top of page
THE MISFIT CREATIVE.

BUBBLE.

A travel app that uses AI integration and personalized user interests to come up with an epic travel itinerary.

OVERVIEW:

Bubble. marked our inaugural project during the BootCamp at the University of Central Florida, where we were tasked with developing a mobile travel application. Granted complete creative freedom, my team and I chose to integrate AI into our design.

​

We created Bubble. to help users 'get out of their bubble' while traveling. The application allows users to input their existing travel plans and interests. From there, BubbleBot crafts a personalized itinerary that incorporates not only the provided information but also details about local events in the destinations being visited.

ROLE:

Product Designer (Team of 4)

  • User Research

  • Building Empathy & User Personas

  • Visual Design

  • Wireframing & Prototyping

  • Usability Testing

  • Branding- name and slogan

Meet Bubble.

The Problem

Users lack a quick, easy to use app that will help them plan for unique, local activities during their travel.

The Solution

Bubble. The app with a friendly AI bot that generates a travel itinerary with local activities within minutes based on users’ travel logistics and interests.

Tools Used

Figma and FigJam

The Winner: Local Experiences

After conducting seven user interviews, we created our Affinity Diagram. We learned that 100% of our potential users would prefer a travel application that integrates local information and experiences.

Avoid Tourist Traps

"Most travel apps are too touristy." "I don't want like to feel like a tourist when I travel."

Personal Interests Matter

"I like when websites give you activity suggestions." "Personalized recommendations are important to me."

Local Information

"I liked to ask the locals about where to go or friends who have been there." "I want a completely local experience."

Easy as Possible

"Ease of use is the most important." "App design and usability are both important to me."

Meet our User Persona: Sophie Morris

Behavioral Demographics:

  • 32 years old

  • PR Consultant living in Washington, D.C.

  • Single, Type A personality, loves to travel

​

Goals & Needs:

  • Needs a plan and to stay organized when traveling

  • Maximizing her budget while also trying unique and local experiences

​

Pain Points:

  • Going over budget

  • Tourist traps and scams, and hidden fees

  • Planning and finding local events can be stressful

Problem Statement

Our travel app will be designed to achieve organized travel planning and enhanced local experiences for curious travelers. We have observed that current products or services aren't offering unified travel planning services that include local experiences, which is causing users to lose faith in travel tools. How might we develop a travel app that will help users maximize their travel planning experience so that our customers are satisfied based on app signups, returning visits, and improved user experience?

Feature Prioritization Matrix

After ideation, we combined our most favored features into a matrix, organizing them into four different categories. 

Must Have

- Allows for input for all your planned travel information - Users will be able to input their own personal preferences - Our AI will synthesize these recommendations and the user's travel information into suggestions - Locals will be able to upload recommendations and suggestions

Could Have

- Brand partnerships with transporation companies to help you get to listed activities - Brand partnerships with local events and venues to get a discount on tickets - Brand partnerships with local restaurants

Should Have

- Map feature to give you directions to the event/restaurant/etc - Community board or forum for locals to interact with travelers directly

Won't Have

- Comparative rates for price, location, ratings, etc.

Value Proposition

  • Products/Services: Bubble.

  • Gain Creators: 

    • AI chat tool that generates personalized recommendations and travel itineraries​

    • Access to a local community

    • Map feature

  • Pain Relievers:

    • The AI tool will make personalized itineraries and recommendations, which take the pain out of organizing and finding activities​

    • Advanced features allow for easy and efficient planning, making sure your vacation time is spent enjoying rather than stressing

Customer Segment

  • Gains: 

    • Immersing themself in unique, exciting activities

    • Interact with local community & feel like a local

    • Have more control at your travel destination by planning activities based on location within one map

  • Pain:

    • Difficulty immersing in the local culture due to lack of access to local activities & entertainment

    • Non-Maximized time

  • Customer Job:

    • Figuring out transportation between activities​

    • Chatting with AI bot and setting their user preferences

    • Figuring out the destination before using the app

Storyboard

Please note: storyboard was made before we chose application name "bubble."

User Flow & Mind Map

Competitor Analysis

We found five competitors and weighed out our likes and dislikes from each one.

Spotted by Locals Travel Guide

LIKES: Written by locals DISLIKES: No AI Integration, no personalization

Trip Scount - My Travel Planner

LIKES: Aesthetically pleasing, trip planner, filters to sort through topics DISLIKES: No AI integration

iPlan.AI

LIKES: Visually pleasing, easy to use, quick to understand DISLIKES: Permissions are at the very beginning of the onboarding process

TripIt: Travel Planner

LIKES: Syncs travel plans into one place, automatic itinerary creation DISLIKES: Lacks great design, no AI integration, not useful unless you have booked a trip

Lo-Fi Wireframes

Next, we created basic lo-fi wireframes for usability testing and to map out the application's flow.

User Testing

Before we could begin iteration, we needed feedback on our prototypes. To do this, we conducted user testing.

​

Task 1: Navigate through the coaching screens and retain the information

Outcome: User seemed confused about the navigation

​

Task 2: Successfully create an itinerary using the travel logistics & interests screens

Outcome: Easily found the calendar pop-up, some confusion about the buttons & text boxes

​

Task 3: Successfully message and interact with BubbleBot to change your created itinerary

Outcome: Font is small, Logo hides behind camera, navigation is difficult without instruction

Iteration: Logo, Icons, and Navigation

Logo: During testing, we learned our placeholder logo was covered up, particularly on the ChatBot screen. 

​

Icons: Instead of toggle buttons, we added pictures or icons to each buttons for our preferences page.

​

Navigation: For the coaching screens, we adjusted the dots and buttons to be clearer to the user.

Empathy Map

As we were creating our Empathy Map, a few things stood out:

- They seek to feel like a local during their travels

- They value efficient planning

- They value recommendations from friends, family, and locals

Does

Gets information about local events/spots from the locals or subreddits

Says

Bad experiences usually come from lack of planning

Feels

"I don't like to feel like a tourist when I travel-- I want to feel like a local."

Thinks

Is this activity a touristy scam or is it going to be worth my time?

bottom of page