2022-2024
Introduction
This case study will illustrate my journey evolving a 'Travel planner' to an 'All-In-One Travel Hub' which resulted raising the product's value to $20M from $70K within two years.
The initial Pilot in early 2022 was a travel planner enabling users to organize their itineraries. This concept has now evolved into a complete travel app in 2024, covering the entire planning journey and generating revenue without imposing a membership fee on users! This growth journey involved significant enhancements and core feature developments that I spearheaded, including a mobile app, enhanced map capabilities, the addition of file management features, and the introduction of an Explore and Hotels Booking feature.
TIMELINE
Feb 2022 — Feb 2024
THE TEAM
2 designers, 1 product manager, 3 engineers, 1 Growth Marketer.
MY ROLEs
Project Lead, Market Research, Product design, User Research.
Context
Why did we start this?
After the app was launched in public beta, we started attracting unexpected user demographics and discovered various unforeseen travel planning patterns, particularly among road trip enthusiasts and retirees. Initially, the pilot was designed to target young travellers based on their planning preferences: detailed or rough. As the variety of travel styles increased, so did the demand for functionalities required by different types of people.
Our mission became to meet all these diverse needs and propel the app to the next level, aiming to become the #1 travel app and lead revenue generation.
My role
Wearing multiple hats to achieve product success
Working within resource constraints, I tackled various responsibilities for the holistic development of the product. I designed the core MVP features and enhanced app functionalities overall, which significantly contributed to establishing our unique value proposition in the market.
Spoiler alert!
✨ Pilot in 2024 with 19 new features and functionalities
and whole visual revamp of the product! ✨
1
Discover: Travel destination
2
Explore: Things to do
3
Booking: Stays
The Impacts
¹ $20M
‘Company equity value’ increased from $70K to $20M within two years.
² 46 times growth
on 'User base' from 500 to 23,000 within two years.
in ‘Sign up activation rate’ within two years.
⁴ 18% improved
‘Customer satisfaction metrics’ from 55% to 73%(PMF survey).
⁵ Recognized in these press and competitions!
〰️〰️
Process
Kick off
Understanding the Users and the Market
We kicked off with the user research and market analysis to identify needs that the our product isn’t covering.
THE Potential Target USERS OF the app
Grasping the needs of the target user groups
Rather than age and personality, as done in our original personas, I analyzed common travel types of our users to define opportunity spaces and prioritize our projects by users demands. Then summarized the characteristics unique to these travelers and identified common motivations among users.
User Research + Competitor research
Defining travel planning process
Compiled overlapping stages from various travel types and defined a planning journey for travellers to come up with ideas for the improvements.
Defining success
What outcomes do we want to see?
1
Find our 'Unique Value' and become '#1 Travel Hub'
2
Define 'Business model' and generate 'Revenue'
To move the product forward, we widened our target demographics and aimed to upgrade Pilot from a 'Travel planner'. Our business model needed adjustment to discover the ideal balance desired by users, technically feasible, and revenue-generating as an app.
Problem Space
Where are we at?
We also conducted competitor research and a comprehensive user experience review of the current experience with our beta product.
Breakdowns of the Problem space
1
Lacking other aspects of the planning process than organizing
It only provided organization in trip planning, forcing users to use other apps.
2
Not catering mobile user needs and in-consist UX and UI
Despite the increasing number of mobile users, the current product the product didn’t cater the mobile user experience.
3
Failed to offer a unique selling point
Considering the business's future sustainability, it's crucial for any business model to offer users a compelling reason to spend their money. Simply offering the ability to organize travel itineraries didn't convince users to pay.
HMW
How might we enhance the app to accommodate a diverse range of traveler types and create our own unique value?
Product planning
This is our strategy,
Our goal is to establish a clear and compelling value proposition that fosters greater engagement with travelers, ultimately leading to more retained users and increased loyalty and product growth. Become an app that not only organizes schedules but also covers all journeys that need to be made during travel planning, catering to all types of travelers.
As we were a small product team, we had to strategically plan what to work on to maximize impact.
Competitor Research
Scanning the horizon
Conducted competitor research to identify the opportunity spaces where our product can uniquely cater to the market and target audiences. After conducting research and user interviews, we have compiled a long list of project ideas and priorities to consider while designing new features.
Prioritization
Take care of the big rocks first
Utilizing various prioritization frameworks we sorted projects based on our constraints, business value, scalability, and available resources. Various ideas emerged, but the team began by selecting projects that align with our long-term vision and offer the most value to the users we're targeting.
Feature parity
Balancing the forest and the trees
To foster the overall growth of the product and quickly adapt to rapidly changing markets and users' needs, I focused on developing MVPs for essential features rather than solely focusing on full features at once.
Cross team collaboration
Working closely with engineers and PMs
When leading a project, it often involves more than just sharing my rough sketches and explorations with people; I regularly reached out to engineers and PMs to move forward. In many cases, I communicated early on and share WIP lo-fi prototypes with engineers to confirm feasibility frequently as we progress to the next stage.
Also, based on conversations with engineers, I collaborated with PMs to define project scopes, deadlines, and discuss current goals and metrics, user testing methods/plans, and how to utilize data/APIs. It’s a team effort to ensure everyone stays on the same page, understands constraints, timelines, and documents them for visibility; I utilized project management tools like Jira and Asana for communication.
Design process
Establishing a framework and design principles
I have strived to create design impacts that are valuable to users, not just focusing on business needs. As a project lead, I have established a framework to design with the goal of achieving product goals while providing the best user experience possible.
In-depth analysis
Focused on users fundamental action and the needs
To become an all-in-one travel planner, I examining the apps users engage with and their journey in the process. After streamlining user behaviours, I observed repetitive patterns that’s involves these actions. Users browse their options, save them and optimize them for review.
ITERATIVE DESIGN PROCESS
Launching from ground zero
Starting with sketching on paper, we progress through low-fi and mid-fi iterations before creating an MVP. We continuously improve by identifying areas for enhancement based on user feedback and metrics.
*Design process of 'Explore' feature below
Design System & component Library
Creating Pilot design system for better communication and scaling
After the rebranding, I needed to update the product UI for alignment. At that time, we didn't have a design system, style guide, or component library to reference, so we had to create a new component every time, which doubled the production time. I saw this as an opportunity to create our design system, enabling more efficient collaboration with the team and developers as we scale the product in the future. I started the process by creating our own component library and design guidelines.
I ran the design elements through WCAG guidelines to ensure accessibility for diverse user groups. (Minimum 'AA' was our standard)
Usability Testings
Making sure that's what users want
Throughout the design process, I ensured alignment with user needs and gained insights directly from user feedback with the prototypes. I also conducted multiple rounds of usability testing until the design proved to be usable.
Design with metrics + A/B Testing
Actions speak louder than words
Not just listening to the users, we closely monitored product analytics tools like Hotjar, Fullstory and Heap for continual improvement and frequently conducted A/B testing to provide the most impactful design solution.
Design Highlights I
Pilot now covers the entire planning journey from discovering travel destination to booking hotels! And also, users can easily optimize and review travel data with better UX.
We improved the overall experience of the app. Despite our focus on simplifying user travel planning, we acknowledged that usability is crucial for conveying value. By understanding user preferences and pinpointing areas of difficulty, we refined the app to align with user mental models.
1
Product restructure
With the new brand identity and our product strategy, I revised the overall structure of our product and style guide to ensure alignment with the branding and achieve better scalability.
2
Map routing
Created a Map routing feature that allows users to select places from the map or itinerary and save them for future reference.
3
Sample trips
We made a range of sample trips showcasing different trip styles to help users visualize the app's potential usage. They were then able to duplicate and customize these trips to start with.
4
File management
We developed an Importing file feature that allows users to easily add files received via email to their trips by forwarding them. Additionally, we improved functionality within the app to make it easier to manage files, enabling users to attach them to itineraries or apply privacy settings.
Reflections
Working with constraints!
Working with constraints taught me how to come up with innovative solutions using creative problem-solving skills. It was challenging to make things happen when faced with numerous intricacies and constraints such as time, money, resources, and deadlines. However, I've learned how to navigate and prioritize them effectively.
Finding sweet spot that’s Viable, Feasible and Desirable
Especially in startup settings, failure to address user needs or business value can result in significant financial setbacks. To minimize risks, I've learned a phased approach to product development, iteratively refining the feature to meet minimum functionality and user expectations before scaling efforts.
Importance of continuous User research
Alongside structured testing approaches such as usability and concept testing, regularly meeting with users to have conversations has been very helpful. By examining how users engage with features and identifying areas of difficulty, we refine their mental models, shaping products that better align with their needs.
Last but not least, Do what you LOVE!
The travel planner was my grad project. I was truly grateful to meet the pilot team and continue the journey of my passion project. Working with the sincere intention to make this product successful, not just as a job, but with genuine dedication, has ultimately helped me grow.
