WayWiz
How to plan a trip is always a complicated matter, and with AI developing so rapidly these days, can we incorporate AI to simplify this step?
WAYWIZ
Project Type
Interaction Design
Visual Design
User testing
Time
Aug 2023 - Dec 2023
Tool
Figma
Illustrator
My Role
UX / UI Design
User research
User flow
Imagine you are filled with anticipation for the upcoming vacation after a tiring week of work. You dream of exploring new cities and creating unforgettable memories. The excitement builds as you plan your adventure.
But then, reality hits the thought of planning the entire trip feels overwhelming. From researching destinations and booking accommodations to crafting a detailed itinerary, the joy starts to fade. You wish there was an easier way to turn your travel dreams into reality without the hassle.
This feeling of overwhelm is common among travel enthusiasts. Despite numerous travel apps, planning a trip remains complex and time-consuming. This is where Waywiz comes in – an AI-powered app designed to simplify travel planning and bring back the joy of exploring new places.
With rapid advancements in AI, we have a unique opportunity to transform travel planning. Can AI simplify the process and make it more personalized? This question inspired the creation of Waywiz.
Problem Exploration
USER INTERVIEW
To ensure the design decisions are deeply rooted in user experiences, I interviewed 4 frequent travelers.
The aim was to capture a broad spectrum of insights into travel planning behaviors, preferences, and the challenges faced during the process.
Question
What features or functionalities do you find essential in a trip-planning app?
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"When planning a trip I can't estimate the cost of my trip, which often leads to overspending on my travel expenses.“
Software engineer | 27 years old
Tim
Question
What tools or resources do you currently use to plan your trips? (websites, apps, travel agencies)
Fandy
Graduate student | 29 years old
”I usually need to use 3-4 different pieces of software to research when planning a trip and I would like to have a one-stop-shop for apps.“
Question
What kind of personalized recommendations would you find valuable?
Question
How do you feel about the idea of using AI to assist with trip planning, such as personalized recommendations?
Iris
”I'm not sure I'll enjoy all the activities suggested by AI.
I might prefer exploring more niche attractions instead.“
Luxury Management | 28 years old
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Alin
"I don't like traveling with tours because I would like to be able to have a day to relax instead of performing my touring task every day like a soldier."
College Student | 25 years old
INSIGHT
From the research, I identified three main areas where Waywiz could provide significant value:
Financial Management
Users need better tools to estimate and manage travel expenses
Integration Features
Users prefer an all-in-one app to avoid switching between multiple tools.
Personalization
Users desire personalized recommendations that align with their interests and preferences.
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COMPETITORS
To effectively position Waywiz in the market and ensure it meets users' needs, I thoroughly analyzed existing travel planning apps. This analysis helped me identify current solutions' strengths and weaknesses and find opportunities for Waywiz to stand out.
Tripnotes
Provides a single-function AI-generated daily plan but lacks customization options.
Roam Around
Features a chat box where AI can optimize current plans based on user inputs.
Curiosio
Focuses on budget-oriented travel plans with AI generating schedules that match different budget needs.
FEATURE MATRIX
To strategically enhance Waywiz, I created a feature matrix comparing it against competitors. This matrix helps us prioritize updates and innovations, ensuring Waywiz addresses user pain points effectively and offers a competitive edge.
PERSONA
These personas represent the diverse range of travelers who will benefit from our AI-powered travel planning app.
How might we?
Simplify the trip planning process to better help users get their travel needs met efficiently and effectively?
IDEATION
Based on the research, here's what I'd like to help users achieve:
1
Improve Budget Management
Equip users with advanced tools to clearly view and effectively manage their travel budgets, ensuring a more controlled and predictable spending experience.
2
Minimize App Switching
Streamline travel planning by reducing the need to switch between multiple apps, thereby saving time and simplifying the process.
3
Enhance Customization Options
Increase the flexibility of the platform, allowing users to tailor their travel plans according to personal preferences and interests, enhancing overall satisfaction.
Solution 1st
1
BUDGET CLARITY
INTEGRATED PLAN
PERSONALIZATION
incorporates AI-driven features designed to support financial planning
1. AI-Driven financial planning
When a user starts a new travel plan, our AI simulates a real-life travel agent, asking a series of questions to gather essential information, including the user's travel budget. Based on this information, the AI generates a suitable travel itinerary that aligns with the user's financial constraints.
Onboarding with AI Agent
The AI assistant, Tina, initiates the conversation by asking about the destination, travel dates, purpose of the trip, number of companions, and budget.
Budget Query Improvement
To ensure that our solution meets user needs effectively, I conducted in-person user testing using a paper prototype. During the in-person testing, Tim, a 27-year-old software engineer, expressed concern about the budget options provided.
"Budget is a place I feel is too broad. Everyone has a different idea of economy, average, and luxury. I would have liked to be more specific about the amount for me to choose from."
What’s changed?
Based on Tim's feedback, I realized the need for more specific budget labels to help users better understand and choose the right budget for their trip. I updated the budget query interface to include specific price ranges for each category, making it clearer and more user-friendly.
Before
After
2. Real-Time Budget Updates
Once the AI generates the daily itinerary, it includes estimated costs for each activity and provides a summary of the total expected expenditure. This feature ensures transparency and allows users to monitor their spending in real-time. Each activity's cost is clearly displayed, and the total budget is updated as users add or remove activities.
Daily Itinerary with Cost Estimates
The generated itinerary displays the estimated cost for each activity and the total cost.
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Real-Time Budget Alerts
When users add activities that push the total cost over their initial budget, the AI provides a notification below the budget summary.
BUDGET CLARITY
2
INTEGRATED PLAN
Integrates basic travel features to reach a one-stop travel planning app
Solution 2nd
PERSONALIZATION
1. Booking Flights and Hotels
The AI agent Tina asks users if they need help booking flights and hotels. Users can complete these bookings during the initial setup or skip and add them later as their plans evolve.
Onboarding with AI Agent
- If users choose to book flights, Tina provides options for Roundtrip, One-way, and Multi-city flights. The search results are based on the user’s trip details.
- For hotel bookings, Tina searches for accommodations based on the trip dates and location.
Users can complete the booking within the app, simplifying the process and reducing the need for multiple apps.
Flexibility to Add Later
If users skip the initial booking step, they can still add flight and hotel information at any point after the itinerary is generated.
2. Exploring Travel Destinations
To help users find inspiration for their trip activities, I integrated an "Explore the City" feature. This feature allows users to search for interesting places, explore popular and recommended activities, and bookmark their favorite spots.
Explore the city
Simplifies discovering and adding activities to travel plans by providing popular destinations and personalized recommendations.
Users can easily bookmark and add activities later, ensuring all trip details are managed within the app. This saves time and enhances the travel planning experience.
Explore the city Improvement
During an in-person usability testing session with Bihan and Mike, they are software engineers, we gathered valuable insights on improving the "Explore the City" feature in Waywiz.
"The whole process was relatively smooth, except for the words in the explore page that confused me a bit."
- Bihan
"After adding an activity I'm not sure if the activity was added successfully, as well as not knowing where to view the activity that was added."
- Mike
What’s changed?
Bihan mentioned that 'Explore' under categories is different from other categories and not very understandable, so I changed it to 'All' to make the user understand that this section contains all the content to explore.
The review section is designed to allow users to see what other people are saying about various activities. But Bihan finds the title confusing.
Before
After
Based on Mike's feedback, I added a pop-up notification confirming when an activity is added to bookmarks, including a direct link to view bookmarks and an "Undo" option. Additionally, the add button changes color to indicate success, providing clear feedback and easy access to manage activities.
Before
After
Solution 3rd
BUDGET CLARITY
INTEGRATED PLAN
3
PESONALIZATION
easily modify their travel plans via AI chat and efficient itinerary adjustments.
AI Customization
Waywiz enhances personalization by letting users customize their travel plans through an AI chat. Users can click the AI chat button on the travel plan page to voice their requests.
The AI processes these requests and updates the itinerary, ensuring it matches the user's preferences. This feature makes adjustments easy and intuitive.
Custom Activities
Users can add any desired activities at the bottom of their itinerary, such as family parties or gatherings, ensuring their travel plans are fully customized to their preferences.
