Travel app

Research

Desk research was carried out to identify similar solutions as well as to identify points for improvement and positive points in existing solutions.

A survey that contained quantitative and qualitative questions was also carried out. The main results were:

What I Iearned?

I could see that there is a great opportunity for business growth, since many of the people interviewed are not in the habit of creating itineraries, many because they think it takes a lot of time and/or is something difficult and complicated to organize. In addition, almost all respondents are concerned about the weather on their trips and think it would be nice to have a solution that would help them quickly change their plans.

The user profile that this solution seeks to reach are mainly tourists.

What is the problem?

Sudden changes in weather during a trip, which change last minute plans.

Why is this a problem?

• Lack of local knowledge can cause challenges when changing your itinerary at the last minute;
• It generates anxiety in a moment of relaxation;
• it takes a long time to change the itinerary which can negatively impact the enjoyment of the trip

What the user needs?

• To create itineraries quickly and easily;
• Ease of checking the weather throughout the trip;
• Ease of changing plans within the app according to weather indications.

‍‍‍Thus, the proposed solution should have, in a simple interface, information about the weather, and schedules to include in the itinerary.
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In a few screens, the user should be able to carry out tasks that tend to take more time, as they usually need to navigate through different websites and cross-reference information to be able to create/change itineraries.

In addition to the research, other steps were also created that helped in the solution definition process, such as CSD matrix, personas, empathy map, jobs to be done, and HMW.

Thinking about the solution

Initially, a brief user journey was created in order to build a solid information architecture network later. This step allowed the creation of wireframes that took into account notions of hierarchy, organization of features, and accessibility, among others.

Site Map

Wireframes

This step was important for design validation, which facilitated the entire iteration process.

Accessibility

For the visual stage, accessibility standards were of great relevance, given the importance of disseminating an increasingly inclusive design. The main standards used were: contrast, use of colors, and pages with clear titles, headers, and labels, among others. Much of the solution relies on AA standards as per WCAG. 
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The development of accessibility to even more specific standards is considered for potential solution updates.

The solution

Visual components

Heuristics

All the main heuristics were considered. Among the main ones for this project we have:

• Visibility of system status: to facilitate navigability for users, as they need a quick solution to their problem;
• User control and freedom: to facilitate last minute changes, cancellation of itineraries, inclusion of new activities, among others;
• Recognition rather than recall: since users need an easy and intuitive solution when changing itineraries;
• Aesthetic and minimalist design: less information helps the user focus on what matters in an anxious moment when changing their itinerary.

Screens

The home page, as well as the travel pages, are simple and objective, in line with the opinions heard during the research. 
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Here, it is important that anyone can quickly understand the itinerary dynamics as well as make easy changes according to the weather.
 
During the research, users reported that they often do not create itineraries because they do not know how to organize themselves and/or find it difficult to place plans on existing solutions, which is one of the main pain points identified. 
In this way, the home screen and travel screens are very important for the success of the app and user satisfaction.

So that the user has the main itinerary information on a single screen, a few days before the trip the application is updated to indicate the weather within the itinerary page. These screens were also thought out in detail according to the main objectives of the user.

Other Screens

The solution also aims to act as an indicator of schedules for the user to include in their itineraries, as well as having a dashboard dedicated to the weather.

These screens were also created so that the experience is fluid, taking into account the level of ease to change plans and check the weather throughout the trip.

Next Steps

For the next steps, a usability test would be important to listen to the user's feedback and improve the solution more and more.

In addition, for the future the solution can be expanded to include a website as well as to include new points of trip organization, such as a cost sheet for example.

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