Xplor Empowering Spontaneous
MObile application design
The Problem
To develop a travel app that enhances travel planning and fosters organic experiences.
Users cannot easily connect with locals and other travellers to receive unique advice, tips and activity recommendations while on trips.
This limits some trips, making them feel inauthentic, rigid and impersonal.
How might we allow users to plan activities quickly, spontaneously and safely while on trips, giving users more time to explore new places, meet new people and create long-lasting travel memories?
The Solution
Xplor creates a simpler, easier and more authentic travel experience, combining centralised planning, travel tips, and environmental discovery with a social and friendship focus.
Year
2023 at TNM Creative Media
Disciplines
Graphic Design & Branding
User Experience
User Interface designer
Tools
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Miro
BEFORE
After
Research Objective
To understand how people navigate, explore the wealth of data/information on the internet to plan and execute international trips and how trips are affected in a post-pandemic world.
To empathise with our target users defined by a proto persona, we created and executed user interviews.
This allowed us to explore the subject of international travel to identify problems, user habits and pain points.
Key Insights
Freedom and exploration is at the heart of travel.
Locals/Guides can be more trustworthy than Google and internet research and the experiences had are more authentic and fulfilling.
Whilst on trips, when technology fails locals, accommodation and exploration can be used to create adventure and fulfilment.
Users often use a variety of tools while planning:
Blogs, articles, and youtube for research
Google Maps for reviews, comments and ratings
Communication apps to share plans
Excel spreadsheets to compare prices
A well-planned trip makes travellers feel safe in a new place/country. This safety reduces the barriers to experiencing new things.
Empathy Mapping
Empathy Map allowed us to flesh out our user’s motivations.
We found experiences while on trips are vital in creating a successful one.
A clear plan is developed for international travel and getting to places, once there, people often use locals, people and internet research to find new activities, experiences and adventures.
These new adventures can sometimes be spontaneous, limited by time and place, meaning asking the nearest local, ‘What’s fun to do around here?’ can be the simplest solution.
Key Insights
Covid information can be confusing and changes from country to country.
When users do not actively plan their own trips, they often get confused and irritated.
Technological issues can occur while on trips due to scattered information and connectivity issues.
Time travelling can be lost due to transport issues, decision making issues and difficulty orientating yourself in a new place.
Human error in planning stages can have consequences on trips.
An activity chosen in the planning stage can seem easy, but when action becomes difficult due to a lack of information.
Persona
Persona allowed us to define our users clearly.
We identified our user’s value planning, organisation and communication.
They got enjoyment out of adventure, spontaneousness and exploration.
This adventure allowed for an international trip to create long last memories, fun, meeting new people and fulfilment.
User Journey
User Journey allows us to track our user’s process.
We were able to identify:
Users need to quickly identify activities, verify activities, review exercises and make sure these activities are close to their current location
We established that xplor could be used as a single point for research, conformation and experience stages
Features for implementation
Simplify design to allow people to find what they are looking for easily
Simple planning process without to many moving parts
Flights and Accommodation planning can add to much complexity to app
App must be fit for the average traveller
Simple onboarding process
Activities need to be travel/explore related
Google Maps integration is key
Communication, forums and social aspect is key
Paper Prototype & Lo-Fi Wireframing
User Journey allows us to track our user’s process.
We were able to identify:
Users need to quickly identify activities, verify activities, review exercises and make sure these activities are close to their current location
We established that xplor could be used as a single point for research, conformation and experience stages
User testing Results
User Journey allows us to track our user’s process.
We were able to identify:
Users need to quickly identify activities, verify activities, review exercises and make sure these activities are close to their current location
We established that xplor could be used as a single point for research, conformation and experience stages
Final Results
With our results, we were able to break down each stage of the experience and create some actionable features, changes and scope refinement we could implement into the next iteration of Xplor. Some of these included:
Hobbies and Interests moved to a part of the Activity finding process
The more descriptive language is used in onboarding and screens to give users a value
Notifications and time focus
Trips being refined first - before Stay, Activity and Travel sections can be interacted with
More intuitive input screens
What’s on Now Section in activities.
