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Problem Statement: Travel tools and applications fail to provide the authentic experience that most explorers are seeking. There's an opportunity to address this gap by connecting tourists with genuine local experiences, thereby supporting local communities and preserving cultural heritage while fostering economic growth.
Outcome : ‘Wander’ is a bespoke travel app, that provides access to reliable and real- time local information along with efficient trip planning tool.
Role : This was an individual project, all phases of design were completely solely by me with support of some research participants during ideation phase.
Design process
Hunt statement
Bespoke travel platform by providing genuine information and real-time feed about the destination to ensure young travellers can experience the ‘local flavour’.
What it does?
Solution
Target users
Desired outcome
Secondary Research
13
Research papers
10
Youtube vlogs
7
Travel
blogs
4
Competitor studies
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Perceived authenticity : local food and accommodations are conceptualised as authentic products that enhance the cultural experience of the destination.
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Limitation with existing tools : Most of the available resources are focused on revenue generation rather than experience of the customer. Most online listings focus on core tourist spots.
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Cultural tourism used as a marketing tool : Businesses are adopting to the changing needs of the consumers rather than local citizen of the destination.. leading to all places looking same. Killing the authenticity and uniqueness of the destination
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Community tourism : An integral part of sustainable tourism development, ensuring employment opportunities for local communities and preserving the cultural heritage of a destination.
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Local government highly influences the travel sector.. For example.. It is mandatory to have a tourist guide in Bhutan...this leads to high rate of employment as well as opportunity for travellers to gain local knowledge.
Primary Research
6
Creative
exercise
2
Directed
storytelling
11
Card sorting
9
User interviews
1
Auto
ethnography
Findings and analysis
Affinity map was used to analyse the finding from primary research. A few key insights were identified relating to Inspiration, travel, experience, locals.
Gap: I was unable to capture the perspective of the locals.. As I couldn’t get access to participants.
Creative activity:
To understand the difference between online content and local knowledge.I asked the participants to make a list of places they would suggest people to visit while going to their hometown, and I made a list using the online information.
Empathy map
Says
"I'll tell you where to go when
you visit Nashik next"
"I used to eat here all the time"
"You should visit my home during litchi season"
"people visit in the wrong season and don't enjoy it "
"I miss home, it has changed so much so since I moved out"
Does
Sees if they are available online
Checks google maps
Shows old photos
Calls a friend
Remembers details of the places
Write down places
Sees weather details
Thinks
"Is this just how I feel"
"What would these places mean to other people"
"These places are very personal to me, others may not connect"
"Reminded of an old friend"
"That is just my opinion.. tourists might want to visit all the famous places"
Feels
Excited to share
Annoyed these places cannot be seen online
Confused and can’t remember the names
Curious about how others perceive
Overwhelmed when asked about their home town
Key insights
01.
Interaction with the locals
The locals are willing to share about the regions & are perceived to have a friendly behaviour with the travellers.. But the language barrier impacts this conversation & builds a gap.
02.
Lack of information
Most of the online sources are listing websites focusing on core tourists spots.Most local knowledge and features remain unused. For example the Airbnb experiences
03.
Solo travel & decisions
Most youngsters travel with a limited budget and are highly influenced by their peers. They enjoy the flexibility of solo travel and meeting people with similar interest.
UX vision
"There is an opportunity to develop a platform to bridge the gap between young travellers and local communities in India to overcome the language barrier and increase visibility of local knowledge that is currently not accessible to travellers so that they can seamlessly connect with the locals and experience the authenticity of the destination."
Target users
Identified problem
Desired outcome
Initial concept
Bespoke travel platform by providing genuine information and real-time feed about the destination to ensure young travellers can experience the ‘local flavour’.
Information & Feed
Explore & get to know the place before you visit through a customised feed based on filters.
Itinerary planner
Map based planner for efficiency and time saving. AI suggestions on best way to explore the city
Communication
Connecting with locals to access local knowledge. Chat, get suggestions and meet people.
Key personas
Rahul | Age 27
“I’ve been wanting to take a break from and travel to Hyderabad... But don’t have time to plan”
Lives in Bangalore, India
Jobs to be done:
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Keep up the performance at work to ensure an independent lifestyle.
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Travel with friends to learn more about different cultures and traditions.
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Efficiently plan a trip - Less effort and time.
Pain points
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Time poor - doesn’t have energy or time to spare for trip planning.
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All his travel friends have different schedules, difficult to plan a trip.
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Restricted budget, want a low-cost trip.
Azar | Age 19
“I love my city, I often post about unique finds and hidden gems of my city on my social media. ”
Lives in Hyderabad, India
Jobs to be done:
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As a design student, he is willing to explore arts and crafts of India.
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Updated & active on social media to maintain an online presence.
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Wants to find a job soon so he can travel.
Pain points
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On a budget, Loves to travel but can’t afford it at the moment.
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Unique interests , that don’t align with his friends.
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Commercialisation of his city frustrates him, as it kills the uniqueness.
User testing stage 1: wireframes & hypotheses
Testing user journeys specific to onboarding, informative feed and trip planner. Follow-up questions and co-design session with users to establish new flow.
Outcome:
Lack of motivation to post on a new platform for young locals. Simplified onboarding, might need more specific filters like area of interests.
Map feature : very useful for planning.
Outstanding questions :
How can we make the onboarding more intriguing and enjoyable ?
What motivation do local people need post on the platform ?
Hypotheses outcome:
Motivation to post (secondary research)
Incentives or Rewards
Gamification element or a reward system. Ex. Giveaways on Instagram
Social proof
Maintain their image on
media & gain recognition
Ex. celebrities.
Staying connected
Keep in touch with friends and close family who live away from them.
Promote a cause
Helps in quickly reaching to a wide audience to get a response, like funding.
User testing stage 2: storyboard
Outcome
Feed: Difficulty in identifying if too many places are saved while browsing.
Sharing: with close friends or known people is desirable.
Outstanding questions
Can we restructure the feed and categorise saved items ?
Can we leverage existing contacts so people can connect with ease ?
User testing stage 3: A/B Testing
Option 1
Outcome
Option 2
-
Users can categorise posts on feed, to avoid overloading saved items.
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Highlight of the bespoke experience, an option to edit these filters later.
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Image based and categorised onboarding is preferred.
Outcome
Final outcome
App screens
Value proposition
Young travellers
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Mindless scrolling to Mindful travel.
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Creating unique and meaningful travel experiences that are worth remembering.
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Building strong connections with like-minded people to share and receive ‘local knowledge’.
Destination
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Creating visibility for local gems that lost resilience.
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Would support promotion and preserving of art, culture and history of the destination.
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More tourists would result in economic growth & more job opportunities at destination
Future opprtunities
Potential risks
Reflection
Reflecting on my project, I found remote testing particularly challenging, especially since the participants were in India. This geographical distance made it difficult for me to interact with other stakeholders.
Despite these hurdles, the pivots I made were both useful and relevant to the design process.
As an explorer by nature, setting aside my personal bias was particularly challenging. However, I trusted the process throughout the design journey, and this trust was reflected in the final design outcome. Using the right tools for decision-making and discussing my ideas with peers further shaped and refined my concepts. These discussions instigated new thoughts and ideas, prompting deeper reflection on “what it means” and “why it matters.”