TravelTroupe

The travel app that makes planning for trips with a group stress-free to the point where you are excited to go on the adventure, not be over it. The interface will provide a collaborative calendar and chat feature within the group to avoid mass notifications on each users messages, allowing for better communication and succinct planning. Let’s get the trip “out of the group chat”.

Why TravelTroupe? Travelers are finding it hard to create travel plans with others in an easy, organized, and timely manner. TravelTroupe is the go-to platform for planning your next trip. It condenses the planning process and bookings onto a collaborative platform that all travel members can have access to.

Phase One: User Research

Phase One: User Research

Interviews

I interviewed a small group of 5, asking them a series of questions regarding their travel preferences and overall experience when it comes to planning.

I learned from the interviews that in order to get a clear understanding of the general populations traveling, I need to gather more individuals to interview. The individuals need to range in different ages, occupation, income, location, and access to different transportation (airports, trains, boat, etc.)

  • 60% of the individuals stated they tend to travel domestically. A few do travel internationally as well, but most of their travels are domestic. When they go on trips, they never do it alone; they prefer to go on trips with one or more people. Many stated that they prefer to stay in rental properties while on a trip. I did come to the realization that even though most travelers book rental properties that typically come with a kitchen/kitchenette, they prefer eating out instead of cooking.

  • In preparation for a trip, travelers do research in regard to learning what is available in or near their destination. After their research of recommended excursions, restaurants, lodging, and etc., they start to make bookings and reservations. Travelers tend to create packing lists either mentally or physically to ensure that they have everything they need; however, the lists can vary due to destination and activities planned.

  • For traveling, travelers prefer using platforms that use a rewards system that can be redeemable for future travels, for example Delta Skymiles and Travel Credit Cards. When it comes to lodging, a popular platform utilized by many travelers is AirBnB. Travelers like to see reviews, photos, and details of a place that they will be staying for extended periods of time. They want to make sure they will be safe and comfortable, with their needs met, and AirBnb provides that. Some popular platforms that travelers use for searching recommended excursions, restaurant, hotels, and transportation are TripAdvisor and Trivago due to their high user rates. Travelers prefer platforms that are rewarding and credible.

User-Persona

Elizabeth Morgan

25 years old. Part-time Student. Part-time bartender.

“When so many people are involved, it’s hard to make decisions where everyone can be happy. How can we make decisions as a group?”

Elizabeth frequently travels any chance she gets, whether it is traveling with her boyfriend, friends, or family. Due to her busy schedule, she needs to plan and book her trips and excursions on-the-go. It would be ideal to have it conveniently done on one app and for it to make recommendations based on prior history. Also, due to her busy schedule, Elizabeth doesn’t have time to switch between apps to communicate with her traveling group, make reservations/bookings, and see all trip logistics.

Phase Two: Definition & Ideation

Phase Two: Definition & Ideation

Storyboard

  • Summer of Travels

    Elizabeth Morgan is getting ready for another summer of traveling with friends and family after a stressful school year. The feeling starts to sink in when the first group text gets sent between her and her friends. Luckily, this year they unanimously agreed on a destination and time period early, but she is still dreading having to deal with coordinating excursions, transportation, meals, and etc. Last year was hectic, and almost caused her to back out of the trip.

  • Flashback to Last Years Issues

    Elizabeth thinks back on all the arguments, miscommunication, and frustration that came about when planning with such a big group. She doesn’t want that to happen again because her supposed to be fun relaxing trip ended up being stressful. They had no set plans on anything. They had no clue where to explore.

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Sketches

Phase Three: Prototyping

Phase Three: Prototyping

Wireframes

Phase Four: Testing & Reiterating

Phase Four: Testing & Reiterating

User Testings & The Findings

Creating an Account

There were a few technical difficulties due to interaction errors made during prototype development.

Logging In

Users were confused by the fact they were not able to actually type in the prototype. Navigation was easy to the users, but they would appreciate seeing color and elements.

Book a Lodging

Users were experiencing issues of the screen scrolling back to the top while “inputting text”. Users recommended adding more options/filters for the lodging booking process. They enjoyed being able to see reviews and ratings for the elements you can book. Users request to be able to connect their rewards system to the app.

Access the Chatroom

Users appreciate the collaborative aspect in the app, making group coordination easy, but is there an easier way to access the chat room?

The Takeaway

The app is easy to navigate in general, minus the confusion from the users of how extensive the functions on a prototype can be. The app has infinite opportunities to grow with additional filters, reward programs, and more elements to improve travel planning.

Hi-Fidelity Prototype of TravelTroupe

Credits

Ashley Han
UI/UX Researcher and Designer

Tools:
Miro, Figma, Invision