ExploreEase

Project overview

Planning a trip locally or abroad can be daunting and time consuming. ExploreEase is a platform that builds an itinerary based on the users needs. Its a fun and easy way to plan ones travels without all the stress and hassle that usually comes along with it!

Build a travel app, that provides an easy way to plan trip catered exactly to each users needs.

Duration: 80 hours
Role: End- to end UX/UI Designer
Team: Self directed, with help of mentor and peers
Tools: Figma

Brief

My role in this project was to create an app that provides a service that people can plan a trip catered towards their needs and wants, as well as giving them the top recommendations, so that every trip is unforgettable for all the right reasons!

Problem statement

How might we design a platform that takes all the hassle and headache out of travel planning, to encourage people to explore the world more?

Design process

Desk research

I began my research with desk research, to understand the current traveling trends, that have changed so much over the past couple years due to Covid, generational differences and more flexibility with work.

Findings

Generational differences with travel

The effects of Covid- 19 had on travel trends

  • Travel planning process approximately 1.5 weeks or 1-2 weeks closer to their departure dates depending on if it’s a domestic or international trip. Resulting in a 30% reduction in planning time compared to pre-pandemic levels.

  • Social media's influence on travel planning persists, especially among Millennials and Gen Z.

  • In 2022, as travel restrictions eased globally, millions of remote students and employees embraced their newfound flexibility to travel.
    Source: . https://media.hopper.com/research/2023-travel-trends-report

Flexibility with trip planning

Secondary research

Findings

  • Younger people travel more than the older generation, this could be due to their more flexible schedules

  • Flexibility is a huge element of travel today, Will the traveler being working remotely?

  • It’s important to ask the traveler which sort of trip they are planning, is it a sunbathing holiday? Do they want to explore the new place through hikes? Do they love or hate museums?

  • It’s important that the platform makes sure to keep up with all the latest travel trends, For example; Where are all the big influencers traveling now?

  • People are booking their travel more last minute

  • Millennials that travel have special opportunities to meet new people, learn about history and diverse cultures, and create lasting memories.

Problem

Young travelers are booking their trips last minute, which either means they have to scramble and plan their trip itinerary last minute, or go and play it by ear - risking out on many great experiences. Even for those travelers who plan ahead, planning an itinerary takes a lot of time and effort and it’s hard to find something that works for everyone.

To create a platform that builds are itinerary based on the travelers exact needs, whether that's travelling for leisure, having a itch to explore a new country, wanting a new view for remote work, or travelling with a baby. The platform is fun, and easy to use, with the intention of taking all the stress out of travel planning.

Solution

Personas

Goals

Business goals:

  • Encourage users to book attractions through the app, as this way ExploreEase get a percentage of the cost.

  • Make the free package limited so that users purchase the paid package and get a lot more features.

  • Have a “Plan with a friend” feature so their travel partner downloads the app too

Technical goals:

  • Make sure it works on and offline

  • Make sure it syncs up all trip information when trip is for multiple people

  • Have seamless integration between all sections.

  • Ability to import flight information

  • Ability to add new places while offline - and if needed add in more details once in Wi-Fi

User goals:

  • Have an easy trip planning experience, with all the hard work done for you

  • Amazing experiences with minimal effort

  • Be able to adjust trips, if there is something the user isn’t happy with

  • Keep on top of the days schedule whether on or offline

  • Be able to select preferences when planning a trip, so it caters exactly to their needs

Flows

Wireframes

UI Kit

Creating the UI Kit is my favorite part of any project, especially when it involves branding, sketching a logo and building a color palette from scratch. It’s more than just picking some colors and calling it a day, it figuring out what the brand stands for and the audience it’s intended for. When I decided on the name ExploreEase for this platform, I wanted something simple, and clear about what it the platform is. When it came to designing the logo I decided on something simple, but impactful. The color palette is based off of nature, hills and greenery.

High fidelity prototypes

When creating the UI Kit for this project, it was important to me that I created the right “vibe”. I knew that colors are powerful and make a huge difference. So I chose greens, they are often associated with nature, rest, refreshment and security. Thus, as a travel app, it felt extremely fitting to use greens as the primary colors.

Design thought process

  • Proximity: All objects are carefully spaced, making sure the user can easily understand which objects are connected.

  • Balance: All elements are symmetrical, creating a sense of balance

  • Color: Color can make a huge difference on the users mood, that’s why as mentioned above I chose greens on purpose with the intention to influence the users mood. I also made sure the two greens worked well together, didn’t clash or cause the font to blend into the background.

  • Consistency: Using repetition throughout the design to give the user a consistent user experience.

Prototype & Test

Once I had the high fidelity wireframes completed, I recruited 4 people to test the prototype. I gave each of them the same task, they had to plan a solo trip to Paris and go through each stage until they received the itinerary. Due to this being hypothetical, I gave them some prompts throughout the process so they knew which options to select.

These usability tests were actually really interesting, each tested picked up on different things. Each had different feedback about different elements, which was really fascinating.
The wireframe that received the most feedback was one of the final ones, where the user needs to select one of three options to create their itinerary. I made some changes based on some of the feedback received, you can see the improvements below:

Iterations

  • Users said it was unclear how the page was split, so they didn’t understand if they needed to select one per row or per column

  • Users said they would have liked more information about each place. They wanted to make an informed decision before selecting one.

  • Users didn’t notice the “See more” option

  • Each row is numbered, as well as each column

  • A pop up with information and an image was added, so the user can make an informed decision before selecting an option

  • The “See more” option was removed, if need be they have the option to edit their choices at a later stage

One of the testers mentioned that there should be a search bar when selecting things they love/ don’t love to do so they don’t have to scroll until they find what they are looking for. I thought that made a lot of sense, and added it in.

Further ideas

Users suggested ideas which at this stage I was not able to implement but they are definitely worth taking note of.

Closing thoughts

I felt like this project was successful, and provides the service it was intended to. The green tones work well with the travel theme. There is always room for improvement, should I ever revisit this project, I'm sure I would make the necessary changes.

Challenges

Travel is such a huge umbrella, there's a lot that could be included/excluded. I was very excited at the beginning of this project with all my ideas and found it challenging to figure out what I should focus on first and foremost. Maybe down the line I can visit the other ideas, but for now I feel confident that I focused on the right things.

Next steps

If I were to continue this project, there were so many ideas floating around that I would love to implement. For example; Suggesting the best time to travel depending on budget or events etc. I would also like to incorporate a chat feature to allow travelers to connect.