Project Overview
Planify is an AI-powered travel app that simplifies trip planning for busy individuals. It helps users effortlessly organize their entire itinerary, from flights and accommodations to activities and dining. With personalized recommendations, Planify takes the stress out of booking vacations, allowing users to focus on enjoying their journey.
My Role
UX/UI Designer
My responsibilities included conducting user research to identify user needs and pain points, defining core problems to guide the design process, and generating creative solutions. I created wireframes and prototypes to visualize functionality and conducted user testing to gather feedback, iterating on the design to improve the user experience.
Tools Used
- -Figma/FigJam
- -Google Forms
- -OtterAi
- -Trello
Design Process
- 1. User Research
- 2. Definition & Synthesis
- 3. Ideation
- 4. Prototyping
- 5. User Testing
- 6. Conclusion
The Problem
- • Travel planning is overwhelming for busy individuals, causing stress and frustration.
- • Countless options for flights, accommodations, and activities make decision-making difficult due to time constraints.
- • The complexity of planning makes booking vacations tedious and discourages travel.
- • Users need a more efficient and user-friendly solution.
The Solution
- • Planify uses AI to streamline and personalize travel planning.
- • Users can generate tailored itineraries based on preferences.
- • Provides smart recommendations for accommodations and activities.
- • Offers a user-friendly interface to manage trips in one place.
- • Transforms a stressful process into an enjoyable experience.
User Research
The search for understanding
As I started this project, my first priority was to truly understand my target users. I started by creating a proto persona that would represent the key traits, motivations, and frustrations of my users. Created from initial insights, this proto persona became a foundational element in guiding my design decisions, and ensuring that I remained focused on user needs.
Gaining Insight
To deepen my understanding of Ava and users like her, I conducted a series of user interviews. The goal was to validate the assumptions made in the proto persona and uncover additional insights that could inform my design process. Key insights I revealed from interviews were that users want personalized recommendations, a single platform to access all trip information, and efficient tools that streamline the planning process and save time.
Creating cohesion
After conducting a series of in-depth interviews with users, I gathered a range of insights about their experiences and preferences. Each conversation revealed unique perspectives, but I needed a way to distill this information into actionable themes. This is where the affinity diagram came into play. The main pain points in travel include having too many options, leading to decision fatigue; budgeting difficulties due to unexpected costs and hidden fees; and time management challenges, where planning is perceived as overly time-consuming and complicated.
Visualizing user emotions
The empathy map was instrumental in understanding potential users of my travel app by visualizing their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It helped identify needs and goals, revealing emotional insights that guided design decisions.
Definition & Synthesis
driving innovation
User Insight Statement
Users like Ava seek a streamlined travel planning experience that accommodates their busy schedules. During user interviews, I discovered that users strongly desire personalized recommendations and a centralized platform to access all trip related information, minimizing the time spent navigating multiple apps. Their primary frustrations stem from overwhelming choices, which often lead to increased stress during the planning process. To address these challenges, I believe it’s essential to develop a user-friendly app that not only consolidates travel options but also curates personal suggestions based on individual preferences and past behaviors. By focusing on simplifying the planning process, users can be empowered to make informed decisions quickly, ultimately enhancing their travel experience.
Problem Statement
Through my research, I’ve observed that busy individuals struggle with trip planning due to overwhelming choices and a lack of personalized recommendations. This leads to decision fatigue and increased stress, particularly when managing budgeting and itinerary details. How might a solution be developed to provide tailored recommendations and simplify the planning process for these travelers?
Ideation
Strengths, opportunities, and possibilities
To explore potential solutions and gather insights from the perspective of my target users, I brainstormed user sentiments and aspirations, fostering a deeper understanding of their needs and desires. By synthesizing these insights, I was able to generate a range of ideas that inform the development of user-centered solutions, ensuring that the product aligns with user expectations.
Aligning development with user needs
By utilizing the Feature Prioritization Matrix, I was able to organize and evaluate potential features based on their value to users and the feasibility of implementation. This allowed me to pinpoint which features would deliver the most significant benefits to users while considering resource constraints.
understanding the user experience
Creating a storyboard was my next step to deepen my understanding of the user’s experience in a real-world scenario. The process of visualizing Ava’s needs, frustrations, and emotions allowed me to step into her shoes. This empathy was crucial for identifying pain points and understanding the motivations that drive users to seek solutions like my app. Insights gained from the storyboard informed my feature prioritization matrix, ensuring that the most valuable features were developed first.
Prototyping
Understanding the landscape
Conducting a thorough competitor analysis allowed me to identify existing strengths and weaknesses in current travel applications. I identified Kayak, Travelocity, and Expedia as direct competitors. By dissecting the user experience and interface design of these apps, I was able to uncover opportunities for differentiation and improvement. Key findings revealed that many apps suffer from cluttered interfaces, complex navigation, and a lack of personalized recommendations.
User flow
After understanding the KPIs I needed to implement I began creating a user flow to outline the paths users would take throughout the app. I wanted to ensure the screens’ functions enhanced navigation and streamlined trip planning. The flow outlines key user actions, including searching for trips, adding new itineraries, and accessing previous trips. It highlights essential features like itinerary management, expense tracking, and photo organization. This visual representation helped identify user pathways and potential pain points, guiding my wire-framing and prototyping efforts to ensure a user-friendly experience.
blueprinting the experience
To translate the user flow into a tangible design, I initiated the wire-framing process, focusing on creating a clear and functional layout for the travel app. I began by sketching low-fidelity wire-frames to visualize the app’s structure and key components, ensuring that each screen aligned with the identified user actions and essential features.
Low-fidelity digital wire-framing
After sketching I developed digital monochromatic screens that highlighted main elements like navigation and content placement. To ensure effectiveness, I gathered feedback from peers and potential users, refining the wireframes iteratively based on their insights. I then transformed these wireframes into a clickable prototype for user testing, allowing for real-time interaction and further validation of the design concepts.
User Testing
Enhancing Usability through user testing
During user testing, I presented the clickable prototype to participants to observe their interactions and gather feedback. Several initial issues emerged one being with the itinerary navigation. Users expressed frustration at having to click on each individual section to view their itinerary details. To address this, I incorporated a consolidated itinerary view that displays all relevant information at a glance, enhancing accessibility.
high-fidelity prototype
I developed a high-fidelity prototype by enhancing the visual design with a cohesive color palette and typography, implementing detailed interactions and animations for a realistic user experience. I conducted final usability testing to gather feedback, which informed further refinements. This iterative process resulted in a polished prototype that effectively met user needs and expectations.
Conclusion
Planify effectively transforms the travel planning experience by offering users a comprehensive platform to manage every aspect of their trips. With features that allow for seamless booking, detailed itineraries, and personalized AI recommendations, the app simplifies the process and enhances user engagement. By prioritizing user needs and integrating innovative technology, this app stands out as a valuable tool for travelers seeking to explore the world with ease and confidence.
Expense Management: Helps users effectively manage their travel budget with a visual overview of spending, real-time updates, and a detailed breakdown of pre-paid and remaining expenses, reducing financial stress.
Packing Checklist: Streamlines the packing process with an organized checklist and progress indicator, ensuring users don’t forget essential items and enhancing their overall travel experience.
AI Chat: Users can interact with an AI assistant to receive customized travel recommendations. By inputting their interests (e.g., adventure, relaxation), users can explore unique destinations and activities that align with their desires.
Inspiration Prompts: The chat feature provides users with inspiration through suggested queries, encouraging them to think creatively about their travel plans and discover new experiences.