Case Study – Dedicated Mobile App UX design
ABC Safaris Travel Agency App
Duration: July 2022 – October 2022
The Product
ABC Safaris is a travel agency that is focused on offering safari vacation packages to its clients. They are looking to expand their market reach by use of a mobile app by tapping into the growing mobile user base.
The app enables travellers to explore safari destinations, request personalised quotations, easily communicate with a travel expert and make reservations. The app not only will expand customer base but also improve shopping experience of existing customers
The Problem
People who have a busy careers don’t spend enough time with their loved ones and cannot find time to plan for a safari vacation
The Goal
Design an app that will users to plan their dream safari using a travel agent. The app will enable them to explore a vast range of potential safari destinations and experiences, get tailor-made quotations, and complete the safari reservation
My Role
UX designer responsible for designing the ABC Safari travel app from conception to delivery of final prototypes
My Responsibilities
Conducted foundational research, developed paper and digital wireframes, low and high-fidelity prototypes Conducted usability studies, which accounted for accessibility, and iterated on designs
Understanding the User
User Research
I conducted user research to understand user goals and motivations, fears and challenges when planning for a safari vacation using a travel agent
Interviews were conducted on a target group mainly who have taken a vacation in the past two years with or without a travel agent. The results of the interviews formed a primary user group represented by a persona I named Meshack and a secondary user group represented by a persona Lydia
Pain Points
Lack of Information
Not having a variety of options when shopping for safaris. Users cannot easily find safaris destinations that are interesting to them
Timeliness
Not getting timely information while planning the trip and later when there are changes in itinerary
Hidden Cost
Hidden costs or unplanned extra costs
Persona 1: Meshack
Problem Statement
Meshack is a busy career accountant who needs plan a new and exciting safari because he wants to spend quality time with his family
Persona 2: Lydia
Problem Statement
Lydia is a single, easy outgoing sales rep who needs a quick getaway at a discounted price because she would like to relax and unwind with her friends
Ideation and Paper Wireframes
The ideation process involved how-might-we exercises after which I mapped out the user journey. Paper Wireframes were developed, below diagram shows five initial sketches of the homepage
Digital Wireframes and Low Fidelity Prototype for Dedicated Mobile App
Digital wireframes with the main workflow showing an app that allows users explore safari destinations and get personalised quotation
Low Fidelity Prototype
Using digital wireframes, I created a low-fi prototype to highlight the main user flow. This was used for first usability test
Usability Study findings
I conducted two rounds of usability studies. First on the low-fi prototype with the second one on the hi-fi prototype. The insights developed were used to iterate on the designs and improved on the usability of the overall app
Round 1 Findings
1
2
Users want clear and descriptive cues to nudge them to next action
3
Users want search sort options to narrow down results
Round 2 Findings
1
Users want to quickly browse destinations by broad categories
2
Users want to give a budget range instead of one fixed amount
Mockups and High Fidelity Prototype
The usability study revealed that users want quick and responsive communication tools. I added an in-app chat which connect them to a travel consultant using a ”get help” icon. I also added a notification option to show updates to quotations, itinerary or any other message the travel agency want to send to users
High Fidelity Prototype
High-fidelity prototype after design iteration following the usability study
Accessibility Considerations
Responsive website designs for mobile, tablet and desktop screen sizes
Navigation menus used icons with short descriptions to make it easier for visually impaired people to understand navigation
The in-chat app includes a voice function to aid people with mobility functions
Images used throughout the app have alt-text to ensure screen readers work properly
Takeaways
Impact
Based on the response during usability studies, the app design enables users to easily find safari destinations making their vacation planning that much easier.
“This would save me a lot of time when planning a safari ..”
What I learned
I’ve learned that while you iterate through your designs, design decisions need to be backed by real data from users’ feedback. As a designer, I have to put the user at the top and centre of all design decisions means