TripSwap
Team
Focus
Duration
YEAR
Project description
Project Statement
For this project, we designed a solution to a tourism-related problem. This is the first piece of UI that I've designed, focusing mostly on layout and informational hierarchy (especially given the amount of information expected in the trip planning process).
Most app screens including:
4/5 Main screens: For you, Explore, My Trips, & Messages
Messaging screen
Trip itinerary screens
Trip Checkout
Planner profiles
How Might We Statement
How might we empower tourists to fully enjoy a destination while staying mindful and respectful of its local culture?
Figma Prototype
Process
Identifying a Problem
Before creating TripSwap, we surveyed tourists and locals in high-traffic areas to understand travel challenges. We found that while travelers sought authentic experiences, they lacked the knowledge to be respectful. This insight shaped our How Might We statement and guided our design.
Findings
According to our research, we found that 56.1% of locals believe that tourists do not respect local communities and spaces. Some common sentiments were:
Tourists are entitled, disrespect rules, and treat workers poorly or as "part of the attraction."
Tourists lack a sense of accountability or responsibility for their actions (especially in natural locations like national parks or nature reserves).
Tourists crowd popular locations, often missing out on more authentic experiences.
Similarly, 57.5% of tourists surveyed reported that they don’t take any measures to minimize their environmental or cultural impact while traveling. Common claims among tourists about their ability to minimize their negative impacts were:
"Not obvious what measures would be effective. Not many alternative options."
Environmentally-friendly options are more expensive
Initial Sketching
With a clear design opportunity, we generated 60 ideas to help tourists experience destinations authentically while respecting local culture. We encouraged creative, outside-the-box thinking before narrowing them down based on feasibility and our interest in developing the concept.
60 Sketches
Downselecting to Three Concepts
Each of us picked our favorite of our own ideas and made a poster outlining the idea itself and why it worked well with our How Might We statement. Cooper came up with TourisTips, Ali came up with Local Lens, and I created TripSwap
Feedback
Feedback overwhelmingly favored TripSwap. Classmates appreciated that TripSwap would be able to include many of the best features of TourisTips—like local-provided respect tips and hidden gems—while bundling them alongside other features so the entire app didn't feel dedicated to lecturing the user about how to be respectful. Classmates also appreciated the utility of Local Lens but felt it would be more useful as an app, which is mobile, rather than a fixed kiosk.
Participatory Design Workshop
To better understand the exact features and functions the app would need to best serve users, we conducted a participatory design workshop with three different kinds of travelers:
Shannon, 53, a mother of two who travels occasionally for more laid-back vacations
Katherine, 22, a recent college grad who travels for long stretches of time
Raleigh, 22, another recent college grad who goes on frequent short trips.
Card Sorting Activity
To gather data from our travelers, we had them each participate in multi-step card sorting activities. To begin, we asked participants to write down some of the things that they found to be challenging about travel. Shared challenges included:
Finding/deciding where to go during the trip
Finding/deciding where to eat
The entire airport experience
Budgeting
Getting around
Deciding where to stay
Generally "Maximizing" trip time
We followed up on this exercise by asking participants to sort these challenges based on whether or not they'd trust an app to handle these tasks for them. Of the above, participants would trust an app to help them:
Find/decide where to go during the trip
Find/decide where to eat
Generally "Maximize" trip time
Participants agreed that certain aspects of the trip — like deciding where to stay and booking plane tickets — were things they'd still prefer to do themselves.
Finally, we asked participants what would incentivize them to plan a trip for someone else. Some responses included:
Money
Discounts or deals at local businesses
An in-app point system
Storyboarding
