We explored the unforeseen problems that may arise during traveling.
Examples of unforeseen problems:
-Your booked tour getting canceled
-A restaurant you looked forward to being closed
-Your hiking plans are messed up because it's raining
THE PROBLEM
THE SOLUTION
A forum-based mobile app to provide users other recommendations for their trip from locals there and also other travelers' recommendations when they have traveled there.
With a partnership with lonelyplanet.com, we designed a robust mobile forum of perspectives from both locals and other travelers while leveraging their extensive travel and event database. It's a reliable on-the-go resource for travelers during unexpected situations, helping the preserve their travel experience.
PROJECT OUTCOME
METHODS
2-Week Design Sprint - MVP
(Agile & Scrum Methodology)
Screener Surveys
User Interviews
Affinity Mapping
Persona Development
Journey Mapping
Problem Statement
Competitive Matrix
MoSCow Map
Feature Comparison Analysis
Design Studio Sketching
Wireframing
Rapid Prototyping
Usability Testing and Reports
TOOLS
Figma
Invision
Zeplin
Keynote
Slack
TEAM
Sally H.
Briana B.
Lily C.
Katie K.
MY ROLE
UX Researcher
UX / UI Designer
Proposed
Collaboration
Why partner with another company?
From our research, we know that users research for trip information ahead of time. A resource named Lonely Planet came up quite a few times in our data and we decided to check out why they're the reliable go-to resource for most travelers.
We notice that Lonely Planet provides a wealth of factual information, preparing travelers for success with information like visa requirements for a certain country, however they lack personal insights from other travelers and locals that our users told us they want.
By partnering with them, we can leverage their extensive travel and event database with our robust mobile forum of perspectives from both locals and other travelers.
We called ourselves lonely traveler.
(US with THEM)
Our research shows that users value other’s opinions when planning their travel itineraries. We are a reliable travel mobile resource offering travels recommendations from locals and previous travelers with a forum focused interface.
A popular travel guide resource where users can discover, plan, and book their next trip with expert advice, travel guides, and destination information and inspiration.
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4/10 users said they use lonely planet when planning their trip because it was a reliable resource.
Chatting with Travelers
To get started, we first sent out screener surveys to find users that met our criteria. We then conducted user interviews with our target users consisting of questions touching on some of the following categories to get the conversation going!
Research
Planning
Packing
Parameters
Flexibility
Outcome
Insights
We interviewed 10 travelers, and we were absolutely amazed by everyone's stories!
Traveler 1
I want perspective from real people not influencers.
Traveler 2
Some places were closed on certain days of the week – only the locals seemed to know that type of stuff.
Traveler 3
Traveling never goes
as planned, but that’s
the fun part.
After synthesizing our data, we found key research insights and trends amongst them all. We selected these four painpoints to solve for!
I plan ahead but remain flexible when something comes up
I don't know enough before
I go
I want to minimize the likelihood of something going wrong
I want to hear about other travelers experiences
We also learned that..
10/10
users
use their laptops for initial research, and their phone to continue when traveling
&
6/10
users
goes on social media for travel recommendations and to also post their own travel posts
Persona
We developed our traveler, Avery to represent our user data!
I like to bring back stories that other people maybe have not experienced.
-Avery
Brooklyn, NY
Goals
-
Obtain enough research for trip in order to minimize travel roadblocks
Behaviors
-
Plans ahead and is flexible when at destination
Needs
-
Local tips about the destination
-
Easy access to destination
specific information
Pain points
-
Misses an itinerary item due to unforeseen circumstances
What's the Problem?
Though travelers try to plan ahead, plans often go awry while at their destinations.
Avery needs to find something else to do when her initial plans are canceled on short notice.
How might we help Avery access relevant resources so that she can troubleshoot unforeseen circumstances* at her destination?
Competitors
From our interviews, our team noticed a variety of different travel websites our users used to plan their trip.
We used this analysis tool to compare characteristics of competitors and comparators within the market to identify differences, strengths, and weaknesses.
We then identified the opportunity space for our idea circled in red.
General
Personal
Impersonal
Specialized
There are many travel resources with useful precautions, food recommendations, and more. But what features make a resource reliable and trustworthy for a user to keep coming back trip after trip?
We prioritized on features that directly addresses our users painpoints, which are the five features in the MUST quadrant of the MoSCow Map.
MUST
-
Forum
-
Local’s Advice
-
Traveler’s Advice
-
Geo-Location
-
Search
COULD
-
Photo Sharing
-
Check in
-
Bookmark Function
-
Map
SHOULD
-
Tab Navigation
-
Post Ranking
WON'T
-
Star Ratings
-
A Booking Platform
Moscow Map
Lo-Fi Wireframes
Next, we conducted several design studios and came up with these feature sketches!
Homescreen
Forum Screen
Post Screen
Shortly after, we designed our screens on and started finding users to test the Mid-Fi with.
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USABILITY TEST REPORT
Scenario
You have arrived in NYC. The outdoor tour you booked got cancelled because it's raining.
Task 1
Look up an alternative activity to do when it's raining, and find one to read more about.
Task 2
Now Bookmark it.
Task 3
Look for a local's recommendation for an alternative activity to do when it's raining.
Feature 1: 'Search bar' navigation
Minor Issue
4/5
users
tapped 'Use Current Location' rather than type "New York City" because the search bar looked disabled
Recommendation:
Change opacity and coloring of search bar to make it more visible
Homescreen
Feature 2: Bookmark feature
Success
5/5
users
successfully bookmarked a forum post, understanding the universal bookmark icon
Forum Screen
Medium Issue
Feature 3: Tab navigation interaction
2/5
users
were confused about what "Local" and "Traveler" meant in relation to themselves
Recommendation:
Add an 's' behind 'Local' to emphasize that this tab will show recommendations from Locals
Forum Screen
Medium Issue
Feature 4: Floating Action Button
2/5
users
did not understand the function of the F.A.B button
Recommendation:
Change the F.A.B. button to a 'compose new post' icon
mid To HI-FI
Iterations
We acted upon our recommendations and Voilà, we made some pretty cool hi-fi mock-ups!
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1
2
Mid-Fi
Hi-Fi
Home Screen
1
Increased the Search bar opacity to 100% and made it white
'Search' button will become active and turn white when 'Destination' is filled in
2
.png)
Mid-Fi
Hi-Fi
1
2
Forum Screen
1
Changed to 'Locals'
Changed the + F.A.B. button with
compose new post icon
2
Hi-Fi
Wireframes
Here's an overview of our hi-fi mock-ups. this is Lonelytraveler, a solution for unexpected situations. We designed this travel app to enhance anyone’s travel experience. It is a safe and reliable forum space for questions and posts from people who love sharing their genuine opinions and perspectives. We wanted to build a community with this app ensuring that users will be getting the best recommendations. We hope this app will guide travelers through moments of doubt or unexpected travel situations, and getting them back on route with enjoying life.
Homescreen
Forum Screen
Post Screen
Saved Posts Screen
What we learned
In the realm of traveling, there aren't a lot of strong forum platforms for people to share resources and ideas with one another. Users tell us they note where people go from what others posted on Instagram. Trusted recommendations are also from word of mouth.
We created a mobile friendly solution for on-the-go travelers ready for any "unforeseen circumstances".
Next steps
High-fidelity prototype
& testing
Iterate based on the data we get from testing the high fidelity prototype
Design a profile screen and onboarding screens for new users
Build on MVP by expanding to other cities and destinations
