abouttime

Individualised and customisable travel website

Anchor 1

Project Overview

Abouttime is a travel website focusing on tours. Individuals were looking for more customisation options than what was currently available in travel companies. Therefore, extra custom trips and custom activities were added to allow individuals to change areas of the trip - Rather than a concrete tour (2019).

Create a travel website that includes everything relevant related to travel on one site. Users should be able to find everything necessary here.

As a project for myself, I decided to re-do the site. My goal was to incorporate feedback from the assignment, and design elements that I have learnt since completing my degree - 2021. (hopefully there is a difference in quality)

Duration

Research: 3 weeks

Design: 3 weeks

Tools

Axure RP, Photoshop

Role

UX/UI Design, Research, Sketching, Wireframes, Rapid Prototyping, Interviews, Usability Testing

1. Understand

Research Process

As an assignment on learning about UX, we needed to create a customer-based company. I decided to create a group-style travel website. For my research, I completed competitor analysis, user interviews, card sorting and prototype testing.

Abouttime.com is a small group-oriented travel website, which takes out all the hard work of organising and leaves the individuals to enjoy their personalised travel. About Time not only allows individuals to browse through their preferred destinations and styles, but also includes a high degree of customisation to perfectly suit the traveller. High-quality communication is always available. From user research through interviews of individuals during booking, it was found that users had issues with the current styles of websites related to travel. People were most looking for an easy-to-use website with concise information that also remembers their information when they return to the site. Some also preferred complete transparency in websites. Although most have not used group-travels, they are aware of what it entails. For convenience, some individuals preferred to utilise the services of an agent. Whereas others wanted the ability to customise travels themselves to better suit them

Research Goals

Understand market and target groups
Identify existing group-style websites - services, strengths, and weaknesses
Learn preferences, goals, pains, motivations of target groups

Research Questions

What type of individual prefers group travel?
What are the main difficulties that are experienced when searching for trips?
How do individuals search for trips?
What are the existing services for trip searches?
Main issues when doing research on trips?
Main issues when booking trips?
Likes/Dislikes after finishing the trip.

Assumptions

Assumption: people look at cost when travelling.

Somewhat false – cost is a factor for most but not if it comes in the way of quality.

Assumption: younger people are more cost aware.

True. In this case, the 3 participants in the 18 – 30 age range were conscious about costs. They did not mention about cost vs. quality. However some in the older age-range spoke about the importance of low cost but not to the same degree.

Assumption: people avoid solo travel when it’s a place considered not safe.

True. People would rather travel to places that are safe/known.

Assumption: People are willing to travel to ‘unsafe’ places if they went in an organised travel group.

False. Individuals still wouldn’t take the chance of visiting even with a group.

Assumption: frequent travellers would fall in the category of adventure traveller.

False. Most individuals who identified themselves as frequent traveller (more than 1 trip a year) preferred comfort based travels

Assumption: frequent travellers are more likely to look at cost.

False. Most of those who fell in the frequent traveller category did not consider cost to be of more importance than quality of the trip.

Methodologies

Competitor Analysis - research existing companies, understand how it works, pros and cons
User interviews - 3-5 individuals and their experience with job search, acceptance, rejections, being a mentor or looking for a mentor

Competitive Research

It is important to research existing and pioneering companies to identify similar solutions and also identify gaps.

Primary Research

Primary research was done mostly through user interviews. Allowing myself to look at user experience, product usability and gather other relevant data.

User Interviews

I tried to use open-ended questions as a start, but as conversations flowed, I would ask penetrative questions which allow for detailed responses.

11 individuals with varying backgrounds were interviewed during this initial time period.

Age: 20 - 63
Duration 10 - 20 minutes

User Personas

After completing the user interviews, I was able to gather goals and needs, which allowed me to create user personas that represented certain audiences. User personas provide a personal viewpoint of the idea, and give insight into their needs and want.

Journey Map

2. Define

3. Ideate

Wireframes

After the initial user interviews and competitor analysis, I began with some low-fidelity versions to help myself visualise the platform. Being able to see the competitors gave a good idea of the general build of those websites. The designs below follow a similar flow and design.

Page examples below:

Home page
'Destinations'
Filtered search in 'destinations' page
Trip page after filtering

High fidelity Wireframes + Prototype 2019

Following the low fidelity wireframes, it provided a stepping stone to create a higher fidelity and working prototype version of the platform.

Page examples below:

Home page
'Destinations'
Filtered search in 'destinations' page
Trip page after filtering

High fidelity Wireframes 2021

It has been almost 2 years since I completed this assignment. This was a self-assignment to view any differences that have occurred in design skills. Rather than create another prototype, I created a responsive version of the home page.

4. Prototype

Mobile Prototype

I used AxureRP for the prototype phase. Being this was my very first design doing wireframes and prototyping, the general goals were achieved.

2021: I can see some issues occur when re-visiting the prototype. In terms of design, there are missing elements, such as breadcrumbs, unique selling points, navigation can be confusing etc.

View Protoype

5. Testing

Usability Testing

Using the prototype, I gave some returning users a few tasks. These tasks were quite simple and my role was to not interfere. User testing gives an insight into how a user interacts with the site, and if there are any similar errors between errors.

Users also give some comments which can assist in the re-design.

Below are the tasks and results of user testing.

Participants

All interviews conducted during this project included 4 participants who were present during the previous project. All four participants had expressed their interest in taking part of this phase of the project.

Tasks

Task 1: Sense

Without clicking anything, can you tell me what you would expect to find behind each menu button?

Findings

Users were able to accurately identify the content behind each menu item
All users successfully completed the task

Average user error: 0

Recommendations

It may be useful to put more information about the platform on the homepage - instead of users having to visit the 'about page'

Task 2: Create an account

You have visited abouttime previously and want to create an account. Can you show me how you would do this?

Findings

Users were able to find the signup/log in button quickly
All users successfully completed the task

Average user error: 0

Recommendations

Place more importance around the button and instead of a popup, take users to a new page to sign up.
'Already a member' button can be bigger for people to login

Task 3: View Favourites

You have favourited some travel packages. Can you show them to me?

Task 4: Browse

You are not looking to travel but are interested in looking at travel packages, can you show me how you would do this?

Task 5: View Packages

You have decided you want to travel during these summer holidays. You are looking to travel to Europe and want to see how you can incorporate your personal interests into your travel. Can you show how you would personalise your search?

Task 6: View Dates

You have found a package that you like. Can you show me how you would see the available dates?

Task 6a: Hold Place

You have decided that you are free during those dates but are not sure if you can pay. Can you hold your place in the trip?

Task 6b: Purchase Package

You have decided that you are free during those dates and would like to purchase the trip. Can you show me how you would purchase the trip?

next steps

Thoughts: 2021

Going through the prototype and the results from user testing, all whilst having a broader outlook on things currently, there are certainly a lot of missing aspects. The original idea had a good base for starting.

I noticed I had tunnel vision at the time of doing this, and failed to take in feedback. I definitely focused a lot more on 'design' than the user's experience, which I now know is NOT the way to go. This is not saying design is unimportant. A lot of times when looking for inspiration, I find that designers really hone in on DESIGN and forget that someone actually has to use it. Personally, I think I got a little carried away while re-designing the home page and wanted to see how my design has improved.

Things to work on

The homepage should contain everything important, not distract the user
Location of certain buttons (sign up or login is usually top right hand corner)
Focus less on design

View more

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