UTILIZING TRAVEL TIME

​​We have traveled over 15 countries and have tried all different methods but have not found an app that is able to utilize travel time. What we have noticed while traveling is that there are many times where there are unexpected delays and occurrences that would tarnish the amount of time spent while traveling. We decided to design an potential app that would utilize the time you have traveling in an easy to use manner. 

UI/UX Designers

This is a side project with the goal to create a product that does one job incredibly well and learn new design solutions along the way

PROBLEM

One of the main issues many of us face while traveling is trying to fit everything we want to do in a timely manner. Planning a time sensitive trip can be an overwhelming task for new and experienced travelers. There is no guarantee that you will be able to see what you want when unexpected delays derail your schedule. Trying to reroute your itinerary can be a disturbance in itself, not to mention time wasted. But what if there was a way you could eliminate those issues in advance and have a stress free experience?

After having used various travel applications that are available on the App Store - either free or paid - we found that these only focused on making itineraries, and none focused on how long the itinerary would take you throughout the day. Very often, these apps focus on getting you to the top attractions in the city, but none took into account the troubles you could face while traveling and how long you wanted to spend your day touring, eating, etc. While we tested these apps there have been many occasions where it suggested the quickest route, but in reality there was unexpected traffic or an accident that was unpredictable. These mishaps are what causes you to lose the precious time you have while traveling; this is why we wanted to create an app that helps to make your travel experience as enjoyable as possible.

SOLUTION

​We wanted to design a solution that gives the user personally crafted trips and suggestions on how to maneuver their way in the city they intend to explore! Moreover, from the data collected, we wanted to offer travelers advice to enhance their experience. Designing with the user in mind, they will go through a step-by-step process to create the trip of their dreams - filling in their days with what they want to accomplish with the time they have.

The camera icon indicates the topic.

Underneath the icon is the amount of time spent (Hours: minutes: seconds).

The last row is the time of day.

This feature is designed to make it easy for users to see how much time they have at a particular place in order to complete the rest of their itinerary during the day.

USER RESEARCH

Traveling is overwhelming and we wanted to research ways that make travel planning easier. The three major problems people commonly face are:​

1. What to do - finding new and different activities/places
   
2. How to fit everything you want to do in a timely manner
3. ​Using foreign transportation systems

Based on the list above, we decided to look up other travel apps to see what made them successful and what problems they faced. After reading through the comments sections of these apps, we decided to download them to see what we liked, what we didn’t like and how we could expand on those ideas. Using the data we collected, we conducted individual interviews to see if our research was heading in the right direction.

From our interviews we decided to approach the task with parallel designing and start sketching ideas independently to tackle these problems. We combined our solutions to further improve the outcome. Our data concluded that the most optimal way to plan your vacation is a step-by-step process, starting from the dates you plan your trip to what you want to see and having it organize itself as you go.

SITEMAP

After conducting interviews with individuals we came to the conclusion of breaking down what is important while traveling:

​Location, times you will be arriving/leaving at the location (Calendar), Lodging, Attractions, Food, and Transportation.

All of these topics affect the time of your travels. We broke down each section and used filters for the user to make an itinerary best suited for their needs. Once the user creates a new trip they can go back and edit it any time they want. It will be saved on the homepage as "Ongoing" until you have completed it.

PROTOTYPE

We started to experiment with the design and feel for the app. Our main priority was to design it in a clean and simple way and make it easy to navigate.

FEATURES

We wanted to design an easy solution for people to know how much time should be spent at a certain place - so they don't waste too much time or have too little time. While crafting your itinerary, there will be an option to either keep the "suggested time" or insert the amount of time you want to be there.
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During our interviews we noticed that each user had different priorities. Some wanted to spend more time at a museum while others just wanted to spend more time at a park. Keeping this in mind, each place can be crafted for the amount of time they want to spend, and not wasting it in others.

Also, we observed people’s fear of using certain transportation systems in foreign countries. Many people mentioned how they would rather walk 45 minutes then take a 5 minute taxi.

​With this in mind we made sure that they could choose from various modes of transportation while making their itinerary.

icons highlighted in orange are desired transportation

Once you’ve finished selecting everything you want to do during your travels, you can start crafting your days in a timely manner. The user will then select the time of the day they want from start to finish. The day will always start with your lodging and from there, the app will calculate how many hours you have remaining for that day.
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​As you start to select what you want to do, the app will start to calculate the times for the day. As it calculates, it will automatically put in the mode of transportation that is fastest between the routes.

Once the day is completed it will fill up the timer. Then the user will see how much time they are spending eating, walking, seeing sites, etc. and can fix it accordingly.
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The timer will start on the day and time of the trip and continue throughout your day as your personal time-management guide.

Our main goal was to create an app that engages the audience in an easy way while also helping them save time while traveling.

​Here is an example of a potential problem a user could face while traveling and how this app would solve the problem:

A user is walking towards the next destination which should only take them 9 minutes to arrive

The user is stopped by a vendor, or sees something that makes them stop, which delays their time to their next location.

​The time continues to go on BUT the time is deducted for their next location if they want to make everything else throughout the day

The user is informed that they have 15 minutes less than they intended if they want to continue on schedule.

If the user doesn't use all the time selected, time is added onto the rest of the day.