Overview

Problem

Solution

Research

Design

Conclusion

WANDERU • YOUR TRAVEL COMPANION

WANDERU • YOUR TRAVEL COMPANION

WANDERU • YOUR TRAVEL COMPANION

One place to plan every part of your trip
One place to plan every part of your trip

👩🏻‍💻 Role

Full-Stack Designer & Researcher

👥 Team

Individual

⏰ Duration

Feb-Apr 2025

🎩 Hats Worn

Product Design, Prototyping

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1

Context

2

The Problem

3

User & System Research

4

Final Prototype

5

Reflection

Every trip begins with excitement.

Imagining new places, food, experiences …  yet somewhere between the daydreaming and actual booking, that excitement often fades.

Oftentimes, you'll have one tab for flights. Another for hotels. Then three more for maps and restaurants. Before long, it starts to feel like a repetitive cycle of clicks and comparisons.

That's when I began to ask myself: does travel planning really have to be this stressful?

📍 THE PROBLEM

Travel planning needs cohesion

Most travel platforms handle only part of the journey. Users rely on one site to book accommodations, another to check maps, and others for reviews or recommendations. This scattered process places extra cognitive strain on the user. Users end up losing track of saved places or forget where they saw specific recommendations which can cause frustration to an already stressful process.

Therefore, I wondered:

How might we simplify travel planning into one connected experience that is still intuitive and familiar to users?

How might we simplify travel planning into one connected experience that is still intuitive and familiar to users?

How might we simplify travel planning into one connected experience that is still intuitive and familiar to users?

Gathering statistics…

Is this a shared frustration?

Curious to know if others felt the same, I collected data to understand if the challenges I faced during trip planning were common among other users.

Scattered process

Scattered process

100% (8 out of 8) participants used 3 or more platforms when planning a trip

100% (8 out of 8) participants used 3 or more platforms when planning a trip

100% (8 out of 8) participants used 3 or more platforms when planning a trip

Increased stress

Increased stress

87.5% (7 out of 8) felt overwhelmed by how tedious the process was

87.5% (7 out of 8) felt overwhelmed by how tedious the process was

87.5% (7 out of 8) felt overwhelmed by how tedious the process was

📍 USER RESEARCH

Understanding how travellers plan their trips

To design a solution that truly simplifies travel planning, I needed to understand how users currently navigate this process. I looked at what motivates them, where they get stuck, and what they value most when organizing a trip.


Some of the key questions from the interviews include:

  1. Can you walk me through how you usually plan your trips? Where do you start?

  2. What is the most time-consuming part for you when planning a trip?

  3. If you could change one thing about the current process, what would it be?

To design a solution that truly simplifies travel planning, I needed to understand how users currently navigate this process. I looked at what motivates them, where they get stuck, and what they value most when organizing a trip.


Some of the key questions from the interviews include:

  1. Can you walk me through how you usually plan your trips? Where do you start?

  2. What is the most time-consuming part for you when planning a trip?

  3. If you could change one thing about the current process, what would it be?

To design a solution that truly simplifies travel planning, I needed to understand how users currently navigate this process. I looked at what motivates them, where they get stuck, and what they value most when organizing a trip.


Some of the key questions from the interviews include:

  1. Can you walk me through how you usually plan your trips? Where do you start?

  2. What is the most time-consuming part for you when planning a trip?

  3. If you could change one thing about the current process, what would it be?

User insights

The majority of participants were between 20 and 50 years old and based on this demographic, several key insights emerged:


  • Most participants used a variety of platforms to plan their trips

  • Constantly switching between tabs made it difficult to remember where they found specific information

  • Many users saved numerous locations on Google Maps, but later forgot which places they actually wanted to visit

The majority of participants were between 20 and 50 years old and based on this demographic, several key insights emerged:


  • Most participants used a variety of platforms to plan their trips

  • Constantly switching between tabs made it difficult to remember where they found specific information

  • Many users saved numerous locations on Google Maps, but later forgot which places they actually wanted to visit

The majority of participants were between 20 and 50 years old and based on this demographic, several key insights emerged:


  • Most participants used a variety of platforms to plan their trips

  • Constantly switching between tabs made it difficult to remember where they found specific information

  • Many users saved numerous locations on Google Maps, but later forgot which places they actually wanted to visit

Personas

Based on insights gathered from user interviews and survey data, I identified three distinct traveller types that represent different approaches to planning a trip.

📍 INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE

Ontology Map

Used to visualize the relationship between user motivations and environmental factors that influence travel planning decisions. It helps reveal core needs and how they connect to the broader travel experience.

Used to visualize the relationship between user motivations and environmental factors that influence travel planning decisions. It helps reveal core needs and how they connect to the broader travel experience.

Taxonomy Map

Structures the core content of what users expect in a travel planning platform, showing how each category is connected to the user journey. Users can move seamlessly from searching to filtering their trip preferences.

Structures the core content of what users expect in a travel planning platform, showing how each category is connected to the user journey. Users can move seamlessly from searching to filtering their trip preferences.

Analyzing the current landscape

Competitive Analysis

To identify where the travel planning experience breaks down, I analyzed five major platforms. Each one excels in specific areas, but none provide a fully connected experience.

To identify where the travel planning experience breaks down, I analyzed five major platforms. Each one excels in specific areas, but none provide a fully connected experience.

Comparison of how different platforms approach creator attribution and user engagement.

Comparison of how different platforms approach creator attribution and user engagement.

📌 OPPORTUNITY

Mapping the current experience

Users often start with a general search of their destination and open multiple tabs to compare details and prices. This constant switching between tabs increases cognitive load, as users have to manually check and organize information.

Users often start with a general search of their destination and open multiple tabs to compare details and prices. This constant switching between tabs increases cognitive load, as users have to manually check and organize information.

📍 IDEATION & PROTOTYPING

Designing a simplified experience

After taking into consideration the insights I found during user research, I translated my ideas into wireframes. The main goals were to balance functionality and simplicity, to ensure that the interface felt intuitive when users were going through each step of the planning process.


Exploration #1 - Nav bar

I explored different versions of the side navigation bar, focusing on establishing hierarchy and ensuring each button’s purpose was clear. Earlier iterations lacked readability and clear visual distinctions between actions.

Exploration #2 - Home Page

As the first page that users land on, the home screen was designed to be clear and informative. The final layout prioritizes upcoming trips and essential details for quick visibility. 

Exploration #3 - UI & Visual Consistency

At this stage, I focused on refining the screens to maintain consistency in the layout and styling. Each screen shared similar components to ensure that interactions felt seamless and familiar as users navigated through the platform.


Style Guide

The goal of this style guide was to create a minimalist and calming visual system. Travel planning is stressful enough, so I wanted to keep the interface clean and simple to help users focus on organizing their trip without any distractions.

🎯 FINAL PROTOTYPE

Bringing discovery and organization together

Designed to make trip planning as enjoyable as the trip itself. Wanderu aims to unify the entire trip planning process, all in one dashboard, built for every kind of traveller.


CONCLUSION

Moving forward …

Through developing Wanderu, I learned how minimalist interfaces can effectively reduce cognitive load and guide users through multiple stages of planning effortlessly. 


Moving forward, I’d like to explore how personalization, such as tailored feeds, could make the experience even better.

Through developing Wanderu, I learned how minimalist interfaces can effectively reduce cognitive load and guide users through multiple stages of planning effortlessly. 


Moving forward, I’d like to explore how personalization, such as tailored feeds, could make the experience even better.

Through developing Wanderu, I learned how minimalist interfaces can effectively reduce cognitive load and guide users through multiple stages of planning effortlessly. 


Moving forward, I’d like to explore how personalization, such as tailored feeds, could make the experience even better.

What's next?

Questions to ask for further improvements:

  • Could adding collaborative planning features make trip planning even more efficient?

  • If redesigned as a mobile app, which features should remain to preserve functionality, and what should be removed to create a smoother on-the-go experience?

  • How might the platform encourage users to stay using Wanderu instead of going back to the sites they are used to?

What's next?


Questions to ask for further improvements:

  • Could adding collaborative planning features make trip planning even more efficient?

  • If redesigned as a mobile app, which features should remain to preserve functionality, and what should be removed to create a smoother on-the-go experience?

  • How might the platform encourage users to stay using Wanderu instead of going back to the sites they are used to?

What's next?


Questions to ask for further improvements:

  • Could adding collaborative planning features make trip planning even more efficient?

  • If redesigned as a mobile app, which features should remain to preserve functionality, and what should be removed to create a smoother on-the-go experience?

  • How might the platform encourage users to stay using Wanderu instead of going back to the sites they are used to?

Thank you :P