Introducing TravelGenie
AI powered travel planning app
TravelGenie is an AI-powered app that helps users plan trips together with friends, offering
personalized itineraries, destination suggestions, budget estimates, and visa information for a seamless travel experience.
Product highlights
MY ROLE : UX designer leading TravelGenie’s app design.
RESPONSIBILITIES :
Conducting research, interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, iterating on designs.
PROJECT DURATION : 8 weeks; May 2024 - June 2024
Discovering destination
To provide personalized recommendations for destinations and activities, I crafted a questionnaire to gather insights into users' travel preferences and interests.
By applying Miller's Law, I structured the destination cards to display information in digestible segments, simplifying the selection process.
Discovering things to do &
places to see
In the discovery process for activities and attractions within the app, users navigate through three stages: selecting a country, choosing cities within that country, and exploring attractions or activities in the city. In alignment with Hick’s law, I limited the search results to no more than ten and categorized them, which simplified decision-making by reducing cognitive load.
For the attraction cards, I employed Progressive Disclosure, initially presenting only essential information and revealing more details as users expressed interest in learning more about an attraction.
Map experience
In designing the interactive map feature for the app, I focused on enhancing user experience by providing a geographical visualization of destinations and attractions, along with travel times between them.
This feature allowed users to efficiently plan and visualize their itineraries, making it easier to navigate and optimize their routes. The interactive map proved invaluable for trip planning, offering users a clear and cohesive view of their travel landscape.
Smart search
The AI search assistant helps user improvise and refine travel plans seamlessly. The human -like conversation makes the experience smooth and non robotic.
Saving attractions
By simply tapping the heart icon, users can save the attractions to their trip, making it effortless to create an itinerary out of it directly within the app.
That's just a little preview of my project!
Keep scrolling to check out the full case study.
Background
In an increasingly interconnected world, travel has become both a passion and a necessity for many. However, the process of planning a trip can often be daunting and time-consuming, involving extensive research, coordination, and decision-making. Recognizing these challenges, I embarked on a journey to create TravelGenie, an innovative mobile application designed to revolutionize the way travellers plan their adventures.
This case study delves into the design process behind TravelGenie, detailing my research insights, design iterations, and the final outcomes achieved through user-centric principles and iterative development.
This case study is divided into two parts. Part 1 that you are about to read now, focuses on the Discovery phase, detailing the design process for - How users, along with their travel buddies, discover travel destinations and activities.
Part 2 explores - How users collaboratively build their travel itinerary. I will talk more about this later.
Problems in planning trips and limitations of existing travel planning apps
Overwhelming and Fragmented Information - Users face difficulty navigating the vast amount of travel information available, often spread across multiple platforms.
Time-Consuming Process - The extensive research needed to plan a trip is time-consuming and often frustrating.
Lack of Personalization - Many travel planning tools fail to provide tailored suggestions that cater to individual preferences and needs.
Coordination Challenges - Planning trips with multiple people is complex due to differing preferences and limited collaboration features in existing apps.
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Budget and Documentation Management - Estimating costs and managing budgets, along with understanding visa and travel documentation requirements, can be cumbersome and confusing.
Goals
1
Make travel planning streamlined and efficient
2
Effortless integration of AI to
personalize user experience
3
Save users from information
overload
4
Facilitate group planning
5
Create a simple user interface
6
Maintain consistency and
clarity across different screens
and functionalities
7
Simplify budget planning
8
Provide comprehensive visa information
Okay! Lets get started.
Design Framework
User-centered design 5 steps -
EMPATHIZE
DEFINE
IDEATE
PROTOTYPE
TEST
EMPATHIZE
DEFINE
IDEATE
PROTOTYPE
TEST
EMPATHIZE
DEFINE
IDEATE
PROTOTYPE
TEST
EMPATHIZE
DEFINE
IDEATE
PROTOTYPE
TEST
with users
user pain
points
design
solutions
create wireframes
and prototypes
designs to
get feedback
RESEARCH
Understanding the Users
My goal was to identify the primary users of this product, gain insights to understand how users plan their trips and what challenges they face. I found qualitative research methods to be the most useful consisting of literature review, competitive analysis, user interviews, empathy map, persona construction and usability testing.
Target audience
Groups of friends, families, or colleagues planning trips together
Tech-savvy travellers
looking for personalized
travel experiences
Budget conscious travellers who value tools that help them plan cost effective trips
Adventure seekers and explorers looking for experiences off the beaten path and safe for solo traveller.
I started out by asking some initial key questions to primary users.
What are your travel
preferences?
Do you always know your travel destination?
What are your decision making criteria while choosing the travel destination?
What is your typical travel
planning process?
What challenges you face when planning trips?
What tools you use to keep
track of travel research?
Are you familiar and comfortable in using technology for travel planning?
Meet the Users
Amy works as a Data Analyst in Singapore. She enjoys going on vacation with her partner,
family or friends. Because of her busy work life, her travel plans depend on the number of leaves she can get from work. Since she travels with her 1 yr old son, she likes things to be planned well in advance to suit her son’s comfort.
Amy
Age 32 years
Occupation Data Analyst
Marital status Married + 1 yr
old son
Travel companions
Partner
Family
Friends
Do you always know where you want to Travel?
No
No. of leaves
Type of experience
Weather
Travel time
Safety
Destination deciding factors
If there is a travel planner powered by AI that will give me personalised travel suggestions, and information from trusted sources that would be really helpful and I will be excited to use it.
“
Goals
To get info about- Best time to visit, accommodation cost, trip budget, attractions by interest, travel options, user experiences, essential apps, network providers, and preferred payment methods
When travelling in group, creating itinerary that takes into consideration everyone's interests
Frustrations
When travelling in group, creating a conflict free itinerary that suits all.
Trip planning tools online are not personalised
When using AI powered tools, have to cross check the feasibility & interest alignment of suggested item
Mithila is a travel enthusiast who loves exploring new places with her husband, family and her girl gang. She enjoys researching and planning her trip. Instead of exact destination, she rather knows the broader region or continent that she would like to visit.
Mithila
Age 40 years
Occupation Product manager
Marital status Married + 2 sons
Travel companions
Partner
Family
Friends
Do you always know where you want to Travel?
No
No. of leaves
Type of experience
Weather
Travel companion
Destination deciding factors
The reason I don’t go to travel agent / apps to plan my trip is because their generalised itinerary is not tailored to my preferences and the fun of planning your trip goes away. I enjoy planning my trips.
“
Goals
To find places within my destination that are non touristy and close to nature.
To get all information under one platform.
To get accurate and updated information.
To get accurate consolidated information about visa requirements
Frustrations
Have to visit official website of each attraction to know its operation hours and ticket price.
When duration of trip is long and multi city/country planning for each day can get frustrating
Shubham is a budget-conscious traveler who loves hiking, adventure, and exploring off-the-beaten-path locations. He often travels solo or with like-minded people, keeping his plans spontaneous and destinations flexible.
Shubham
Age 26 years
Occupation Student
Marital status Single
Travel companions
Solo
Do you always know where you want to Travel?
No
Budget
Type of experience
Safety
Public transportation
Destination deciding factors
I usually keep my travel plan spontaneous. The most important thing to me is to see the place from local's perspective.
“
Goals
Receive personalized travel suggestions and hidden gems.
Access trusted information without needing to cross-check.
Learn about budget-friendly options, public transportation, and solo travel safety.
Frustrations
Uses multiple tools to gather travel info.
Struggles to fit everything in his budget.
He sometimes uses AI tools, but they often lack updated information from official sources.
Lets have a look at typical Trip Planning Process
Primary persona
Primary persona
Secondary persona
User Journey Map
Goal - To do research and planning for upcoming trip.
Destination
research
Activity
research
Itinerary
creation
Travel
blogs
As you can see, the current trip planning process is very fragmented. It often requires users to switch between multiple platforms or tools to gather all necessary information. It requires considerable time and effort, making it difficult to make informed decisions.
Competitive Analysis
I looked at several direct and indirect competitors to understand, What are they already doing? What is working well? What is not working? What space is no one in yet? My goal was to Compare the trip planning experience of each competitor's app / website as a new user and a returning user.
These were the keys issues highlighted from competitive analysis
6
BOOKING FOCUSED
Heavy focus on booking over planning, with planning tools buried under menus.
1
OVERWHELMING INFO
Overwhelming amount of information leading to decision fatigue.
2
LIMITED PERSONALIZATION
Limited personalization options leading to generic travel recommendations.
3
COLLABORATION CHALLENGES
Insufficient collaborative trip planning features leading to difficulty in coordinating and sharing plans with travel companions.
4
FRAGMENTED INFO
Fragmented and incomplete travel information, requiring users to use multiple sources.
5
POOR USER EXPERIENCE
Complicated interfaces that are not intuitive and poor navigation making it hard for users to find features and information.
STARTING THE DESIGN
TravelGenie app product features
AI-Powered Personalization
Personalized destination and activity suggestions based on user preferences and past behaviours.
Collaborative Planning Tools
Enable users to plan their trip together with friends and family and also collaborate on itinerary planning.
AI-Powered Itinerary Building and Editing Tools
Automatically generated itineraries based on user inputs and intelligent tools for modifying itinerary.
Interactive Map Integration
Displays destinations and attractions on an interactive map and allows users to visualize their itinerary and plan their route efficiently.
User-Generated Reviews
Community reviews and tips from other travelers and option for users to share their own travel experiences.
Updated Information
Latest photos of landscapes and attractions, up-to-date information on attractions and current visa requirements and travel documentation guidance.
Accessible and Intuitive Design
User-friendly interface with clear navigation and accessibility features for users with disabilities.
Visual Design and Content
Clean, modern aesthetics with engaging visuals and high-quality images and videos for destinations and activities.
Budget Management
Budget estimation and tracking tools.
Visa and Documentation Assistance
Step-by-step guidance for visa requirements and applications.
The structure of IA is a Hierarchical model. The parent categories such as Explore, Saved, Build Itinerary and Visa branch out into subcategories providing a clear and organized navigation path for users.
Saved
Itinerary
Visa
Home screen
Account
Explore
Search
Search experience
Search
List of destinations / activities
Travel dates
Create new trip
Travel style
Save
Trips
Add companions
Trips list
List of cities / activities
Itinerary
Itinerary list
Edit
Trip budget
Trip list
Passport
Visa required/no
Destination
Visa overview
Residence
More info
No. of days ?
Itinerary
Road map
Day wise list
Local transport
Map
Weather
Safety
Mode of payment
Mobile network
Apps to download
Search
Where/when to apply
Budget
Docs required
Other info
Generate itinerary
Companion
Primary task flow- Exploring travel destination and saving activities
Secondary task flow - Adding travel companions
Wireframing
Home screen
Activity details
Saved activities
Destination search result
USABILITY STUDY
After creating prototype from low-fidelity wireframes, I conducted usability study to identify if there are any usability issues and gather feedback on the overall user experience. My goals were to ensure that users could navigate the app intuitively, efficiently complete their travel planning tasks, and find the app's features valuable and user-friendly.
Usability study parameters
Study type - Moderated
Location - Singapore, India - remote (each participant will complete the study in their own home)
Participants - 4
Length - 45 to 60 minutes
Key performance indicators
Task Completion Rate - The percentage of tasks users could complete successfully without assistance.
Time on Task - The average time it took for users to complete specific tasks, such as creating an itinerary or finding visa information.
Error Rate - The number of errors users encountered while navigating the app and completing tasks.
User Satisfaction - Measured through post-test surveys and ratings to gauge overall satisfaction with the app’s usability and features.
Navigation Efficiency - The number of clicks or steps users took to complete a task, indicating the ease of finding information and using features.
These are the observations gathered from Usability Study. I created an Affinity map by organising the data into groups with common themes.
Now that I have all the observations from usability study, let's look at the key insights and define the actual problems that a designer can solve.
Hidden Collaboration
The main USP of app - planning trip with travel buddies is not evident.Bring it out on home screen that you can plan trip with your friends.
P0
Confusing Navigation
Due to similar layout, users get confused whether they are in country, city or attraction list screen.Make users aware of where are they in discovery stage.
P0
Ineffective Map
Users didn't find map feature much helpful as it showed same info as in list view. Add more value to map.
P1
Hidden Voting Graph
Voting graph features in saved item list is not noticeable. Make it discoverable.
P1
Missing Direction
Users dont know what to do after adding activities to saved list.Users should be directed to next steps.
P0
Misplaced Attractions
Users are confused where to find saved attractions under “saved” navigation bar. Saved attractions, itinerary and visa should come under ongoing trips.
P0
Misleading Search bar
Due to the placement of AI search bar on top of the destinations list, users were confused if the search is limited only within the list. AI search bar should be moved to the top of the page.
P1
Lack of Affordance
User are confused, where to click on destination and attraction card.There should be a clear affordance that cards are clickable.
Interactive map is not noticeable to users. Instead of drag, give FAB for switch between map and list view.
P0
Based on priority of insights, I made changes to design. Lets have a look at some screenshots of new design.
INTRODUCING FINAL DESIGN
Throughout the process, my design decisions were guided by key UX principles and Design Laws to enhance usability and provide an engaging, intuitive user experience.
Home screen
When designing the home screen, I prioritized simplicity and clarity, drawing on the Aesthetic Usability Effect to create a clean, uncluttered, and visually appealing interface.
The primary task of exploring travel destinations is central, with the prominent AI search bar serving as the Focal Point to immediately capture user’s attention.
I adhered to Fitt's Law by placing large, easily accessible CTA buttons at the bottom of the screen, ensuring users can quickly initiate trip planning.
The welcoming message, "Explore the World with your Best Travel Mates," reinforces the app's social aspect, encouraging collaborative travel planning.
Teach the app
As new users navigate TravelGenie for the first time, they are guided through a short four-step tour to introduce the app's core features and planning process.
Discovering destination
To provide personalized recommendations for destinations and activities, I crafted a questionnaire to gather insights into users' travel preferences and interests.
By applying Miller's Law, I structured the destination cards to display information in digestible segments, simplifying the selection process. This thoughtful design enabled users to smoothly explore destination recommendations customized to their specific tastes.
Map experience
In designing the interactive map feature for the app, I focused on enhancing user experience by providing a geographical visualization of destinations and attractions, along with travel times between them.
This feature allowed users to efficiently plan and visualize their itineraries, making it easier to navigate and optimize their routes. The interactive map proved invaluable for trip planning, offering users a clear and cohesive view of their travel landscape.
Discovering things to do & places to see
In the discovery process for activities and attractions within the app, users navigate through three stages: selecting a country, choosing cities within that country, and exploring attractions or activities in the city. In alignment with Hick’s law, I limited the search results to no more than ten and categorized them, which simplified decision-making by reducing cognitive load.
For the attraction cards, I employed Progressive Disclosure, initially presenting only essential information and revealing more details as users expressed interest in learning more about an attraction.
Smart search
The AI search assistant helps user improvise and refine travel plans seamlessly. The human -like conversation makes the experience smooth and non robotic.
Saving attractions
By simply tapping the heart icon, users can save the attractions to their trip, making it effortless to create an itinerary out of it directly within the app.
Adding travel buddies
In designing the collaborative feature of TravelGenie, I introduced a simple "+ Add people" button at the top of the trip interface, allowing users to invite their travel buddies to join and plan the trip together. This facilitated easy collaboration, enhancing the group planning experience by enabling friends and family to contribute to the itinerary directly within the app.
Collaborative trip planning
After adding people to the trip, users and their travel mates can collectively build a wishlist. I introduced a voting feature where group members can vote on their preferred attractions, ensuring that everyone’s preferences are considered in the final itinerary. This engaging and interactive process not only made trip planning more collaborative but also more enjoyable, as each member can contribute their ideas and preferences seamlessly.
This collection of prototypes for TravelGenie demonstrates my commitment to developing a user-friendly, collaborative, and intuitive travel planning platform. From the homepage to destination discovery and collaborative wishlist building, each prototype was carefully crafted to enable users to effortlessly navigate, personalize, and enhance their travel planning. Featuring AI-powered search, collaborative planning tools, and straightforward access to crucial travel information, TravelGenie is designed to transform how travelers explore and experience the world.
Thank you for reading Part 1 of this case study.
© 2024 Prachi Thakare. All rights reserved.