TripTango
TripTango can swiftly creates multi-day, multi-city travel itineraries tailored to users’ preferences. TripTango is a dynamic, hybrid smart route solution that offers consumers more efficiency in travel planning. It provides real-time information and interactive editing tools, among other features, to enhance the travel experience.
01
My Role: Lead Designer
This master's thesis project, which I completed independently from May to September 2023, involved my direct engagement in every stage of the process, from ideation and research to user interviews, prototyping, and design. My responsibilities included conducting both primary and secondary research (including surveys), performing user usability testing, as well as wireframing, prototyping, interface design, and interaction design, ensuring a comprehensive and cohesive approach throughout the project.
02
Problem Statement
When planning trip, Individuals often use Google Maps to earmark numerous destinations they wish to visit. Despite this, they find themselves spending hours trying to devise optimal itineraries.
Single mode of travel: The mode of travel for all locations can only be shown entirely in the walking option, entirely in the driving option, or entirely in the cycling option.
Unorganised routes: Each location is added by the user in a linear fashion, but not a the most efficient route.
Unable to show length of stay: The table does not show the time spent at each location, but simply passes by all the attractions.
03
Research
To help users address the problems mentioned above, I first needed to understand their confusion, reactions, and expectations when encountering these problems. I interviewed 12 respondents, carefully observed their behavior and expressions, and documented how they plan their trips.
04
User Journey Map
To empathize with users and design solutions that address both their emotional and functional needs, it's essential to understand the pain points in their travel process. This allows me to prioritize features or fixes that will have the most significant impact on the user experience. To achieve this, I utilize a user journey map to visualize the entire process, from the preparation phase of the trip to its conclusion.
The users' biggest pain points are:
1 The uncertainty of travel weather and road conditions.
2 Much time is consumed in calculating travel time, planning the itinerary, and finding the 'best' routes.
3 During the trip, users find it inconvenient to modify the route in real-time based on unforeseen events.
05
Information Architecture
The functionality to solve the above pain points:
1 Instant Route & Weather Updates
The user can switch the time of the travel plan at any time and also the weather will be displayed immediately. Outdoor activities in the open air will be alerted with red texts in case of extreme weather during the trip.
2 Create multi-day and multi-city itineraries
After the user adds a few locations, the product can immediately generate the optimal route, displaying the itinerary and playtime. Additionally, it allows adjustments based on the user's preferences.
3 Edit Routes Tools
When encountering random events, users are able to interactively and intuitively make adjustments to their routes on the map, set times, and choose traveling modes.
From these features, I began to execute information architecture diagrams to design product content.
06
Wireframes
Drawing from the information architecture outlined in my resume, I developed a low-fidelity prototype and conducted an initial user test to determine if they could successfully navigate and complete the primary tasks.
In the user testing, I observed that while participants were able to locate and complete all assigned tasks, they experienced confusion and uncertainty regarding the process of task completion. To address this issue, I implemented a feature at the beginning of the task flow, allowing user-created trips to be automatically saved directly from the map, eliminating the need for users to manually save and name each trip individually.
07
The Product
A new mode in Google Maps that swiftly creates multi-day, multi-city travel itineraries tailored to users’ preferences.
TripTango is a dynamic, hybrid smart route solution that offers consumers more efficiency in travel planning. It provides real-time information and interactive editing tools, among other features, to enhance the travel experience.
08
Create Multi-day Itineraries
The user creates a new travel plan from the plan option. Users select the location they want to visit from the map, click "add to route" and the location is automatically added to the itinerary.
TripTango automatically adjusts the travel order based on the location of the destination and the mode of travel.
09
Instant Route & Weather Updates
TripTango will provide updates on road construction, enabling users to access accurate, real-time information about traffic conditions.
The weather updates will continuously be displayed on the interface. Simultaneously, the service will inform users about outdoor locations where rain is expected.
10
Create Multi-day Multi-city Itinerary
Leveraging the capabilities of Google Maps, TripTango enhances route planning by allowing the integration of previously saved pins into new itineraries. This feature enables users to incorporate pins they had marked earlier, potentially overlooked, thus streamlining the trip planning process and boosting efficiency.
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Effortless Travel Mode Modification
It's common for users to encounter unforeseen events that necessitate rerouting, such as impromptu meetups with friends. This feature enables users to quickly and logically reorganize their itinerary with Google Maps on mobile devices, ensuring the revised plan is effectively implemented.
12
Effortless Time Modification
The time modification feature can more easily help users intuitively adjust the duration of each stay at locations. Moreover, it allows users to more intuitively see what each visit location looks like.
13
Takeaways
I learned a lot of new things from this graduation design.
I switched between different roles, product designer to user experience researcher. I was adaptable and embraced each role, learning from each discipline.
I also learned to guide users neutrally during the user testing process. Encouraging the user to speak out loud everything that's on their mind. That way I know better what's good and what needs to be improved.
Based on user feedback, I continuously explore ways to optimize processes, simplify steps, and craft wireframes that enhance the overall experience. I truly enjoy thinking through the possibilities for improvement.