task flows outlined the step-by-step user journey for key actions, such as signing up, searching for destinations, and exploring the map. By mapping out these flows, I could identify potential pain points and optimize the user journey.
The user flow then incorporates a scenario to save a destination. This helped me understand how users would engage with the app and provided insights for designing intuitive interfaces and anticipating user needs.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
These low-fidelity wireframes provided a blueprint for the app's layout, demonstrating the placement of elements, navigation flow, and overall user interaction.
welcome screen
home screen
map screen
destination screen
favorites screen
Mood Board
To start, I created a mood board that reflects the values, desired aesthetic and atmosphere of the app. This mood board served as my source of inspiration, guiding me in setting the right tone and vibe for the app's overall design and establish the specific visual elements, such as color palettes, typography, and imagery, that will define the app's unique style.
Branding
I designed the branding with key visual elements, such as a color palette, typography, and a logo, which will shape the brand's unique style and ensure consistency across all touch points, reinforcing the brand's identity.
UI Kit
The UI kit played a crucial role in ensuring a cohesive and engaging design throughout the app
The map pins were designed to mark specific locations on the map, providing visual cues for users to easily identify points of interest.
The icons added a touch of visual clarity and served as intuitive visual representations for different actions and features within the app.
The buttons were designed to be easily identifiable and interactive, guiding users through the app's functionalities.
Map images helped create a sense of exploration, immersing users in the travel experience.
High Fidelity Designs
With careful attention to detail, the high-fidelity designs reflect the brand's identity, incorporating the chosen color palette, typography, and graphical elements.
I created an inviting onboarding experience with a captivating welcome screen and a quick, user-friendly sign-up/sign-in process.
The questionnaire is a tool to gain a deeper understanding of travelers' preferences and interests.
Each question was thoughtfully crafted to ensure a seamless and engaging user experience, guiding users to share valuable insights that would help tailor personalized travel recommendations
The home screen welcomes you with vivid imagery and personalized features, making exploration effortless and engaging.
The intuitive search bar and filtering options offer seamless navigation, empowering you to discover the world on your terms.
Uncover destination guides before or as you embark on journeys; these guides immerse users with culture and history with valuable insights into customs, traditions, fun facts, photos and other information for each destination.
An interactive map that allows users to easily navigate and discover points of interest.
With a seamless map filter, customize your exploration to suit your preferences, whether it's seeking adventure, history or hidden gems off the beaten path.
"Favorites" feature serves as a personalized travel collection allowing users to efficiently organize and save their desired destinations.
Navigate the journey to immersive travel with the interactive prototype
User Testing
The user testing phase was conducted using the Maze platform, involving a total of 4 participants.
The tests were a combination of 2 moderated sessions and 2 unmoderated sessions. Participants were given 3 tasks to complete: Sign Up Process, Search for and save a Destination, and Explore the Map to find a destination.
After completing the tasks, participants were asked 4 questions for feedback. The questions included evaluating standout features, assessing navigation and interaction, rating visual design and alignment with the brand image, providing additional feedback and suggestions, and indicating their likelihood of using the app for future trips.
The insights gained from the testers' responses indicate both positive and areas for improvement in the app prototype.
The positive feedback from Testers 1 and 3 highlights the app's informative features and efficient research capabilities, indicating that users appreciate the value it provides for trip planning.
Tester 2 expressed concerns about navigation challenges and the visual presentation of the map.
This suggests a need to improve the user-friendliness and clarity of the map’s interface. Taking these insights into account, it is crucial to address these issues, simplify the color scheme for improved readability, and ensure that essential features are prominently displayed.
Design Improvements
The map is a key element in the app, and based on the suggestions I received from the user tests, I wanted to ensure that the map images provided a clear and visually appealing representation of destinations.
Through careful adjustments to color contrast, clarity of labels, and overall visual hierarchy, the map images were refined.
Final Thoughts
This project has been a labor of love. Being an avid traveler myself, I felt a deep connection to the mission of creating this app.
YourGuide embodies a journey driven by a passion for travel and a commitment to enhancing the way we explore and learn about the world. Through research, design iterations, and user-centric principles, I’ve crafted an app that bridges the gap between authentic experiences and modern technology. This app represents a story of how empathy, innovation, and a deep understanding of travelers' needs can shape a solution that resonates with both wanderlust and the pursuit of knowledge.
YourGuide aims to empower travelers to forge meaningful connections with destinations, discover hidden gems, and embark on journeys that enrich their lives.