Beeli is a startup travel app that is setting out to transform how families travel by providing a comprehensive resource for pre-trip planning and destination information could really streamline the travel experience for parents. Having everything they need in one place can alleviate a lot of the stress and uncertainty that often comes with planning family trips. How does Beeli plan to gather and deliver this information to users?

Client:

Client gathered a wealth of data from 97 responses about family travel habits and preferences. To make sense of this information, the first step was to conduct qualitative coding.

We pinpointed key responses within the survey data, particularly focusing on two aspects: identifying pain points and problems that users face while traveling, and determining the current resources people utilize for planning their trips. By extracting these insights, we aimed to uncover recurring themes and patterns, which in turn informed the research objective of our project.

Our research objective was straightforward: to comprehend the dynamics of family travel. While we had gathered significant insights into their pain points from the survey, we sought more specific information, particularly regarding community building and trip planning.

Community building held particular interest for our client, and we were eager to explore how users perceived the idea of connecting with other families while traveling. Despite our targeted questions aimed at uncovering these insights, we remained open to discovering nuanced perspectives from respondents.

Our Target User: Millenial families travel domestically & internationally

Who are we designing for

Competitive Analysis:

I conducted competitive research to analyze how family travel apps catering to young kids generate and present information. Additionally, I explored strategies to enhance user retention, encourage leaving reviews, and promote engagement. The goal was to identify effective methods for providing comprehensive travel-related information tailored to families with children.

GoWhee is currently the most comprehensive family trip planning site. Similarly to what Beeli is trying to achieve, the content is user generated. However, the interface is busy and cluttered without much delight.

Sketches

The concept of gamification became significant as we brainstormed solutions for encouraging user engagement, particularly for our persona who enjoys reading reviews but is less inclined to write them. This idea evolved into a potential strategy not only to incentivize participation but also to foster connections between parents and their children through playful interaction. After all, who doesn't enjoy a fun game?

Journey Map:

In the vacation journey map, we capture the moments when travelers wish for the support of a concierge to plan their activities and how external factors like weather impact their experience. As the trip progresses, we observe how organic connections may occur among travelers, hinting at the early stages of community building. Towards the end of the journey, we highlight the potential for meaningful connections to develop further, underscoring the importance of fostering a sense of community within the travel experience.

Balancing User needs and Business and business

Despite experiencing difficulties accessing the saved library, we had some successes with how people intuitively interacted with the itinerary actions. They immediately understood the drag and drop interactions.

Another aspect people praised was how easy it was to write a review. This was important because it alleviated the pressure of being perceived as a professional critic.

We wanted to highlight these successes because they were considerations we kept in mind while transitioning to a clickable hi-fi prototype.

Style Guide:

Beeli shared a very developed brand kit that helped give us a starting point on their aesthetic/brand identity. It is modern and lively .

Next Step

Usability Testing Key Insights

Bookmarking items in the app populates here, and it's location-specific. Users can drag and drop items to organize them as they wish.

• Drag & drop activities you’ve saved.

• 2 Different itineraries stored (A+B)

FLEXIBLE ITINERARY

What is it?

An interactive, fluid way to track and modify your trip on in real time

Why did we build it?

Preparedness & Flexibility

Come rain, cancellations, or whimsy, you won’t be stuck with an outdated plan

The original brand kit colors lacked sufficient contrast to meet online accessibility standards. We were able to make slight adjustments while preserving the overall aesthetic by shifting to: more saturated mid-tone blue & lightened green

Task Flow

To address these needs, we brainstorm find a balance between Beeli's business objectives, brand identity, and the user needs revealed through our research. This involves aligning our strategies and solutions with both the goals of the company requirements and preferences of our target users. By prioritizing features that satisfy both,we can ensure that Beeli provides value to its users while also advancing its business objectives and maintaining its brand identity.

We created user flow and task flow based on user research insights and stakeholder feedback. Each team member contributed multiple versions, experimenting with layout arrangements and navigation structures. After considering user insights and client requirements, we selected a version that emphasized a clean and intuitive layout, itinerary building, and gamification to encourage parents to leave reviews. The final sketches were designed to ensure a logical flow and easy access to key features. These sketches played a vital role in guiding us to the next steps of wire framing.

Learnings

Final design

Wire Frames

Finding Information

-Simple illustrated category and attraction cards for navigation

-Wealth of information for trip planning, with a focus on child friendly experiences

-Bookmarking function to add specific attractions to our NEXT solution.

Win

• Drag and drop feature in the Itinerary.

• Simplicity of reviewing.

• Signposting during the search process.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

What is it?

You and your child’s contribution to the greater Beeli community (with some fun perks along the way)

Why did we build it?

Togetherness

Quick & easy feedback plus gamification lets parents and kids reflect on their activities & help inform the rest of the Beeli community about what’s good.

-quick insight buttons for expedient interaction

-collectible badges as an incentive structure

We have implemented the travel planning feature based on user priorities, and we envision Beeli being able to implement user interactivity in its next phase. This could include:

• Building out gamification and rewards.

• Establishing community engagement.

• Mapping Beeli member hotspots

• Connecting Beeli families.

As the next step, I created the hotspot map. Due to time constraints, we were previously unable to produce these maps. However, moving forward, the family travel app will display the top visiting locations.