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After analyzing the problems through the research, journey map, wireframes, and 5+ rounds of testing and iteration (design process section below). I defined ways to help users in the following areas. If you want to try the clickable prototypes first
COVID-19 Impact: as many as 72% of Americans intend to travel in 2021. It will be a year of renewal and reconnection. The world's appetite for travel is as strong as it has ever been. Unique experiences were the most impactful element of their favorite vacations.
Millennial Appetites: the highest proportion is millennial who reshape their personal plans by absorbing content from social media or AI-generated. What’s more, all of these new trends are done directly from research to book. Instead of traditional travel plans, they are looking for creative experiences.
In 2021, people's wanderlust will be stronger than ever because they want to make up for the lost time. It will be a year of renewal and reconnection. However, people will be more conscientious about how they travel. What's the problem I'm finding and trying to solve:
Narrowed the scope of target users by conducting guerrilla research (48 responses).
I surveyed high-frequent millennial travelers current travel preferences and feelings.
Travelers usually prefer a short trip of 3 to 7 days for next travel.
So: I should mostly create the easy-to-use, comprehensive, and intuitive content editing planning flows.
100% of people have had short trip experience in the past which shows short-days trip has a larger user base.
So: I decided to go on to study the pain points of planning and user behavior analysis in short trips.
29/48 people selected plane as the main transportation in past travel.
So: I planned to set booking flights as one of main user flows to help achieve user' more potential needs.
Top 3 triggers are release stress, culture, share with others.
So: I should focus on how to help relieve stress and experience natural culture as main design considerations.
Built interview scripts and collected key quotes. (meeting 10) Considering the time constraints of this project, I decided to quickly interviewed the target audiences who have high requirements for travel and like to explore travel plans, while the second group is looking for travel inspiration and is open to recommended plans.
Travel Behavior
Q: How often do you travel?
Q: How many days per trip? Travel trigger?
Q: What’s transportation do you usually use during a trip?
Tools They Use:
Q: What do you usually use to book flights, hotels, etc.?
Q: What are the first factors when making travel plans?
Q: Frustrations have experienced while using these tools.
Planning Experience:
Q: What problems you encounter while making travel plan?
Q: Has this problem been solved? How to solve it?
Q: Good experiences when making travel plans. How's it?
Q: Order or preference for custom travel plans?
1. Fragmented planning across multiple platforms wastes time and increases cognitive load.
2. Tedious browsing and screening diminish user excitement and creative inspiration.
3. Dispersed booking information risks missed flights and travel details.
1. Develop a centralized travel app that prioritizes key details (name, price, nearby attractions) for quick access.
2. Integrate engaging visuals—like authentic traveler photos—to spark creativity and maintain enthusiasm.
3. Ensure a seamless cross-device experience with features like integrated booking management and personalized alerts (e.g., flight alarms) to keep users organized and informed.
Polarized Planning Ways
Some travelers spend an incredible time planning a trip. They always arrange all of things in travel. Others almost don't create plans by themselves at all and prefer ready-made plans according to their travel preferences.
Obliteration of Enthusiasm
Most travelers use daily scheduling tools to plan a travel. The lifeless forms and endless process are gradually draining their enthusiasm and interest in travel planning. They even felt stressed and exhausted before departure.
Multi-party Platforms Rule
Users are very likely involved in editing plans on both web and mobile during the entire journey. Flexibility and brand consistency are key factors of cross-platform experience. Empathetic and founcational features can help users miss details.
Google Travel allows users to plan for upcoming trips with summarizing info about the user's destination in several categories such as day plans, reservations, and things to do.
Tripadvisor provides reviews and suggestions from travelers around the world. These reviews include hotels, attractions, restaurants, airlines, and travel planning and booking functions.
（Website version in Feb 2021）
· Once booked, the itinerary is added immediately.
· AR feature helps users to vividly navigate new places.
· Allows users to pay without using other website for all booking.
· Communicate with industry owners at world travel community.
· Public resources with both reviews and photographs.
· Book from the site by linking to leading travel affiliates
· Can't share a trip so another person can’t edit.
· Can’t book a rental car or restaurant reservations.
· Flights lack promotions, deals, incentives.
· Overwhelming amount of information.
· Focused on reviews and not booking.
· Doesn’t store all the reservations.
Design progress can only happen when we attach and integrate new ideas and new products into our lives, for example the most easy way-user testing. I did paper test, usability test, and medium fidelity prototype test.
Participants
I totally invited 18 participants who had previously I surveyed and interviewee to do the user testing and also get their impressions on my notification methods.
Evaluate Goals
1. Determine whether task description can clearly guide users to complete the three tasks. 2. Whether there are any unpleasant interactions or unclear steps and Why.
Metrics Measured
Comprehensibility, Interactivity,
Enjoyable, Cross-platform Comprehension,
Energy-Consuming, Tolerable
In addition to the desktop, I also created a mobile version. Emphasizes the adaptability, continuity, and complementarity of interaction design. In this way, users can freely switch to using the program across platforms.
I also developed a mobile version to ensure a seamless, adaptable experience across platforms. Embracing a data-driven design approach allowed me to prioritize features based on user needs, development costs, and expected impact—enabling me to simplify and make sound design decisions.
The users are more anxious when things don’t go as planned so it is necessary to make sure they know exactly what is happening. This must be reflected in the app interface itself. It is valuable to monitor the effects of my design changes and critically evaluate user responses to the changes.
Test as early as possible, also try and have a fresh pair of eyes for each test you perform. Try to engage a fresh pair of eyes into each test perform.
I will keep exploring more inspiring features with my project users, mainly popular features like community sharing of travel plans, multiplayer editing, and a reward system. Onthe other hand, I need to create a consistent design guideline to increase time efficiency in future development.
The project is continuously evolving, and I’ve built several front-end pages using HTML, CSS, and Java for usibility testing. Feel free to reach out If you’d like to learn more,.
