Flock enhances and simplifies the process of planning and arranging group travel. Through user research I identified group travelers needs, pain points the area of opportunity. The Flock app is a single platform for all group travel related communication, correspondence, documents and itinerary. Assisting group travelers get organized and stay in sync.

Methods Used

Discovery & Research
• User research
• Competitive analysis
• Persona
Sketching & Ideation
• User journey
• Rough sketches
• Multiple possible solutions
Narrowing Scope & Structure
• User flows
• Wireframes
• Sitemaps
Prototyping & Testing
• Clickable prototype
• Usability testing & results
• Multiple prototype iterations

End Deliverables

Project Presentation
• Sketches of ideation process
• Multiple design iterations
• Key screens and wireframes
Design Specification Documents
• High-level personas
• User flows
• System-overview diagram
• Wireframes
Interactive Prototype

Prototype

Group Travel Simplified

Flock simplifies the planning of group travel, by providing groups of travelers a single platform to manage all their travel communication and itinerary. Making it easier than ever to plan travel with others.

Introduction

As an avid traveler, and someone who frequently travels with friends and family I am all too familiar with the pros and cons of group travel. It is easy enough to throw a trip idea out to friends over dinner. Destinations are suggested, actives are brought up and the initial seed of a trip is planted.

That is the fun part, then comes the process of actually figuring out the logistics; booking the flight, finding the hotel, arranging transportation and creating an itinerary that will maximize the time spent at the destination as well as make all members of the group trip happy. Depending on the size of the group and each persons wiliness or not, to take part in the booking and planning process this can be a very tedious and frustrating experience.

I was interested in learning about other travelers experience with group travel, with the intention of designing an app that would assist my fellow travel enthusiasts arrange their future group travel plans.

Research Methods

I already knew my own love/hate relationship with group travel, but I had to remember I was not designing for myself. I might be one user but I was not all users, so I set out to hear others stories.

User Interviews

I conducted interviews with individuals ages 28–49 who had within the past traveled in a group of 4 or more people. I was specifically interested in speaking with people who had participated in the decision making process and had some responsibility in making the travel arrangements.

Key Findings

• Arranging group travel requires a lot of preplanning & communication between travelers

• When planning a group trip, travelers tend to prebook activities

• Individuals are often booking arrangements for themselves as well as other travelers

Traveler Pain Points

• While traveling with a group keeping everyone on time and on schedule is difficult

• Travel specific email and text correspondence is getting lost within the travelers daily communication

Travelers Needs & Wants

The user interviews gave me a lot of great insight insight into the way individuals approach the process of arranging group travel…

Individual travelers need an organized way to effectively manage group travel communication and share travel related information with all members of the group trip, in order to keep all members of the group in touch and up to date.

Problem Statement

When arranging travel with multiple people, travelers need a quick, easy and effective way to communicate & share travel related information with all members of the trip, because planning travel with multiple travelers requires a lot of communication and group organization.

Designing for the Right User

Once I understood the areas of shared user frustration I was able to better understand the problem and areas for opportunity. This also meant understanding the type of user I was designing for.

Identifying the target user

• Travels often with others

• Participates in pre-trip planning

• Creates a travel itinerary

• Books activities prior to arriving at destination

Personas

Based on the users I interviewed I created 3 personas.

Product Management

Intention

Create a collaborative tool to assist travelers, arranging trips with others. In order to provide an organized and effective way to manage the groups communication, and travel arrangements.

Competitive Analysis

I conducted my competitive analysis research by looking at other travel products that currently exist. As well as looking into products that facilitate user communication and organization.

Feature Set

Focusing on meeting user needs, for a quick, effective & simple way to facilitate communication and organization amongst groups of travelers the following features were implemented into the design.

Additional features were added to give the user more efficiency while preparing for the trip as well as while on the trip.

User Flows

When thinking about the way a user would interact with the app, I wanted to create a user experience that would be simple and intuitive. While also creating a product that would provide useful and important information at a glance.

Wireframes & Usability Testing

Screener

To find usability test participants representative of the products target user base, participants were asked to answer the following screener questions, to gather data on their travel behaviors.

Usability Tests

Users were given a mobile device with the lo-fi prototype, the below travel summary and were asked to complete a series of tasks.

Travel Summary:

You and 4 friends; Adam, Matt, Jenny, Callie, are planning a group trip to Barcelona and Madrid.
The travel dates are October 18–26, 2018.

Your groups American Airlines flight #3399 departs Chicago, O’hare International Airport on 10/18/18
at 8:00AM, Arrives Barcelona El Prat Airport the same day at 5:25PM.

Your group decides to spend 5 days in Barcelona, and 3 days in Madrid.

Your group books train tickets from Barcelona to Madrid, on 10/23/18.
The train departs 10:00AM from Barcelona, Sants Station, arrives Madrid, Atocha Station at 12:26PM.

Your groups flight home departs Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD). 10/26/18 at 1:00PM,
American Airlines Flight AA1145. Arriving at Chicago, O’Hare at 10:00PM.

User Tasks

1. Create the trip Barcelona & Madrid.

2. Add the trips flight information.

3. Add the train information to the trip.

4. Send the members of your group trip a message.

5. Edit the flight information: Add the boarding time 7:00AM to your departure flight on 10/18/18.

6. Hide the alarm feed on your trip view screen.

7. Create your user profile.

Usability Findings

Revisions

Based off the received user feedback the following revisions were made:

• Onboarding screens were added to highlight the apps key features, and functionality

• Labels were added to Navigation Icons

• Review and revision of content & wording

Logo Design

The current logo is a work in progress, I wanted to create something that communicated the apps purpose in a visually creative and interesting way. The logo has gone through many iterations, I plan on continuing to revisit the design as I focus on the UI of the app.

Current Design