Project Overview

Adopting a zero waste and low impact lifestyle can be challenging due to its potential high costs and the complexity of recycling. Upcycling offers an accessible way for individuals to engage in sustainability by reusing items they already own, but many people struggle to determine when to recycle rather than upcycle. This challenge is heightened by limited access to recycling facilities in certain areas and confusion about what items can actually be recycled.

This app aims to assist users in deciding whether to recycle or upcycle items they have. If an item is able to be upcycled but the user prefers not to engage with it, the app facilitates posting it online for others, similar to the Freecycle model.

Problem Statement:

How might we design a travel app that seamlessly integrates work and leisure, helping business travelers efficiently plan adventures, find remote work-friendly locations, and manage expenses—all while fitting into their busy schedules?

Research

My research highlights the dissatisfaction business travelers feel due to a lack of time to explore and enjoy new places. The rise of remote work presents opportunities for travelers to work from different locations, but challenges like finding Wi-Fi, managing expenses, and balancing work with leisure remain. Many travelers seek cultural immersion but struggle to fit experiences into their schedules. Market research shows that 80% of corporate travelers try to include fun activities, while 52% of employers allow remote work from any location. To address these needs, a new travel app is designed to integrate work and leisure, offering short adventure recommendations, Wi-Fi-enabled remote work locations, calendar integration, and expense tracking, ultimately enhancing the business travel experience.

User Flow

The user flow begins with an onboarding process, allowing users to create an account or log in before navigating to the homepage. From there, users can explore adventures, schedule events, find remote work locations, track expenses, and engage with interactive features like icebreakers and past trip galleries, ensuring a well-rounded business travel experience.

Low Fi Sketches

I created ideation sketches to visualize key features and refine the app’s user experience before developing prototypes. Sketching helped explore different layouts for the homepage, adventure discovery, remote work locations, budgeting tools, and user profile, ensuring intuitive navigation and seamless interaction. This process allowed for quick iterations and feedback, shaping a design that effectively balances work and leisure for business travelers.

Mid-Fi Wireframes

I created ideation sketches to visualize key features and refine the app’s user experience before developing prototypes. Sketching helped explore different layouts for the homepage, adventure discovery, remote work locations, budgeting tools, and user profile, ensuring intuitive navigation and seamless interaction. This process allowed for quick iterations and feedback, shaping a design that effectively balances work and leisure for business travelers.

Brand Identity

The brand identity is designed to be sleek, modern, and professional, reflecting the balance between business and leisure. The color palette features black and gray for sophistication, with a bold pop of yellow to add energy and excitement. This contrast creates a polished yet engaging aesthetic, appealing to business travelers looking for a seamless and stylish experience.

Initial Prototyping

The brand identity is designed to be sleek, modern, and professional, reflecting the balance between business and leisure. The color palette features black and gray for sophistication, with a bold pop of yellow to add energy and excitement. This contrast creates a polished yet engaging aesthetic, appealing to business travelers looking for a seamless and stylish experience.

Account Set Up:

Adventures Menu:

Home Screen:

Calendar:

Remote Work:

Budget:

Icebreakers:

User Feedback

User feedback highlighted key areas for improvement in the app’s design and navigation. Users found the profile organization confusing, particularly when trying to locate past adventures or previously liked activities. The adventure menu needed better accessibility, as users struggled to navigate back to favorited experiences. While the budgeting feature was well-received, users requested a more intuitive interface and an improved receipt scanner for easier expense tracking. Additionally, some users felt that the icebreaker feature could feel awkward or unnecessary, suggesting a redesign to make it more engaging and useful.

Profile

Confusing profile organization
Trouble finding recap or navigating back to perviously liked activities.

Budgeting

User’s loved the budgeting feature but wanted a better interface
Redesign the budget and receipt scanner

Adventure Menu

Users had trouble finding past adventures they had liked or favorited

Icebreakers

User’s worried about it being awkward or unnecessary
Redesign icebreaker interface

Prototype Refinements

Based on user feedback, refinements were made to improve profile navigation, ensuring users could easily access past adventures and favorited activities. The budgeting and receipt scanning interface was redesigned for better usability, and the icebreaker feature was adjusted to feel more natural and engaging.