Travelbud
Type: Type: UX/UI Design, Information Architecture, Research
Role: Lead Designer, Researcher, Art Direction, Graphic Designer
The challenge
How might we help users create a better travel experience by finding a connection?
Helping users create a better travel experience
Solo travel can be a rewarding and life-changing experience, but it can also be intimidating and lonely for many travelers. Despite the growing popularity of solo travel, there are still limited resources available to help travelers connect with others and form meaningful relationships while on the road.
Our goal is to address this problem by creating a mobile application that helps users find human connection while traveling solo. By providing a platform for solo travelers to connect with locals and other travelers, our application aims to create a community of like-minded individuals who can share experiences, make new friends, and form lasting connections.
Through a user-centered design approach, we aim to create an intuitive and user-friendly mobile application that addresses the pain points of solo travel and empowers users to create meaningful connections while on the road. Our application will provide a range of features and functionalities that allow users to easily connect with others, plan activities and meetups, and discover new destinations and experiences.
By addressing the problem of loneliness and isolation in solo travel, our application aims to enhance the overall travel experience and create a more connected and fulfilling travel community.
User interviews
I have completed 4 interviews. These are other solo travellers that I met in the last 4 years and have kept in touch with. My questions are:
Tell me about a time you travelled solo; how did you meet people and what did you do?
Why is it important for you to find a connection during your travels?
What do you like about meeting new people?
What do you want to experience with your newly-found acquaintances?
Why is experiencing activities with friends/acquaintances important?
What can we do to make your experience better?
What were your biggest challenges as a solo traveller?
Interview insights
These interviews have opened my eyes about what we perceive people needs and what their actual needs are.
When I came up with the idea for the mobile application, the main point was to connect people with other individual travellers with the ‘Activities’ section being a secondary function. This changed when I finished the interviews and the overwhelming response was that they ‘want to meet other travellers in a group setting.’ I hadn’t thought about how people’s comfort level with individual meetings. There is a bit more pressure meeting someone over coffee rather than meeting a group togo on a hike, or a museum.
This realization made me change some of the functions of the home page which now features the Activities/Tours. I have also implemented a few changes to really emphasize the events feature on profiles.
User personas
Laura Tran
Age: 29 years old
Occupation: Software Engineer
Nationality: American
Interests: Travelling, drawing, salsa-dancing and hiking
About
Laura is an avid solo traveller who loves learning a lot of other people’s stories, interests and culture. She’s a very curious person who loves meeting people. When she visits a new country, she makes sure to learn about their cultural history by going to the museums, participating in tours, eating at local restaurants and going to the market. She also loves hiking and salsa dancing.
Laura’s goals and motivations
To enhance her travelling experience by meeting people from different walks of life. She loves to hear about other people’s stories, culture and future plans. She’d love to experience new activities and places with new friends. She also likes to have fun by going out on bar and club-hopping.
Laura’s frustrations
She’d like to attend salsa dancing events with like-minded people. She’s not comfortable going to a club alone and feels it can be unsafe for a woman during night time.
Travelling interests: Museums, food, hiking, culture, dancing, etc
Quotes
“I’ve always stayed at hostels but I went to this one in Tel Aviv where the layout of the hostel made it harder to socialize so I didn’t meet anyone there.”
“I ended up turning to Tinder looking for platonic connections but it’s different.”
“When I went to Mexico City i really wanted to attend a salsa dancing club but couldn’t go with anyone at the hostel. That and walking tours, hiking activities.”
Nico Cruz
Age: 25 years old
Occupation: Event Organizer
Nationality: Argentine
Interests: Bar-hopping, street foods, music festivals
About
Nico is a traveller who loves to eat street foods, visit Michelin-star restaurants, bar-hop and party. He’s an event organizer so he’s always on the good. When he’s not partying, you can find him strolling around the main city centre exploring the neighbourhoods.
Nico’s goals and motivations
Nico would love to enhance his travelling experience by joining a group to walk around night markets and trying street food. He would love to meet people who are going to the same parties as him.
Nico’s frustrations
Nico is a very social person but it’s not often easy to meet people in a new environment. He loves to go to parties but doesn’t want to go alone.
Traveling interests
Food, bar-hopping, cultural events
Quotes
“I attended an event at a club in Thailand but the crowd were a bit too close. I think it would’ve been easier to meet other people if I already had a companion.”
“I had been watching travel vlogs and one thing that scares me is getting mugged. I do like walking around night markets but I think I would feel more at east if I walked with another person.”
The solution
The solution we are proposing is unique because Travelbud caters solely to travellers. This helps the users connect with people who share the same curiosity and mutual interests.
Through the mobile application, users can browse the Activities page where they can see events and tours happening in the area. Should the user agree to be visible on the events page - their profile will appear on the ‘attendance list’.
We will also help the user find other solo travellers through the Profiles page. Through this page, they can get to know the person’s basic info, languages spoken, interests and upcoming events/tours they’re attending.
Information architecture
Site map
User flow
Task 1: Laura wants to join a hiking event organized by another traveller Tiia. Her task is to find the event and confirm her attendance.
Task 2: Nico just heard of this amazing Khao Soi cooking class and he’d like to book his spot.
Lo-fi sketches
The exploration process involved testing various layouts and interface designs, with a focus on simplicity, efficiency, and ease-of-use. We looked at how different design elements and visual cues impact user behavior, and tested different navigation systems to determine the most effective approach.
Throughout the process, we gathered feedback from users and stakeholders to better understand their needs and preferences. This feedback helped guide our decision-making and allowed us to create a design that meets the needs of our users while also achieving our business goals.
The exploration process also allowed us to gather new ideas and insights that we incorporated into the final design. By testing a variety of layouts and interfaces, we were able to identify new ways to improve the user experience and make the design more intuitive and user-friendly.
Wireframes
The goal of this project is to deliver a user interface that is user-friendly, streamlined, informational, minimal, and helps our users save time. The end result will be a design that our users will find intuitive, easy-to-use, and efficient, enabling them to complete their tasks quickly and effectively. Here are just some of the pages that we designed first.
Branding
Travelbud is a brand that focuses on finding human connections while travelling solo. The brand's logo is based on a script, which conveys a sense of fluidity and movement, while also suggesting a personal touch and human connection.
The brand's color palette includes Teal, White, and Grey. Teal is a bold and refreshing color that suggests a sense of adventure and exploration, while also being calming and serene. White conveys a sense of purity and simplicity, while Grey adds a touch of sophistication and elegance.
The brand's typography is based on the Open Sans typeface, which is a modern and versatile font that is great for readability on both mobile and desktop devices. The use of this typeface reinforces the brand's focus on simplicity and ease-of-use, while also conveying a sense of professionalism and attention to detail.
Overall, the Travelbud branding is designed to convey a sense of adventure, human connection, simplicity, and professionalism. The brand's logo, color palette, and typography all work together to create a cohesive and memorable brand identity that resonates with its target audience.
Logo
Icon
App button
Typeface
Color palette
#444444
R85 G85 B85
C64 M56 Y55 K31
#27C0D5
R39 G189 B210
C68 M1 Y17 K0
#B0B0B0
R175 G175 B175
C33 M26 Y26 K0
#F6F6F6
R245 G245 B245
C3 M2 Y2 K0
#FFFFFF
R255 G255 B255
C0 M0 Y0 K0
The app
Activities
Our mobile application provides a variety of features to help users find human connection while traveling solo. One key feature of the application is the Activities tab, where users can search for a range of activities, tours, and events to join. Tour guides and companies can post their activities on the platform, making it easy for users to sign up and join.
To enhance the social aspect of the app, we've also included an option for users to make themselves visible on the attending list. This feature allows other users who are also attending the same activity to see who else will be there, helping to facilitate connections and social interaction.
People
One key feature of the application is the People section, accessible through the second tab, where users can view profiles of other users on the platform.
This feature allows users to connect with like-minded individuals, add them as friends, and arrange meetups or ask for recommendations on local activities or destinations. By providing a platform for users to connect with other travelers, our app helps to reduce the anxiety and isolation that many solo travelers experience while on the road.
Through an intuitive and user-friendly interface, users can browse through profiles, view photos and interests, and send friend requests or messages to connect with others. This feature helps to create a sense of community and belonging, providing users with the opportunity to meet new people and form lasting connections while traveling solo.
Details
We've included a comprehensive profile section that gives users a glimpse into the experience, interests, and skills of other users on the platform.
Through an intuitive and user-friendly interface, users can view profiles that include information on activities, hobbies, upcoming events, favorite cuisine, countries traveled to, and languages spoken. This feature helps users to find potential travel companions with similar interests and backgrounds, making it easier to form meaningful connections and friendships while on the road.
The profile section is a key component of our application, designed to promote social interaction and connection among solo travelers. By providing a platform for users to share information about their experiences and interests, we aim to create a more vibrant and engaged travel community.