Project Overview
WExplore is a UX case study that addresses the safety concerns of solo travelers by providing a secure online platform for connecting with like-minded individuals heading to the same destination around the same time. This project is a response to the increasing trend of solo travel, recognizing the need for safety and a reliable solution that combines the thrill of exploration with the assurance of companionship. The goal of this project was to imagine ways to address the concern of safety for solo travelers, particularly in unfamiliar environments. The outcome of this project is a case study that researches solo travelers and designs mockups that help this particular user group by matching them with others that have similar interests and want to feel safe when traveling.
Concept Development
This project came from helping a client who wanted some ideas for a travel website. By doing so I conducted interviews with users to understand their travel concerns and pain points. From the results, the main issues were solo travel safety and reliable sources. With this information, we designed a journey pal feature to help connect solo travelers wanting a companion. To emphasize the safety of travelers, we incorporated safety guides and information.
Discover
Research/Interviews
I started my research by interviewing 6 users who loved to travel and traveled frequently. Through these interviews, I was able to understand the users along with the concerns and pain points they had.
The goal of this method was to understand what was most important for the user and hear any feedback when traveling. This is what I learned
Safety was a top priority
Seeks clear, reliable, and safety-focused resources
Values transparency
Would prefer to travel with others
Values authentic and local experiences
Define
Persona
Based on the interviews and synthesizing the information, I created personas to better understand the user’s motivation and what goals and pain points needed to be addressed in the design.
Journey Map
Using the persona I created, I was then able to map out a journey map and visualize how Sarah would think at each stage of her trip planning process.
Develop
Sketch
I sketched a few ideas of how I wanted the website to look like. My original focus was providing safety information in a blog style as travel guides are commonly presented in this format.
Reviewing the sketches I realized that this blog style was difficult to foster a community among travelers. This was not an efficient way to present safety guides and information. I continued to research features that are presented on mainstream user-friendly travel websites like Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Uber along with matchmaking websites like Match.com. As I was doing my research I thought of different features that could be incorporated and turn the blog into a travel website.
Ideation
I started a brainstorming session by doing a mindmap and saw an opportunity to help solo travelers by connecting them with other travelers who are looking to go to the same destination around the same time along with doing similar activities. Some features would include:
​
-
Search for someone to travel with around the same time to the same destination
-
Include locals who want to provide local recommendations or join travelers for safety
-
Include safety information based on the location the user is looking to go to
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
I began creating low-fidelity wireframes based on these ideas
User Flow
While creating the wireframes I also created a user flow so that it would be easier to understand how the user goes through the process
Usability Testing
I conducted user testing on 3 users with my mid-fidelity prototype to see how users would complete tasks along with getting feedback and thoughts on the designs.
​
The users were asked to:
-
Create an account
-
Users wanted to go to Cold Spring, NY and they wanted to find a buddy to accompany
them on this trip. Users were instructed to find a person to go with them on specific dates and message the person
3/3
Users were able to create an account
1/3
Could not "find a buddy"
2/3
Did not understand "find a buddy"
Feedback:
-
All 3 users advised me to incorporate a rating and review system for users to better trust
them
-
Someone recommended adding a saved/favorite button for the blog posts
-
A recommendation was to include a skip feature for some of the requirements when
signing up for an account
High-Fidelity Designs
Homepage
When users first land on the homepage they are given the option to search for a location or explore a list of recommended places or check out safety blog posts
Destination Page
Once the user decides on a destination and searches, they are given more information and posts about that location. From here they can Find a Journey Pal.
Added a heart on top right hand corner of each blog post for the saved/favorite function.
Find A Journey Pal
If the user decides to Find a Journey Pal, they would enter
the date range and some of the things they would like to do when they get to their destination.
​
Matches would populate based on the entered criteria and they can see other people’s ratings and reviews along with their interests and profile. If the user decides to, they could message and start a conversation with them.
Profile Page
User’s profile page includes a description along with some of their information. Here they have the ability to look at their saved places that they would like to travel to. And the ability to create a custom itinerary.
Conclusion
Overall, I hope this case study can help address solo travelers’ safety concerns and enhance travelers’ experiences when going to unknown destinations. From this study, I found that some enjoy travel but hesitate due to safety concerns or lack of travel experiences when it comes to unknown destinations and unreliable resources. Hope this design and idea can help solo travelers feel at ease. I enjoyed this project and the process of researching, identifying pain points, and designing a product that suits users' needs. This is a concept that I believe I can bring with me to all my future projects.