TRAVELY

Plan your next group trip with ease

ROLE

TOOLS

Travel

Social

Figma, Invision, Slack, Monday, Dropbox, Loom

UX/UI Designer

Problem

Planning group travel requires careful coordination of schedules, activity decisions, and document management. Each trip presents unique challenges, and while various apps are available, their customization options are often limited.

Outcome

An app that not only simplifies the planning and booking of group trips but also enables travelers to create a personalized experience. With engaging features like voting, task assignments, and more, this app empowers users to collaborate seamlessly and design the perfect trip for their group.

Research Plan

Understanding the users & their problems

Research goals

To gain a deeper understanding of how users approach planning group trips for three or more people, I conducted a survey as part of the foundational research. In addition, the secondary research involved analyzing the competition in the market and examining booking trends on Google.

Methodologies

CONDUCTING RESEARCH

Survey

Planning a trip becomes increasingly complex with more people involved. That's why I set out to study how individuals plan group trips that involve three or more people and, more importantly, which tools they utilize to streamline the process.

I wanted to learn more about:

  • Who plans a group trip when there are 3 or more people?

  • How does the group decide on the location, activities...etc?

  • How is the planning documented?

  • Where do they store the travel documentation?

Competitor analysis

In my analysis, I focused on ease of use, user flow, accessibility, and many other factors. The purpose of the research was to identify deficiencies and how Travely could fill those gaps.

User persona

Opportunities

Based on the key findings, I came up with some initial ideas to test and integrate into the app to improve its functionality.

Dashboard

The dashboard is a central place to collect and share all documentation, links, tasks, and thoughts.

Voting

With group trips, decisions are a common pitfall. A voting section could help the group to make decisions faster.

Tasks

No matter how people keep track of their tasks, having a centralized task list keeps them organized.

IDEATE

Turning ideas into designs

Sketches

To translate my initial ideas into concrete designs, I began sketching out possible layouts for each of the main pages based on my research findings. Using a rapid sketching process, I documented each idea that came to mind, regardless of its quality, to ensure that no potentially valuable concept was overlooked. Ultimately, this process allowed me to compare and evaluate all the ideas holistically to make a more informed decision.

Wireframes

With a clear vision of the app's design in mind, I transformed my initial sketches into detailed wireframes. To ensure that the users' experience of the app is seamless and intuitive, I plotted out the user flow within the wireframes.

USER TESTING

Listening to users

Research goals

To validate the design concept of the app, I conducted user testing with the target audience, specifically focusing on the dashboard, voting, and tasks sections, as well as the overall app flow. Through this process, I gathered valuable feedback that helped to refine the app's design and ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of our users.

Methodologies

  • Unmoderated usability study with 5 individuals

  • Moderated usability study with 5 individuals

Finding patterns

A sneak peek into the direct feedback from the target audience.

KEY FINDINGS

Testing insights

Users' feedback provided valuable insights that helped me identify areas for improvement and refine the app's design.

I learned the following from the usability test:

  • Users struggled to find the voting section under the plan tab

  • The ‘create a trip” layout was overwhelming the users due to lack of white space and step idicators

  • There was no clear indicator to let users know that a link had been successfully copied to their phone's clipboard when copying a link from another app.

Add adjustments

I used the feedback from the moderated user tests to make necessary adjustments to the app, ensuring that it better met the expectations and needs of the users.

Plan > Vote

The group as a collective found the voting screen difficult to find due to the name of the tab, so I changed it from plan to vote.

Simply “ Create a trip”

This flow layout was overwhelming for users, and they prefer to know which step they are on. I simplified the layout and added a step indicator.

Adding links

Users requested a notification to indicate the presence of outside links, such as Airbnb reservations, and I added this feature to the app.

MOCKUPS

Behind the designs

Create your trip

The most exciting part of a trip is planning; users want to get started as soon as they can. Because of this, I simplified the process by only including the essential questions, and making the rest optional.

Add a task

Travely is designed to have all the information you need for the trip centralized, including notes and tasks. Write your thoughts and To-Dos without worrying about which app or notepad you used.

Add documentation

A trip dashboard allows users to customize their experience and add the documentation they need to access quickly. This makes life easier for those who have to coordinate flights, accommodations, activities, and other bookings.

Voting

Users found that decision-making for large groups could be tedious and disengaging, with some people not participating or feeling unheard. To address this feedback, Travely offers a more engaging and collaborative decision-making process that allows everyone to contribute and be involved.

DESIGN

Establishing the design system

Final deliverables

Around 30 screens designed in Figma

Final thoughts & takeaways

Lessons learned

While I felt confident in my initial designs, I quickly learned the importance of obtaining feedback from users at multiple stages of the process. Even minor oversights could greatly impact the user experience. This experience has shifted my approach to projects going forward.

Photo Sharing

In my initial research, I discovered that many users share photos in group messages. Therefore, I was considering how to enable users to share photos within the app.

Splitting Expenses

I would look into adding a method for groups to split individual expenses, or the entire bill, as Travely wants to converge all planning tools into one.