PROJECT OVERVIEW
Hypothetical Project
Solo Project
User Research
Logo Design
Wireframes
Interactive Prototyping
Objective
Create an app for solo travelers post-COVID looking to find easy, safe community with other like-minded travelers.
TOOLS
Figma
Google Forms
The Problem
Many people want to travel solo, but they’re held back by safety concerns and the lack/awkwardness of community that comes along with being alone.
The Solution
A social app that connects solo travelers with the use of fun bio prompts and event postings.
The Impact
Simplified the process of applying for a loan or grant and educated the public along the way.
RESEARCH
Getting To Know The Problem
Proposed problem
I know from personal experience how exciting traveling can be, but I also know the socializing aspect can be quite awkward and challenging. I hypothesized that the problem was something along the lines of:
When traveling alone, it's hard to make new friends.
Objectives
I wanted to center the research around two main questions:
What are the joys of solo travel?
2. What are the challenges of solo travel?
This helped me narrow down my research methods to get to the core of whether or not my proposed problem was really a problem.
Interviews
In order to collect some qualitative data about real world examples of the joys and challenges of solo traveling, I sought out a diverse panel of interviewees that all had travel experience.
Laura
23, F
Mateo
23, M
Ana
24, F
Kirk
47, M
Kat
23, F
The Main Joys of Solo Traveling
Insights
Independence
Meeting new people
Insights
Loneliness
Safety
Survey Data
To expand my research objectives, I wanted more quantitative data to expand my understanding of how people view solo traveling. I collected 27 survey responses via Google Form.
Biggest Solo Traveling Concerns
Change One Thing About Solo Travel
Main Takeaways
Users need to feel safe.
Users want to feel included and connected.
The Problem
Many people want to travel solo, but they’re held back by safety concerns and the lack/awkwardness of community that comes along with being alone.
ANALYSIS
HOW MIGHT WE…
Create a safe space for solo travelers to intentionally connect comfortably?
Break the ice for users so they feel more connected and less socially anxious?
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
Value Proposition
All.One is unique because we break the ice so users can find authentic connections with other travelers faster and more efficiently.
USER PERSONA
Megan Peters
26 years old
Recent College Graduate
Boise, ID
“While I’m young, I might as well see the world.”
“I’m a social person, but I still get nervous meeting new people.”
“I wish I had an easy way to break the ice with strangers while traveling.”
USER Journey Map
The Solution
A social app that connects solo travelers with the use of fun bio prompts and event postings.
BRAINSTORMING
Creating the Solution
USER PATH
SKETCHES
To streamline the process of iterating multiple ideas and layout options, I moved into some sketching. This was a great space to play around with copywriting as well. I ended up leaning into the onboarding process in order to help users feel connected to other travelers via the app prior to meeting.
MID-FI Wireframes
Onboarding
“The profile setup feels long. I wish I had an option to skip and complete later.” - Alyse
Events
“It would be cool to know how many people are going to the event.” - Colin
“I got lost going from the home page to the event page. I forgot what event I clicked on” - Ana
Host
“How many reviews does this person have? If it’s just one, that doesn’t mean anything to me.” - Krissy
Data-Driven Design Changes
Skip option
Number of reviews
Number of attendees
Changed "Home" to "Events"
UI Style Guide
IMPLEMENTING
Bringing the Solution to Life
Wireflows
Onboarding
I wanted the onboarding to feel comprehensive and representative of all users without feeling overbearing and time consuming.
RSVP
Finding an event is what this app is all about—connection. Based on the survey results, it was important to me that users felt safe. I wanted them to be able to easily access information about the host to ensure they felt comfortable attending.
The Impact
Empowered users to find intriguing events and commit their attendance.
Final Results
CONCLUSION
Looking Back & Looking Ahead
The Problem
Many people want to travel solo, but they’re held back by safety concerns and the lack/awkwardness of community that comes along with being alone.
The Solution
A social app that connects solo travelers with the use of fun bio prompts and event postings.
The Impact
Empowered users to find intriguing events and commit their attendance.
Learnings and Reflections
This process was very enlightening. I learned many things but my two biggest takeaways were that design is a science and paralysis by analysis can easily be solved with a prioritization matrix.
Design is often seen as expressive and abstract, but what many people do not realize is that it is scientific as well. Good design is backed by data and reason. Throughout this process I learned to design for the general aesthetic but also to design with data in mind.
This project often felt overwhelming because the ideas kept coming and the hours kept shortening. In the end, I learned that there will always be improvements to be made, so in the moment, my job was to focus on the impact and complexity of each idea and prioritize accordingly. In the real world, not every idea will be showcased, but there’s a reason why apps continue to have updates.
Next steps
Chat function
Safety verification
More event filtering options
Conduct usability testing for quantitative impact data
Fin
