Where like-minded travelers can discover, save & post travel recommendations

Overview

the basics

what

nugo is a mobile-first social media site that streamlines travel planning so travelers can prepare for their adventures with ease

who

I completed the end-to-end design process as part of a student project

when

September 2022 - January 2023

Initial Problem Investigated

how nugo started

As a traveler, I’ve seen a growing trend of solo travel on social media. Even though solo travel is often hyped up, travelers often perceive risks in traveling alone that greatly impact their travel plans.

In order to understand whether safety risks actually affects a large number of travelers, I conducted a discovery online poll and found that, out of 62 respondents, 94% reported worrying about safety when traveling alone.

While some social media and blog posts identify solo travel tips, there aren’t many popular platforms that address solo traveler needs in planning their next adventure.

Assumptions & Goals

what I set out to accomplish

initial assumptions

  • Travelers want to go solo

  • Social media influences travelers

  • Travelers face safety concerns

  • Those concerns are gender-based

  • Travelers like to meet others while traveling

high level goals

  • Discover traveler concerns

  • Understand the impact of concerns on travel plans

  • Determine what travelers do to mitigate concerns

Process

but first, understanding the user

methodologies used

digging into the problem

secondary research

I read travel blogs and websites to understand what is being said in popular travel communities.

competitive research

I explored travel platforms and apps such as Couchsurfing, Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Facebook in order to understand the competitive landscape and services currently offered to travelers.

user research

I interviewed participants to gather their point-of-view. Out of the 8 travelers between the ages of 27-36 that were interviewed:

  • 2 currently travel solo

  • 4 formerly traveled solo and now prefer to travel with a companion

  • 2 have never traveled solo and prefer to travel with a companion

user Interview outcomes

some key themes emerged from affinity mapping

participants face travel-related fears

  • 88% fear empty streets at night

  • 75% fear being targeted because of identity

  • 75% fear being physically assaulted

participants take safety precautions

  • 88% feel most safe when they are with someone else

  • 75% need to have a plan in place

  • 63% try to find safe areas to stay at and visit

participants rely heavily on recommendations, from a variety of sources

  • 88% use Instagram and TikTok

  • 75% use a Google search for information

  • 75% rely on bloggers they identify with

  • 63% use Youtube

participants travel for many reasons

  • 88% focused on doing activities

  • 75% focused on experiencing culture

  • 75% focused on trying new foods

Revisited Assumptions & key insights

what I quickly realized

assumptions - revisited

  • ✖️ Travelers want to go solo

    Surprisingly, only 33% of participants still wish to travel solo

  • ✔️ Social media influences travelers

  • ✔️ Travelers face safety concerns

  • ✖️ Those concerns are gender-based

    All participants expressed travel concerns - regardless of gender

  • ✖️ Travelers like to meet others while traveling

    Only 38% of participants prioritized meeting people during their trips

deeper insights

  • Instead of solo travel, participants focus on traveling with a partner & planning their trips in order to feel secure.

  • Planning methods were often varied and not streamlined, resulting in travelers losing track of recommendations. 

Process

identifying actual user needs

User personas

meet Carson

Based on research and insights, 3 personas emerged and I was able to prioritize Carson as the one that represents most users. I planned on supporting Angelica and Juan in later phases.

the Actual problem

reframing the problem

point-of-view

Travelers need a way to discover and aggregate travel information in order to streamline the way they access and store recommendations from sources they identify with.

how might we...

help travelers discover and store travel information from sources they identify with in a more streamlined way so they can have a plan and feel empowered to explore new places?

Process

brainstorming solutions

ideation

finding ideas

divergent ideas

As ideating was pretty new to me, I tried different methods to help solve the user problem.

storyboarding

I then drew up two ideas that best fit Carson and narrowed it down to one.

Prioritizing

early stages of nugo

nugo emerged as a social media site for travelers looking to connect in order to discover, save, and share trusted travel recommendations.

In order to set up nugo for success, I listed out features and prioritized them in terms of must-haves & impact x effort.

Process

building a representation

Information architecture & user flows

navigating nugo

card sorting & site mapping

As this was a new site, I conducted a card sorting exercise with 10 participants to better build out a user-friendly site map.

user & task flows

I also built 3 user and task flows to anticipate the user's journey and establish a design roadmap.

Wireframes

& setting up a framework

Using the available user insights, I created low and mid fidelity wireframes to represent the solution and refine any unclear aspects before testing.

At first, I found it challenging to distinguish between developing a mobile-first website and an app and went through several iterations before finally nailing it down.

..while connecting the dots

To keep design decisions focused on Carson’s goals, needs, and motivations, I made sure to tie them back to my user interview findings.

building a trusting community for users

Users face travel-related fears and seek to find information from trusted sources. nugo:

  • Enables users to connect with like-minded people

  • Has an account verification system that displays checkmarks for users that have undergone the verification process

helping users prepare for their travels

Users feel most secure when they have a plan in place. nugo:

  • Allows users to save recommendations they find into sortable, shareable lists.

creating a space where users can find and post travel recommendations

Users rely heavily on travel recommendations. nugo:

  • Has a feed feature where users can view travel suggestions from those they follow

  • Has a discover feature where they can discover other travelers to follow

  • Allows users to contribute to and share with their travel community by posting their own recommendations.

delighting users with the ability to discover things to do and places to explore

Users travel for a variety of reasons, with a heavy emphasis on discovery. nugo:

  • Links users to personalized travel lists and recommendations generated by an algorithm that is fine-tuned according to their activity.

Component Library

adding some style

A component library then emerged based on core brand values: exploration, diversity, connection

Hi-fi Frames & Prototyping

bringing nugo to life

After adding all of the branding to the wireframes, they were ready to be tested with participants to ensure usability.

Process

testing it out

Testing

seeing what users think

nugo was tested with 5 participants ages 25-39. Participants were instructed to undergo 3 task flows:

  • task 1: Searching for a Location

  • task 2: Saving a Post into a New List

  • task 3: Posting a Recommendation

Feedback was collected on Time on Task, Error Rate, Completion Rate, and on items such as user satisfaction using a Likert scale.

Results

overall, participants really enjoyed nugo

They:

  • remarked on how nugo was easy to navigate, straightforward, and intuitive

  • liked that photos are the focal point & the pops of color

  • found the “discover” tab really useful & liked seeing recommendations listed by like-minded people

  • appreciated the clear success message after completing task 2

here’s what they had to say:

Results -  continued

& they completed tasks mostly as expected

task 1: searching for a location and retrieving a travel article

  • Completion: 100%

  • Time on Task Estimated: 21s : Average: 27s

  • Errors: 0

  • Main Usability Issue: No big issue

task 2: saving the travel article into their wishlist

  • Completion: 100%

  • Time on Task Estimated: 23s: Average: 22s

  • Errors: 0

  • Main Usability Issue: No big issue

task 3: posting an article with recommendations

  • Completion: 100%

  • Time on Task Estimated: 51s: Average: 103s (1min42s)

  • Errors: 2

  • Main Usability Issue: Participants found the steps confusing and perceived them as unintuitive

Iterations

however, some things needed to change

In order to prioritize participant feedback and understand which iterations were needed, I used a severity x frequency matrix to identify the top usability issues and an impact x effort matrix to prioritize solutions in terms of feasibility for the MVP.

iteration needed: task flow 3 revisions - essential to the functioning of the MVP

Participants were confused about the steps and it felt unintuitive.

  • I redesigned flow 3 to start with article template that users can ‘fill in’ rather than starting with asking for location and a photo. Participants reported feeling more familiar with completing a template and thought it would be more intuitive.

  • I added some messaging/feedback regarding user actions to better guide them through the task & inspire confidence

iteration needed: home feed card revisions - essential to user experience

Participants expected to have the copy follow the image and to have a quicker read of what articles contain without having to click on it

  • I redesigned the card structure for the Home Feed after a quick study with 8 participants showed that 100% of them chose card option with image first and the post information below

  • I also added labels that jump out quicker so users know what the post contains before clicking on it in response to user feedback

iteration recommended: sort button revision - quick fix that can lessen user confusion

  • There was some confusion around what the sort button did and it is something that could be easily swapped out

  • I swapped the previous sort icon for a new one given some confusion around it. It was a quick fix that made a lot of sense to make.

Process

delivering the product

introducing: nugo

check out the prototype

TAKEAWAYS

some lessons learned

what i enjoyed

  • The way my participants surprised me and challenged me to dig deeper

  • Building a new product

  • Discovering the design process and understanding how it relates to areas that I have worked on before such as research & psychology

what i learned

  • The key differences between mobile-first and app design

  • The delicate balance between utilizing established design patterns and creating a unique, branded user experience

  • Working in an agile way can save a lot of time: pivoting and iterating often

  • The importance of following my gut and making quicker decisions

what was challenging

  • Although nugo naturally feels like an app, I had to work within the brief and technical constraints of creating a responsive website

  • While carrying out this project, I was also learning about the design process, tools to use, and how ask for feedback and iterate

  • Apart from receiving feedback from my mentor, I tackled the design of this project as a one-person team

what i’d do differently

  • I’d spent more time investigating the type of travel information that people expect from travel sources

  • I’d make sure to understand and follow the technical requirements from the beginning

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