NICK HEGGESTAD

The Project:

The goal for this project was to create a travel app based off of user interviews and needs. I determined that travelers need a way to determine the best food and activities in a given location  because they want to have the best, most tailored experience while traveling.

The Solution:

Create a location-based app for travelers that has: 

• tailored filters and local recommendations

• a top 10 list for every location

• the ability to share, save and rate places

My Role:

• UX Designer (Individual Mock Project)

• UX Researcher

Tools:

• Sketch (Wireframes and Mockups)

• Pen and Paper (Wireframes, Storyboarding)

Research:

After creating a discussion guide, I interviewed 3 different people, all travelers of sorts. I also looked into competitors, especially those that came up frequently in interviews. This included common travel booking websites (Expedia, Travelocity), Trip Advisor, Instagram, and AirBNB.  

Interviews & Insights:

The interviews I conducted really helped shape the direction of this process. Users kept indicating that, while there were a lot of options for how to plan travel, none had great filters, and none seemed to give them the exact tailored experience they desired. 

Insights:

• Users would like a list of recommended places based on their location and their preferences

• Users like sharing photos, reviews and really like to recommend places they thought were extra special

• Users are interested in the history of places, and feel like sometimes new travel apps only guide them to what is flashy and new

• Users want to know what the locals recommend

Analyzing & Synthesizing Research:

Through my interviews I had essential collected a stockpile of feature requests. What I needed to do was determine which of those features would work well, and which were the most important. To do that I created a feature prioritization grid, mapping out items from Highest Impact to Lowest, and from Most Expected to Most Unexpected. 

Combining my Insights with the results from Feature Prioritization I determined that users were looking for:

1. A Top Ten List (tailored)

2. Better Filters

3. Recommendations from Real People/Other Users

4. Usability both Before Travel and During

5. Desire to be Spontaneous

Travelers want a tailored TOP 10 list so they can quickly see the top rated activities that pertain to them. 

Design Principles:

Create a travel app that:

• Suggests the best food and activities in a given location, based on that users preferences

• Uses better filters to tailor search results

• Has a list of the best in a given location

• Allows and encourages users to explore, share and remember their experiences

To move towards a solution, I started sketching and storyboarding. 

Design Solutions:

An app that contains the following features in a simple, easy to use layout:

• Best Bet List (Search Results based on User Preferences and Location)

• Top Ten List

• Ability to Favorite Activities and Locations

• Rating Feature

• Photo Sharing Featurs

Iterations & Usability Testing :

With my quickly sketched wireframes I conducted a usability test, which gave me a better sense of navigation and immediate needs. I then created a low-fidelity set of wireframes in Sketch so I could create a clickable prototype with Marvel.

I conducted three tests, giving users a scenario and three tasks to complete based on that scenario. From testing I determined that:

• Flow and Navigation is easy and understandable

• The favorite feature is the Top Ten List

• Clarify and simplify the homepage

I decided to lose the hamburger menu in the top left corner and relocate the Edit Filters option to the Profile page. Additionally I wanted to make sure that in the next stage of design, the Top Ten list would be more featured. 

Design Iterations:

The next step in developing the product was to explore color and typography. In the image below are the Style Tiles and the resulting concept pages for each style. While I really liked the earthy feel of #2, I moved forward with a combination of #1 and #3. 

With my style guide in place, I built 3 versions of the homepage and asked users which of the three they preferred. The light blue (#3) was the overwhelming favorite, even though I was leaning towards #2. I proceeded forward, building the rest of the mockups, making small changes as I felt necessary. 

Mockups:

After simplifying the homepage a bit more, I continued on with the rest of the pages. I wanted to make sure the app kept it's focus while feeling fun, fresh and easy to use. 

Homepage Details:

One of my favorite features is that the homepage background images come from users and the image automatically changes based on location. Here are a mockups for some other favorite locations across the US. 

Conclusion:

I was really thrilled with the outcome of this project. My goal was to create a simple travel app based on user wants and needs, and I believe I accomplished that task. 

There are a few changes I would make were I to move forward. With all of the photos that ended up being used, I did think the end result looked a little busy, so my next step would be to re-evaluate and simplify a bit. Additionally I would continue to conduct usability testing, making tweaks and changes as need be.