The
Wanderer
the all-in-one travel app
01 : Project Overview
What is the Wanderer?
a traveler's app that combines an itinerary listing, a trip builder, and an accessibility map.
What are we solving?
Modern traveling mobile apps are uninspired, lack creativity, and are limited in feature availability.
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The modern traveler deserves a more robust service that has more convenient access to information and effective guidance that better fills their adventurous needs.
02 : Research
Research Topics :
planning methods
planning difficulties
transportation
travel mindset
the locals' experience
03 : Synthesis and Analysis
The project was geared to grow into an all-in-one app, but the specifications and ideation behind the detailing of the features was still in question.
Several user research and ideation methods were used to help pinpoint this and move on to design and prototyping stage.
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04 : Prototyping
The app strategized combining new ideas that would enhance the traveling experience through necessary features that would aim to be more than a fancy itinerary, and instead would leave the user both more inspired to travel, more informed, and more comfortable in an unfamiliar area.
Early Prototype Goals
How to better display important features, like location links and reviews
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How to visually grasp user attention by providing relevant imager
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How to simplify the process of planning a trip in its entirety
Interactive Prototype
The Wanderer features a focus on clear imagery through both the itinerary and trip builder in order to address this likelihood of user retention and engagement.
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User Research shows that aesthetic appeal has a strong influence on the attractiveness of an experience, and therefore a higher possibility of customer engagement.
HOME
PAGE
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day-to-day itinerary and boarding pass
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MAP
PAGE
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restrooms, quick food, emergency rooms, convenience stores
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DISCOVERY
PAGE
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local reviews, recommendations, and ratings
for itinerary changes
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The all-in-one aspect of The Wanderer aims to use these features to cut out some of the more difficult parts of travel planning, and pushes for travelling to be enjoyable as intended.​
05 : Testing and Results
Guerilla Tasks
- Navigate through the two day itinerary
- Find the map for 'Columbus Circle' on the itinerary
- Find the three closest restrooms
- Add a breakfast option to Day 2
- Browse the profile page for deals & promotions
Testing Results
7 User Tests
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Of the seven testers, only one of the testers had a difficult time completing task 4 : adding a breakfast option to Day 2.
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The remainder of the tasks were completed with ease.
Feedback and Takeaways
Critique included confusion regarding some of the icons on the map page, as restrooms were obvious, but the subway icons looked too similar to the bus icons.
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If I were to expand on this application, it would be a good possibility for the trip builder section to be sorted into separate pages based on category, rather than having all categories listed, with the suggestions all accessible via horizontal scroll.
Conclusion
Every step of the project helped reinforce the design belief that aesthetics help appeal usage. The inclusion of bright imagery was just enough to keep a Wanderer's adventurous curiosities in attention, but without being so bold that it distracts from the efficiency of the app's features.
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The app underlines the convenience and effectiveness of well intended and meaningful design that proves just how modern technology can take something as simple as a list itinerary from a piece of paper to so much more.