RESEARCH
Planning Ahead
In order to better understand the goals and pain points of travelers, we interviewed 5 people and conducted surveys through different medias. We categorized the data from wants and needs to budgeting and planning processes. After, we focused on prioritizing common behaviors and frustrations from the collected data, eliminating duplicates and other notes that didn't pertain to our focus.
Key Findings
- A majority of our participants found discounts and deals to play an important role in lowering costs while planning a budget.
- 45.5% of our users found overspending as the biggest frustration when creating a travel budget
- Users expressed prioritizing discounts and deals to make their budget more cost effective.
"Deals and Discounts are extremely important. We're trying to have a good time with a tiny wallet. I want to have a great time while still being able to afford what I need to afford."
Together we narrowed down our users existing problems and wants into one primary persona, Maya Sanchez. Upon discovery, Maya needs a travel budgeting app that allows her to find discounts and deals while keeping track of her expenses and not overspending. These findings became the foundation of the design moving forward.
DEFINITION & SYNTHESIS
Patterns
& Priorities
With our previously collected data, we began to look for patterns and key points that eventually became potential design opportunities during the design process. Our approach was simple. Together we flushed out ideas based on what we could accomplish now, in the near future, and eventually in the far future.
Collectively, we sorted product features based on their impact and complexity level to see which ones we could implement right away and those we could save for future opportunities.
Priority Features
- Feature for uploading and sharing docs with friends and co-travelers
- Onboarding/Sign Up feature
- Ability to find discounts and deals based on location
Next steps?
Putting ourselves in Maya's shoes.
Step By Step
We visualized a scenario based on previous research to simulate a real life journey Maya would travel through using the app we designed for her. Individually, we sketched our ideas and created a storyboard to visualize the journey. Developing a detailed journey map helped tap into her inner emotions, questions, and steps she would take in order to fully walkthrough TravelCoin.
IDEATION
The Good & Bad
Before moving on to the task of wireframing, I wanted to learn more about what similar apps currently exist. What are their strengths and weaknesses? How can I take this analysis and implement it into my own design? Analyzing our competitors and annotating screenshots of their interfaces helped visualize what works and what doesn't.
Strengths and weaknesses, check.
But what path will she choose?
To illustrate this concept, I created a detailed flow highlighting different choices Maya can make as she navigates through TravelCoin. Recall these mimic our product features found during our prior research and synthesis session.
1. Successfully Sign Up/Onboard and take the Welcome survey
2. Add predetermined expenses
3. Locate a discount and redeem and save it for future use
By now I have enough information to begin creating wireframes for the interface. I drew quick sketches of key screens that Maya will be interacting with in order to complete the main user tasks. Sketching first made it easier to figure out the best design direction and set the base for my initial concept before moving on to low-fidelity wireframes.
PROTOTYPING
Trial & Error
The next step in making this a tangible product is to create a living, breathing, testable prototype. Starting with the low-fidelity wireframes, I referenced the user flow in order to create an easy to navigate prototype ready for user testing and feedback.
USER TESTING & OUTCOMES
Test Run
Testing this prototype helps determine if the design is indeed, good design. It needs to function seamlessly without any dead ends. In order to figure this out, I guerilla tested 4 users of various travel backgrounds. I kept 2 clear objectives in mind while the users fulfilled their tasks of signup/onboarding, uploading documents and creating a new expense, and searching and saving a discount for future use.
Objectives
Can users successfully add expenses and locate nearby discounts using TravelCoin?
Can they easily navigate through the app from one task to another?
Did it work?
Let's find out.
The Results
During the testing, I recorded interactions of 2 users to help determine the paths taken in order to complete the tasks.
What I learned was pretty interesting.
- Users used other unconventional paths to complete tasks, ran into dead ends.
- Some like to explore the entire app before fulfilling the task at hand.
- Most of the participants rely on visual representations of rating
systems and graphs as they are the quickest ways to help filter
information. - Some icons and verbiage may be closely related and can confuse users especially when they are they are navigating something for the first time.
Feedback during the user testing phase paved the way in making iterations to the previous user flow.
Solutions
• Change wording in certain areas to words related to task (My Rewards -> My Discounts)
• Swap out icons that are too similar to other ones that may confuse users
• Add visual representations of graphs and reviews
• Fix dead ends and expand pathways
CONCLUSIONS & TAKEAWAYS
Ready To Go
The visual objective of the final product was a unique color scheme, something uncommon from the conventional finance/budgeting app. This was accomplished through the use of vibrant colors, custom illustrations, and iconography.
Overall, this project was both a tremendous and enjoyable learning experience.
Here are two key lessons I've learned —
Research Matters
As designers, we’re automatically drawn to the aesthetics and visuals of any product we come across. We tend to forget how much effort and research goes into creating. Being able to deep dive into the UX research process was probably the most important step in eventually creating TravelCoin. Having patience and the curiosity to not only learn about users, but fully understand them is what sets the foundation in producing an amazing product.
Iteration Brings Out the Best
Not being attached to one iteration helps keep the creative mind flowing and brought out the best of our team especially during the definition and ideation phase of the the project. It keeps you grounded and allows you to create with an open mind.
