OVERVIEW
Routify is an itinerary planning website that generates the most efficient route based on locations and local experiences that people input. I designed it as a solo project inspired by my travel companions’ pain points.
TOOLS
Figma
Figjam
Problem
Travelers spend a significant amount of time finding the optimal route and often miss out on unique experiences.
I’ve noticed that many travelers spend a lot of time looking for unique experiences and inputting many locations into map applications to find the most feasible route. A lot of the sites used to search for locations seemed to only recommend the most popular locations, making travelers miss out on unique experiences.
Competitive Analysis
Competitors had no route optimization and primarily displayed popular tourist attractions.
I analyzed the top 3 travel guidance platforms: Tripadvisor, Expedia, and Tripit. I found that they lacked automatic route generation, requiring users to enter locations manually. Their list-style itineraries omitted transportation methods and routes, while prioritizing bookings and popular attractions.
Tripit
User Research
All 5 interviewees expressed that their current planning methods are overwhelming due to using multiple platform usage.
“I was jumping back and forth many websites to find hidden gems and spent too much time figure out the most feasible route.”
Wireframing, Testing, and Iterating
4 of 5 users mentioned how they wanted to generate routes based on the order of locations they chose themselves.
It was important to consider how users wanted to visit places during specific times of the day.
Adding “Keep order” option
Moved the < > arrows down to resolve confusion about the arrows navigating to the next day instead of a different page.
Included weather to help users plan according and reduce the time to check weather apps.
Adding the modes of transportation allowed users to generate routes based on their primary mode of transportation.
Including interactive features onto navigation section
The initial heart icon misled users to think they were bookmarking locations to add to their itinerary later.
Changed to + icon to be clear that users were immediately adding location to itinerary.
Changing “add to plan” icon
The Design
Give your getaway a memorable name and add your companions if needed!
Create your itinerary
Where will you be thriving this summer?
Choose your destination
Look like Seoul, South Korea will be your next destination. Apply filters for tailored recommendations and explore some activities that locals like to do in Seoul. You only need to select your starting location (ie. hotel) and where you want to end your day.
Explore tailored + local recommendations
After inputting all your desired locations and activities, select your method of transportation and witness your itinerary being generated within seconds.
Generate the most feasible itinerary
My next steps
☝️ Design mobile interface. Travellers will need their itinerary on a mobile device. Itinerary should be available offline.
✌️ User testing. This will be a crucial step to understand how people plan their trips using Routify. I will evaluate whether the activity filter generates recommendations that align with user preferences, and observe if users can complete all bookings within Routify or if they frequently switch to other sites or open additional tabs.
☝️+✌️ Get feedback from engineers. I would like to learn whether the features I designed are feasible and understand backend requirements, especially for gathering local recommendations.