ONEderlust Solo Travel App

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Onederlust is a conceptual mobile app that aims to transform the travel experience by empowering solo travelers already at their destinations to make the most of their adventures by getting opportunities to connect with the local community.

The Problem:

Solo travelers face challenges in accessing reliable recommendations, authentic experiences, and a sense of community, which impacts their overall travel experience and hampers their ability to fully embrace the benefits of solo travel.

My Role:

Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Visual Design

The Team:

Pamela Cuison (UX Research & Design)
Karen McRorie (UX Research)

Timeline:

4 weeks

So what's the “T” on solo traveling?

Concept Background

Being a travel enthusiast, I couldn't help but notice an increasing trend in the number of people travelling after restrictions started easing. What was even more interesting was that more and more people and acquaintances I knew around me were choosing to travel solo.

This got me thinking, “How can I make their journeys even better?” As I listened and spoke with these travelbugs, it became clear that they needed a dedicated app to support their solo adventures.

So, armed with this newfound knowledge and a burning passion to make solo travel awesome, I teamed up with Karen Rorie (UX Researcher), who had an interest to do the same, and together, we set out to create the ultimate solo travel app.

The Design Process

IT STARTS WITH A PLAN

To understand why travellers our users, we set out to conduct 1:1 interviews with the participants 18+ who had diverse interests and prior experience traveling solo more than once for an extended period. We will also deployed a survey to collect quantitative data.

INSIGHTS WE DISCOVERED

71.4%

want to experience new or different cultures

28.6%

wanted to explore new places and nature

14.2%

wanted to escape daily routines

MEET WANDA

"Life is too short to wait for someone to join you on your adventure."

Occupation: Graphic Designer
Age: 38 Single
Location: Toronto, ON

About Wanda

Wanda is constantly seeking inspiration from the world around and pushing to be innovative and creative in her work. She enjoys exploring new local places in her free time, attending art exhibits, and trying out new foods with family and friends. She lives in a diverse neighbourhood and is open to immerse herself in cultural activities, movies, and books to gain more knowledge about people around her.

Pain Points:

Getting lost or stranded in unfamiliar places
Feeling lonely, isolated or frustrated if information or help is difficult because of language barrier
Being a target of crime, harrassment, or scams
Finding wifi for internet and access or in case of emergency

WANDA'S SOLO ADVENTURE IN THAILAND

Now that you have been introduced to Wanda, let's get a better look at how ONEderlust had a postive impact on her travel experience.

WANDA ARRIVES IN BANGKOKWanda spends a few days visiting shrines and temples with a local guide, Kasem, who was highly recommended when she was researching and planning her trip with her ONEderlust app.

WANDA RENTS A SCOOTER After 3 days, Wanda hears about a cooking class and decides to go to Chiang Mai to check it out. She chooses to rent a scooter from a reputable scooter rental company she found on her ONEderlust app. It had good recommendations and 4.5 stars from other travelers. So this was a good sign.

THE SCOOTER RUNS OUT OF GASOn her way, she takes in the scenery and landscape in awe of the rice patty terraces she passes. Distracted, she doesn't realize her scooter is running on empty until it's too late. her scooter runs out of gas and comes to a full stop along a quiet country road near a remote village.

WANDA MEETS SOME LOCALSFlustered and angry with herself for not paying attention to her gas guage, she sees a group of villagers. Not knowing any words in Thai, she pulls out her ONEderlust app and clicks on the translator help her speak with the locals.

THE LOCALS INVITE HER TO HAVE A MEALThe villagers are eager to help her and she feels relieved. They send one of the young boys to fetch some gasoline from a station just a couple of miles away. In the meantime, they invite her for a meal with them and exchange stories about their lives.

WANDA CONTINUES ON HER JOURNEYWanda is feeling truly content and grateful for her unique experience with the villagers. She puts her palms together, bows towards them and says "Khoob-kun jaak-jai." The locals are happy and wish her a safe trip. Wanda resets her navigation on her ONEderlust app and waves goodbye as she continues on her journey.

THE JOURNEY

During the journey, the map shows how the app assisted Wanda in various ways. This included providing navigation and maps for exploring unfamiliar destinations, suggesting nearby attractions and activities, and facilitating communication with local services or fellow travelers.

USER TESTING

Objective: To test and identify usability issues with the ONEderlust Travel app and gain insights into how users interact with the app.

Participants: We conducted tests on 5 participants ranging from ages 24 - 57, from differing professional backgrounds and having an average of 7-35 mobile browsing hours a week. All users travel 1-2 times a year.

ITERATIONS BASED ON USER FEEDBACK

After conducting the user test and feedback gathered, some of the following iterations to the app were improved:

Added a prompt or pop up screen to reassure users that their booking had been made
"Sign-in" option for new users was made more prominent on the login page by increasing font size
Decreased size, centre logo and move menu to LHS

KEY LEARNINGS FROM OUR USER TESTING

Users were concerned with the trust and security when providing personal information for credit card numbers and personal information.
The users got faster at booking with each task as they familiarized themselves with the flow.
Users appreciated the personalized recommendations for activities or accomodations.
Users used their intuition and expectations from other apps they used to know how to navigate through the given task.
A user retraced their steps using the back button when the content label was not what they assumed.

FINAL THOUGHTS AND CONCLUSION

The ONEderlust Travel app is designed to cater to the unique needs of the solo travelers. It has the potential to revolutionize the way solo travelers plan and experience their trips. In our 4 weeks timeline, we were able to provide a hi-fidelity prototype of our travel app.

As with any UX design project, there is always opportunity for further improvements and iterations. Next steps for improvement include:

a translation feature
a “What to Expect Guide” of traveler dos and don’ts
a navigation feature
for safety — a location tracker
a share itinerary feature