Planning travel can be tricky. Misleading Google searches and inaccurate app info can lead to unexpected challenges. That’s why a reliable travel app is crucial for accurate, up-to-date information, ensuring a smooth and worry-free journey.
Untapped is set to redefine the travel planning experience, making it effortless. Our app revolutionizes the way trips are planned, offering an array of reliable information.
UX Researcher
UX/ UI Designer
Julianna Turner
Adelia Valadez
Justin Breeden
Katherine King
Figma
Miro
Google Drive
We created a persona to represent a wide range of people who enjoy travel. We based our interview and survey questions on this persona in order to assess its accuracy and effectiveness.
We drafted a research and interview plan based on our persona and carried it out through a series of user interviews and surveys.
We conducted a total of six interviews along with a series of surveys regarding people’s travel preferences and experiences. Our findings revealed that most individuals seize every opportunity to plan trips and enjoy exploring new destinations. However, a common challenge they encounter is the amount of inaccurate or outdated information on many websites and apps.
Most individuals plan trips to new places whenever possible, but they often encounter a large amount of inaccurate or outdated information on many websites and apps. Also, planning travel can be overwhelming due to such a large variety of information.
After we gathered our user insights, we created an affinity diagram, dividing it up into the following sections: “Travel Frequency,” “Group Size,” “Travel Behavior,” “Pain Points,” “When/Where,” and “Apps/Websites.”
We then made an empathy map to help guide our process and tailor our ideas to better fit our audience.
The empathy map helped us to better understand our target audience, resulting in the creation of a more precise user persona.
UNTAPPED needs to be a trusted platform for authentic experiences, addressing the issue of missed opportunities caused by the prevalence of tourist traps on other platforms.
UNTAPPED is the key for enhancing the travel experience and meets the evolving preferences of modern travelers who seek more personalized and authentic journeys.
We then created a value proposition canvas to visualize the advantage of the UNTAPPED app. UNTAPPED meets the evolving preferences of modern travelers, enhancing their experiences.
During our competitor analysis, we assessed “Visited” and “Away,” two existing travel apps and “Airbnb,” a popular lodging app.
We began this next phase by brainstorming “I Like,” “I Wish,” “What If,” in order to prioritize potential features of the UNTAPPED app.
Subsequently, we developed a feature prioritization matrix to identify and rank the most important app functionalities.
After the development of the feature prioritization matrix, we created a user journey map to track Nora’s emotions: her excitement over travel, her overwhelmed state of mind due to tourist traps, discouragement, joy over discovering UNTAPPED, and confidence in the app.
We also created a storyboard to visualize our persona’s journey: Nora’s desire to travel, tourist trap frustration, inauthentic cuisine, the downloading of the UNTAPPED app, excitement over the app, and satisfaction with the app.
We created a user flow diagram to visualize the UNTAPPED onboarding process to exploring its Global Etiquette Hub.
Then, we sketched paper wireframes of the app to create visuals of specific features.
After sketching the paper wireframes, we created digital versions and then prototyped them.
We subsequently conducted multiple guerrilla usability tests in which we gathered useful insights on how to improve our app, especially regarding the Global Etiquette Hub.
To ensure an appealing design, a mood board was created to brainstorm the app’s style. This mood board includes various visual elements and a color palette that reflect the desired aesthetic for the UNTAPPED app.
Then, a style guide was developed featuring a finalized color palette, visual inspiration, specific typography, button states, travel iconography, graphics, and a defined logo.
We then iterated on the wireframes and prototype, incorporating feedback and refining the design. This process culminated in the creation of a high-fidelity model which closely resembles the final product in both functionality and appearance.
During the development of UNTAPPED, one of the biggest challenges we faced was finding a way to truly set the app apart from other travel apps. After a lot of brainstorming and research, we came up with a unique concept that could resonate with users while still being practical. After exploring user pain points and trends, we came up with the idea of integrating a “Global Etiquette Hub.” This feature provides travelers with cultural tips, local customs, and social norms to enhance their experience when visiting new destinations. Pairing this with more curated, lesser-known local destinations and real-time location-based weather updates allowed the app to offer something that felt both authentic and practical.
To enhance future opportunities, we plan to expand the UNTAPPED app by incorporating a centralized traveler messaging platform. This new feature will enable users to communicate directly with one another, share packing and clothing recommendations, and suggest the most efficient transportation methods for various destinations.
