Project Overview
The Travel Friends App was conceptualized to make the airport experience more enjoyable and less stressful for frequent and casual travelers. The app aimed to be a one-stop platform, offering up-to-date travel information, curated shopping deals, and a social layer to connect with fellow travelers. The app was designed to create a more personalized and enriching travel experience by blending functional travel features with community-building.
Key Objectives:
•Streamline access to real-time travel updates, flight information, and airport details.
•Provide tailored shopping deals and duty-free offers based on the user’s upcoming trips.
•Build a community feature to allow travelers to share tips and experiences.
•Integrate with airline and airport APIs to ensure accurate, real-time information.
Research & Discovery
User Research
I began with qualitative research, interviewing 30 frequent flyers, airport staff, and casual travelers to understand the pain points of the airport experience. Findings revealed that travelers wanted:
•Real-time, accurate updates on flight changes.
•Easy access to exclusive shopping deals relevant to their destination.
•A way to connect with others traveling to the same city or airport.
•Local tips about the cities they’d be landing in.
Competitive Analysis
Analyzed existing travel and airport apps to identify gaps, such as limited social features and lack of local insights. While some apps offered flight tracking and shopping information, none provided a seamless, community-driven experience.
Design Strategy
To meet the app's diverse goals, I developed a three-pillar approach:
•Inform: Provide updated flight information and details about departure and arrival airports.
•Engage: Curate and showcase shopping deals based on travelers' preferences and flight details.
•Connect: Create a social platform where users can join airport groups, exchange travel tips, and share insights about their destination.
Key Features
1. Flight Dashboard
- Designed a centralized dashboard to display essential travel details such as:
- Designed a centralized dashboard to display essential travel details such as:
- Real-time flight status with updates for delays or gate changes.
- Notifications for boarding times and check-in reminders.
- Information about amenities, lounges, and dining options at the departure and arrival airports.
2. Shopping Deals Integration
- Through collaboration with duty-free shops and airport retailers, I integrated a deals section with:
- Through collaboration with duty-free shops and airport retailers, I integrated a deals section with:
- Personalized shopping offers based on the user’s departure and destination airports.
- In-app purchases to buy and collect items for pickup at the airport.
- Gamified rewards allow users to earn points for discounts on future trips.
3. Travel Friends Community
- Developed a social feature allowing users to:
- Developed a social feature allowing users to:
- Join “groups” based on their destination or airport.
- Share tips like best lounges, dining spots, and local customs.
- Exchange experiences or organize meetups, creating a virtual traveler’s lounge.
Design Process
Wireframing and Prototyping
Starting with low-fidelity wireframes, I iterated on the flow and layout, focusing on creating a seamless experience from one feature to the next. I then built high-fidelity prototypes in Figma, incorporating brand colors and airport-inspired visual cues to establish a travel-friendly aesthetic.
Starting with low-fidelity wireframes, I iterated on the flow and layout, focusing on creating a seamless experience from one feature to the next. I then built high-fidelity prototypes in Figma, incorporating brand colors and airport-inspired visual cues to establish a travel-friendly aesthetic.
Usability Testing
Conducted usability testing with 15 users in two rounds, which helped refine the flow and navigation. Testing revealed that users particularly enjoyed the social features but wanted the flight information to be more prominent and easily accessible.
Conducted usability testing with 15 users in two rounds, which helped refine the flow and navigation. Testing revealed that users particularly enjoyed the social features but wanted the flight information to be more prominent and easily accessible.
Final Design & Launch
UI Design
The final design featured a clean, intuitive layout with easy navigation, enabling users to switch between flight tracking, shopping deals, and the community hub effortlessly.
The final design featured a clean, intuitive layout with easy navigation, enabling users to switch between flight tracking, shopping deals, and the community hub effortlessly.
Branding
Crafted a brand identity that emphasized travel excitement and community. Bright yet sophisticated colors, clean typography, and modern icons were used to keep the interface intuitive and inviting.
Crafted a brand identity that emphasized travel excitement and community. Bright yet sophisticated colors, clean typography, and modern icons were used to keep the interface intuitive and inviting.
User Feedback and Iteration
After the initial launch, we received feedback through app reviews and surveys, which helped us improve the UI for greater usability. Notable post-launch changes included:
After the initial launch, we received feedback through app reviews and surveys, which helped us improve the UI for greater usability. Notable post-launch changes included:
- Dark mode will be added to enhance readability during late-night flights.
- Improve search functionality in the shopping section by filtering by product category.
Outcome & Impact
User Engagement
Due to the community feature, the app achieved a 15% increase in user engagement within the first three months, with users frequently sharing travel tips and local experiences.
Due to the community feature, the app achieved a 15% increase in user engagement within the first three months, with users frequently sharing travel tips and local experiences.
Revenue Generation
The in-app shopping feature contributed to a 30% boost in airport retail sales, with many users taking advantage of exclusive deals.
The in-app shopping feature contributed to a 30% boost in airport retail sales, with many users taking advantage of exclusive deals.
User Satisfaction
The app received an average rating of 4.7 on app stores, with users highlighting the app’s utility in keeping them informed and connected during travel.
The app received an average rating of 4.7 on app stores, with users highlighting the app’s utility in keeping them informed and connected during travel.
Reflection
This project was a unique challenge as it required balancing essential travel information with engaging community and shopping features. Through thorough research and iterative design, I created a user-centered product that not only helped travelers manage logistics but also provided them with a more enjoyable travel experience.
This experience reinforced the importance of blending utility with community-building to create a truly engaging product.
