TRAVELY
Timeline:
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8 weeks (2024)​
Role:
Travel Assistant App
designed to streamline the trip planning experience, it offers personalized recommendations, real-time local updates, and comprehensive trip management tools. The goal is to save users time and provide peace of mind.
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UX/UI Design
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User Research
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Project Management
Tools:
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Figma
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FigJam
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Trello
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Miro
Project Background
As the UX/UI designer for TRAVELY, I led the design and prototyping of the app from concept to completion. I established the design system, mapped out user flows, and iterated on multiple versions based on usability testing and feedback. The goal was to create a seamless and intuitive experience that provides real-time insights, and personalized recommendations. Over the course of eight weeks, I conducted user research, refined the interface, and ensured the design aligned with travelers' needs. The final prototype is now ready for further testing and development.
Problem
Travelers often rely on multiple apps to plan and manage their trips, making the process time-consuming and inefficient. Existing solutions lack personalization and real-time updates, resulting in fragmented and less enjoyable experience.
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Key Issues :
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Difficulty managing itineraries across different platforms.
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Lack of personalized recommendations.
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Missing out on real-time updates like weather and local events.
Project Goal
How might we simplify trip planning by providing travelers with a seamless, all-in-one platform for personalized itineraries and real-time insights?
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The goal is to provide personalized recommendations, and makes exploring new destinations seamless and stress-free.
To create a comprehensive and an all-in-one travel assistant app that :
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Provides personalized trip itineraries based on user interests and budget.
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Offers real-time updates on weather and local events.
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Allows for easy trip management in one seamless interface.
Empathize
Competitive Analysis
I conducted a competitive analysis to understand the features and trends among existing travel assistant apps. The findings revealed that while these apps offer basic itinerary planning and local recommendations, they fall short in delivering personalized experiences and real-time updates.
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Key insights :
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Strengths: Basic itinerary planning, map integration, and popular tourist recommendations.
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Weaknesses: Lack of personalized itinerary options, limited real-time updates, and insufficient trip management tools.
Features
Flight and hotel booking
Expedia
Tripcase
Google Trips
Tripit
Automatic itinerary creation
Itinerary organization
Discover places of interests
Local information (events, alerts, nearby categories)
Local weather forecasts
Budget range
Sharing and connect
User Interview
To better understand user needs, I conducted interview with five participants, including frequent flyers, occasional travelers, and leisure travelers. The interviews aimed to uncover pain points, preferences, and expectations for trip planning tools.
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Demographics:
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Participants: 2 frequent flyers, 2 leisure travelers, 1 student traveler
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Interview Duration: 15 - 30 minutes​​
4 out of 5​
interviewees rely on at least 2 apps while planning their trips
Traveling in a group
is frequently mentioned as preferred travel options
100%
of interviewees enjoy exploring local restaurants, events, or activities
3 out of 5​
interviewees prefer AI-generated itineraries to save time
Define
Persona
I developed a primary persona to guide the design of TRAVELY : Andrew Compton, a frequent traveler who values efficiency and personalization in trip planning. His desire to discover unique experiences while saving time reflects the challenges faced by many travelers. By focusing on his needs, I ensured that the app effectively streamlines and enhances trip planning for all users.
Ideate
Journey Map
Based on the design goals, I mapped out the user’s journey to identify key pain points and opportunities for improvement. Two major design challenges stood out.
First, the trip planning process needed to be more intuitive and flexible. Users wanted a simple way to choose between AI-generated and self-planned itineraries without feeling restricted by one option. The challenge was to design a seamless selection process that allowed users to toggle between these choices effortlessly.
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Second, users needed a better way to interact with saved destinations and itinerary details. While browsing trip recommendations, they also wanted an easy way to edit, save, or adjust plans without disrupting their flow. The goal was to create an optimal layout that balanced content visibility with quick actions, ensuring a smooth and engaging experience throughout the planning process.
Design & Prototype
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Low-fidelity wireframes were created to outline the basic structure and layout of the app's core features. These wireframes focused on: Home screen, Trip page, Search functionality, Saved items, Profile setting page.
Design System
While designing TRAVELY's logo, branding, and user interactions, I focused on creating a sense of freedom, confidence, and ease to appeal to all types of travelers.
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The name TRAVELY was chosen for its simplicity and clear association with travel. For the logo, I explored several designs centered around an airplane motif, symbolizing movement, strength, and forward momentum.
Hi-Fidelity Wireframes
Prototype
Trip Planning with AI
Planning a trip can be overwhelming, but TRAVELY's AI-generated itineraries simplify the process. With just a few details - destination, budget, and interests - users can instantly create a personalized travel plan without the hassle of endless research.
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This feature was designed for convenience, making trip planning faster and simpler. It allows users to spend less time planning and more time enjoying their trip.
Keep Your Favorites in One Place
Users can easily keep track of their favorite destinations, activities, and accommodations - all in one convenient place. This feature makes it easy to revisit saved items without having to search again.​
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The Saved Page helps users stay organized and inspired, providing quick access to saved places and seamless integration into trip planning.
Test & Implement
Usability Testing
Number of Participants: 5
Interview Time: 30 - 50 minutes
Insights & Feedback
User testing highlighted several areas where TRAVELY could improve to create a smoother experience:​
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60% of users requested larger font sizes and a better visual hierarchy for improved readability.
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80% of users wanted the option to enter hotel and flight information later instead of during trip setup.
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4 out of 5 users wanted the ability to edit and add plans after the initial setup, highlighting the need for more control over this feature.
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Users found excessive white space and hard-to-see icons, making it difficult to browse saved destinations. They suggested larger cards and better icon contrast for improved clarity.
Iterations
Home Screen
Three out of five users suggested increasing font sizes and adjusting the layout for better readability on mobile screens.​
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Increased font size to enhance readability and improve visual hierarchy.​
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Rearranged key elements to create a more structured and user-friendly layout.​​
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Renamed "Upcoming Trip" to "Your Trip" for better clarity and user recognition.
Hotel and Flight Info
Four out of five users requested the option to enter hotel and flight information later, as not all travelers book accommodations and flights before planning their itinerary.​
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Added an "Optional" label to clarity that hotel and flight details are not mandatory.​
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Increased font size and spacing for better readability and ease of input.​
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Introduced an edit option allowing users to add or update hotel and flight details at any time.
Edit and Add Itineraries
During testing, 80% of users wanted more flexibility to modify their itineraries but found no clear way to edit or add plans.
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Added an "Edit Itinerary" option, allowing users to modify existing plans easily.​
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Introduced an "Add Itinerary" button, enabling users to create additional plans as needed.​
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Refined button placement to improve visibility and usability.
List of Saved Places and Activities
Users found the saved places list visually unbalanced, with excessive white space and icons blending into images, making it difficult to differentiate selections.​
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Increased card and photo sizes to reduce excessive white space.
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Added a subtle background behind icons for better visibility.​
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Refined spacing and layout for a cleaner, more structured look.
Conclusion
Next Steps
Following the latest round of testing, the next steps for TRAVELY include:
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Refining the user experience by iterating on feedback and enhancing key features.
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Conducting another round of usability testing to validate improvements and identify any remaining issues.
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Finalizing design documentation to ensure a smooth development handoff and future scalability.
Project Takeaways
Approaching this project, I faced key challenges - how to streamline trip planning, real-time updates, and local insights into a seamless experience while keeping the interface both intuitive and sophisticated. Balancing user needs with the brand's sense of freedom and exploration shaped the design process, making user research, wireframe iterations, and refining the design system both exciting and essential.
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Some project takeaways:
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Focus on user needs: Personalization, and intuitive design, and a clean layout are essential for creating a travel app that saves time and reduces planning stress.
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Iterate and adapt: Feedback from user testing provided valuable insights, such as improving the trip creation flow for a smoother experience.​
