PlanIt
A sustainable travel app created to make sustainable travel choices accessible and desirable for everyone.
2025
The project
Goal: To create a user-friendly digital platform that makes sustainable travel choices accessible and desirable.
Target users: Environmentally conscious travelers and those that think sustainability is somewhat important - those who will choose sustainable when that option is equally good as the other choices.
My role: I did this project alone, and therefore responsible for the full design process from research and ideation to scenario development, usability testing, prototyping, and translating findings into meaningful design improvements.
Timeframe: 4 weeks (Semester exam)
I used the design thinking model: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. This process is based on the idea that you can move back and forth between the steps until you found a solution that solves your problem.
Empathize: In order to design this app we need to have a better understanding of our potential users. We need to understand what would motivate them and what could prevent them from using this app. This stage helps us gather insight to understand the user.
Define: During this stage I will use my research to bring clarity to the problem we are trying to solve. This will help to define the problem we are trying to solve, and who we are solving it for.
Ideate: This stage focuses on creativity and brainstorming to come up with possible solutions. This stage helps to come up with ideas on how I can solve the problem.
Prototype: This stage will help bring the ideas into life. Prototypes will make it possible to explore how the solution might work.
Test: This stage is for testing the idea. It allows for feedback from users, where I can learn what works and what does not. It gives insight into what areas that needs improvements before I can go ahead with the solution.
How can we help people travel sustainable?
To be able to make the most difference, to achieve real change, this app will aim to make sustainable travel choices accessible and desirable for everyone.
To solve this problem, the main focus of the app will be traveling: an app that gives you the best options to plan and book your travels - and that app happens to be offering sustainable options.
To explore this, I set up a research plan based on the Design Thinking Process. The research plan is based on the given timeline of four weeks. This process will help me find solutions that will be in the best interest of the users and business.
Empathize
Research goals
High priority
Who will this app be for and what are they like?
What would motivate travelers to use this app?
Why is the product important?
Low priority
How would the app work and help users?
When would this app be used?
Where would this app be used?
Research
In order to get more in-depth-understanding of the target audience I used primary and secondary research methods to gather both quantitative and qualitative research.
I started with a literature review as my secondary research method. This is time efficient and gave me qualitative and quantitative insight that contributed to finding any relevant themes and patterns.
I conducted user interviews for primary research. This gave me qualitative insight into the needs of the target users and what factors are important to them regarding sustainable travel. I set up a semi-structured interview that allowed for additional questions where fitted.
I used a data collection spreadsheet and affinity mapping to make sense of the findings from the research interview and literature review.
Insight
Some of the insights that has high priority:
Travelers will be motivated to use the app as it will allow for people to travel with a good conscience. Participants wants future generations to experience the world like we can, they just need to learn how to - and this app will help them do so.
This product is important as we will be able to teach people how to take better care of the earth while still traveling and having a good time. The app will offer research and info about countries and cities. It will give travelers info about sustainable choices they can make when they are at their destination, some language phrases that can be good to know, and cultural information to remember. This will help users be respectful travelers and make sustainable choices.
This app will help users by:
Improving users planning- and travel experience by offering lots of great travel options - and those options happens to be sustainable, which will add to them feeling good about themselves. This will also make it easier and more available to find sustainable choices.
Offering an all-in-one app: everything needed for planning and booking travels in one place.
Having an option to create trips with friends: share favorites and booking, and plan with each other.
Offering a trustworthy app that is independent from any business on the app. We want to avoid greenwashing, and therefore, there needs to be a verification for businesses and users.
Offering thorough listings that include a map overview and reviews, as users finds this as very important when booking their trips.
The businesses needs to fulfill a few requirements in order to be on the app to make sure they are sustainable enough. In time this will hopefully encourage other businesses to become more sustainable to be on the app.
The one thing that might need to be included that is not sustainable, is transportation by plane. From the research it seems that by removing this option, we might miss out on potential users that due to financial- and/or time- restraints and/or long distances chooses flying. However, they choose other sustainable choices on their trip, so it would be a shame to miss out on the opportunity to help them make other sustainable choices. The app would not offer plane rides but rather connect with the company they purchased from, so that everything is gathered in the app, or we could have an option for them to just upload their ticket and/or ticket info in the app.
Define
Problem statement
Travelers (who) struggle to make sustainable travel choices (what) due to financial restraints, time restraints, lack of knowledge, and the overwhelming feeling of trying to do their own research (why).
If we can solve this problem, it would make sustainable travel more accessible for all travelers, and they will be able to make better choices without the stress it currently causes.
It would also benefit our business as the app will be a trusted travel platform that contributes to a positive travel experience where users can feel good about their travel choices.
Personas
I created two personas, one primary and one secondary.
Based on my research, most people feel good when they choose sustainable choices, however, the majority does not seek out how to be sustainable nor want it to be at the expense of comfort and the experience.
Therefore, I have chosen to make the primary persona the “Average Joe”. The person that represent the majority of travellers. Where sustainability is somewhat important. The ones that choose sustainable if the option is right there in front of them, and it tells them why this is a good choice. The person that will then choose the sustainable choice because it will make them feel good, and they did not have to go out of their way to make that choice. This app will improve their planning and travel experience by offering lots of great options, and those options happens to be sustainable, which will add on and make them feel good about themselves.
Because I believe that is how we will be able to make the most difference. To reach the most people. To achieve real change.
The secondary persona is a person that already cares about making sustainable choices. They already do research when traveling, and this app will make it a lot easier for them to find sustainable alternatives and options. They are probably the ones that will contribute to add suggestions of options to add in the app, because sustainability is very important to them and they want to make a positive impact. This app will improve their planning and travel experience by making it easier and more available for them to find the right choices.
Ideate
How might we…
make it easier to make sustainable travel choices?
make a solution that can benefit both “Average Joe” and “Sustainable Summer”?
make information about sustainability more available?
make a solution that offer options that are financially and timely feasible?
make a solution that offer sustainable options that is not at the expense of the experience?
Mind mapping
Brainstorming: I used brainstorming to start generating ideas. In this stage there are no “bad” ideas and I just started to write down everything I could think of. This takes the pressure off and one idea often lead to another, and this can lead to great ideas you wouldn´t have thought of otherwise.
Mind Mapping: After writing down several ideas while brainstorming, I started to connect my ideas through mind mapping. This lead me to come up with more ideas that were building on each other as well. As mind mapping is a visual technique it creates an organized overview of all the ideas that gives a different perspective.
Prototyping
User flow
This user flow is for accessing the app through login or create an account. In the next stages other user flows should also be included.
Low-mid wireframes
Test
Plan and prepare
The goal of the usability test is
To test the app and specific flows with the target audience
To learn how a potential user will interact with the app
To identify potential pain points
To test whether the flows makes sense to a potential user.
Methods for the usability test:
Moderated in-person usability testing (lab usability testing) with 4 participants
Moderated remote usability testing (audio + video) with one participant
I prepared a scenario and three tasks as scripted tests for the participants to complete.
Participants were instructed to think out loud and to explain their thought process (CTA)
During tests the screen and voice were recorded.
Observations were made during the tests and through recording to understand how the participant navigate and complete the tasks.
Pre-test questions & post-test questions were completed
Post-test questionnaire were completed
Next steps
The suggested improvements that has high priority:
In the favorite section the “+” button should be more visible. For example the first list spot could be a big plus sign instead. It should also be possible to add favorites to an existing list or create a new list when hearting something.
On the explore page, change the position of filters to below the search bar. This is where the majority expected it to be and will add to a seamless experience where they do not need to look for something that should be easily accessed.
When clicking on the search bar on the explore page, a window should pop up with 3 steps: where, when, and who would you like to travel with.
Add a step of confirming the booking for the user to view the details before booking something. This will make the user feel more secure about what they are booking.
Option to sort the order of listing; by sustainability, price, etc. This will enhance the user experience as they can view the listing in their preferred order.
Add a feature to share listings with others. When choosing top ideas this feature was put on the list for next phase, but this is something that was missed during usability testing.
Include symbols of listings that stand out, for example weekly favorite, or top 1% of sustainability. It was mentioned during testing that this was a feature that could be a deciding factor.
Add a side-scroll on the pictures of listing-cards on the explore page to make it possible to view without clicking on the listing. It was mentioned during testing that this is the desired way of viewing a listing. The user wants as much information as possible before actually clicking the listing.
When choosing top ideas the feature of recommended suggestions based on user profile was also put on the list for next phase. But through the tests I learned that suggestions and a good algorithm is something users appreciate. I would suggest to add this feature.
In next stages there should be conducted usability tests on remaining and improved user and task flows to gain more insight.
I would recommend to conduct a competative analysis to get to know and understand our competitors better. This will give valuable insight into what others have done right and what to possibly avoid. I would also be able to see what they are not offering, which could be beneficial when looking at possible solutions for the app.