Context

Planning a trip can be a challenging and inconvenient process despite the wealth of information available online. The difficulties arise from issues such as scattered resources and the struggle to find the best deals. People often face obstacles in planning the most optimized trips due to a lack of knowledge in navigating through the available information and making informed decisions.

Goals

To simplify and organize travel-related information for enhanced clarity and understanding.
To plan an optimized trip considering users' travel dates and budget constraints.

Solutions

To create an app where users select their preferred tourist attractions, and the app generates a personalized travel itinerary for them.

Needfinding

I employed the observation method to pinpoint existing user pain points in trip planning. My focus was on recognizing the interfaces individuals utilize for trip planning and discussing the challenges they encountered and resolved in the process. The primary platforms for my observations included YouTube, Reddit, Quora, and various internet blogs.

Method

Observation Process:
        1. 30-minute observation of friends navigating travel booking websites
        2. 1-hour analysis of online platforms and user interactions
        3. 1-hour assessment of main user challenges
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Pain Points:
        1. Complexity and Information Overload
                 - Overwhelming abundance of options and filters
                - Difficulty in quickly locating relevant information
        2. Hidden Fees and Pricing Complexity
                 - Unclear pricing structures
                 - Dynamic pricing complicating optimal booking timing
        3. Technical Issues
                 - Glitches disrupting the booking process
                 - Compatibility problems across devices and browsers
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User Interactions:
             - Discussions on Reddit and Quora about travel challenges
              - Creation and consumption of travel-related YouTube content
              - Exploration of travel blogs for planning tips and considerations
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Findings

Tourists often struggle to bring together and make sense of the scattered information available online, making it hard to plan a trip in the perfect trip.
Travelers often find it challenging to optimize their ideal trip within a specified budget and timeframe, aiming to make the most of their travel experience.
Tourists may encounter language barriers during their travels, which can pose a challenge to fully savoring the travel experience

Solution

Streamlined Information Integration: The app centralizes and organizes scattered information available online, presenting it to users in a coherent and user-friendly manner. This streamlines the trip planning process, helping users make sense of diverse details effortlessly.
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‍Budget and Time Optimization: The app takes into account the specified budget and travel timeframe provided by users during the initial setup. It then generates personalized itineraries that optimize the ideal trip within these constraints. This feature assists travelers in making the most of their resources and time.
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‍Language Barrier Solutions:The app seamlessly incorporates nearby hotels, restaurants, weather updates, and transportation info, providing a self-sufficient trip planning experience. These comprehensive features that reduce the need for extensive interactions. I have also included a language translation feature, making travel even more seamless and enjoyable

Ideation Phase

I employed a creative process that involved leveraging mind mapping, reverse thinking, and analogies to generate a diverse set of 20 innovative ideas. Subsequently, I took the initiative to visually represent some of these ideas through sketches. Through careful consideration and evaluation, I ultimately arrived at a well-thought-out decision, identifying the most optimal solution among the array of possibilities. This method not only fostered a rich and varied ideation process but also ensured a thoughtful and deliberate selection of the best-suited solution for the given context.

Card Sorting Analysis

In the process of refining the application's structure, I employed a strategic card sorting analysis. This method allowed me to systematically classify the various features of the app into distinct and meaningful categories. Through this insightful exercise, I not only organized the functionalities in a coherent manner but also gained a profound understanding of the essential information that should be incorporated into the application. Equally crucial was the realization of what elements needed elimination, contributing to a streamlined and user-centric design.

User Testing

Following user testing feedback, it was revealed that users prefer to explore different tourist spots before finalizing their travel destination, and then decide on travel dates and budget afterward. In response to this, I created an actions page. This page lists options such as choosing a destination, setting travel dates, and determining a budget. Users have the flexibility to decide the order in which they want to perform these tasks. Once a travel destination is selected, users can proceed to explore various tourist spots. This approach is designed to cater to user preferences and streamline the decision-making process.

After receiving feedback that users were finding it confusing to have separate home and profile buttons in the navigation bar, I've implemented a change. The home and profile pages have been combined, and a logout button has been added directly to the profile page. This modification aims to eliminate any confusion for users and provides a more straightforward navigation experience within the app. Now, users can easily access both home and profile functions in one place, enhancing the overall usability of the application.

Reflection

Embarking on this project was both enlightening and fun for me. I handled everything from user research to design, prototyping, and usability testing with ease. With a genuine interest in simplifying trip planning hassles, I explored the ins and outs of UX design and gained valuable insights into the travel industry. Even with the industry being saturated, I saw a cool opportunity to create a user-friendly application that could stand out.

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