✽ Taehler West

✽ Taehler West

Planaholic is a conceptual itinerary app that organizes users travel plans in a digestible way. This app also offers restaurant, guides, and activity suggestions wherever your destination may be.

Project

Conceptual App Design

Timeline

2 weeks

Tools

Figma, FigJam, Illustrator

Collaborators

Taehler West | UX/UI Designer

Von Ramirez | UX Designer

Meesun Park | UX Researcher

Problem

A multi-city vacation sounds exciting to almost anyone. However, the planning of it can be overwhelming. People struggle with managing their flights, reservations, budget, and activities in each city. Users want a way to organize all aspects of their trip so they can better enjoy their travels.

Design Challenge

How might we allow users to efficiently organize their travel information and budget while also enabling them to collaborate with their travel partners?

Solution

By offering users easy tracking of expenses, itinerary details, and the ability to share travel plans with their travel partner(s), they will be able to receive real-time feedback and suggestions as well as save time and easily plan their trips.

Need to jump ahead?

View Prototype

C&C Analysis

We conducted a comparative analysis and identified 3 direct competitors: Tripadvisor, Viator, and TripIt which are all tools for planning trips and staying organized.

A feature inventory was done to get a better grasp of the basic features users expect when creating an itinerary or using a travel planning app.

There were many missing opportunities that could be implemented into Planaholic to help users achieve their needs and goals.

User Research

Our user research revealed that many individuals encounter challenges in discovering activities tailored to their preferences, organizing reservations, and coordinating with their travel companions.

Five in-depth interviews were conducted with participants who are frequent travelers to gain insights into their management style, budgeting habits, and any pain points they have faced while traveling. By focusing on their experiences, we were able to gather valuable feedback on how to improve the user experience for our travel-related products/services.

User Journey

This journey map illustrates an example trip without the help of Planaholic, and presents many opportunities for improvement from the initial stages of planning to the trip itself.

Opportunity #1

Inclusive

Have one place where users can store all details regarding their trip from train tickets to restaurant reservations.

Opportunity #2

Resource

Include travel guides on each city based on the type of traveler, i.e. foodie, adventurous, relaxing, etc...

Opportunity #3

Shareable

Create an app where users can select and share activities and restaurants with their travel partner(s).

Initial Wireframing & Testing

Two rounds of brainstorming and sketching was done to form a basic idea of the layout. After narrowing down what features to focus on we mapped out low-fidelity wireframes for testing.

In order to see if our features were beneficial and the interface easy to navigate, usability testing was conducted.

7 participants were asked to:

1) Create an account
2) Start a new trip
3) Fill in trip information
4) Search for a vegan restaurant in that city
5) Add reservation to the trip itinerary

User Testing Improvements

Based on the feedback, I created a high-fidelity prototype with formatting updates.

After synthesizing our user research data, I identified a key issue with the home screen navigation. Users found it unintuitive and struggled to locate where to start a new itinerary. Additionally, users expressed a desire for a main navigation bar and clearer features to aid in navigation.

Navigation

I implemented an update to the design that included a bottom navigation bar, allowing for easy and efficient access to various pages. Additionally, I recognized that users had different preferences in creating new itineraries, so I added two options, one in the navigation, and a CTA button over the main home page image.

This enhancement not only improved the overall user experience but also increased engagement and satisfaction with the app.

Filters

Users can now filter their search results to find specific options that meet their needs. For instance, in the restaurant category, users can choose to filter for dinner options or select dietary preferences such as vegetarian or vegan.

This feature not only makes it easier for users to find what they are looking for, but also provides a more personalized and tailored experience.

Itinerary

A sliding bar with the dates of the user's vacation was added on the itinerary page. This feature allows users to easily navigate through their vacation dates and view or add activities for specific days. By simply clicking on a specific date, users can easily access and modify their itinerary.

This addition not only makes it more convenient for users to organize their travel plans but also provides a more intuitive and user-friendly experience.

Main Takeaways

Through this sprint I learned the importance of conducting thorough user research and really applying those findings to create user-friendly interface. It is important to get feedback on initial designs and create iterations before jumping ahead to the UI portion.

As the lead on the UI portion of Planaholic, I was responsible for developing a cohesive and visually appealing interface for the app. This involved creating a comprehensive style guide and selecting appropriate typography and color schemes. I enjoyed the opportunity to take charge of this aspect while also keeping my team in the loop and getting their feedback.

View Prototype

© Taehler West 2023