abouttime

Summary

Timeline

Research: 3 weeks

Design: 3 weeks

Contribution

UX/UI Design

Research

Wireframes

Usability Testing

Interviews

Rapid Prototyping

Tools

Axure RP

Photoshop

Concise information, easy to use platform.

Abouttime is a travel website focusing on tours. Individuals were looking for more customisation options than what was currently available in travel companies. Therefore, extra custom trips and custom activities were added to allow individuals to change areas of the trip - Rather than a concrete tour (2019).

As a project for myself, I decided to re-do the site. My goal was to incorporate feedback from the assignment, and design elements that I have learnt since completing my degree - 2021. (hopefully there is a difference in quality)

Process

01 Understand

02 Define

Competitor Analysis

Market Research

Storyboard

Personas

User Interviews

Goals

Sitemap

03 Ideate

User Flows

Wireframing

UX Design

Responsive UI

04 Prototyping

UI Design

High Fidelity

05 Testing

Usability Testing

Stress-free, personalised travel destinations and styles.

Abouttime.com is a small group-oriented travel website, which takes out all the hard work of organising and leaves the individuals to enjoy their personalised travel. About Time not only allows individuals to browse through their preferred destinations and styles, but also includes a high degree of customisation to perfectly suit the traveller. High-quality communication is always available. From user research through interviews of individuals during booking, it was found that users had issues with the current styles of websites related to travel. People were most looking for an easy-to-use website with concise information that also remembers their information when they return to the site. Some also preferred complete transparency in websites. Although most have not used group-travels, they are aware of what it entails. For convenience, some individuals preferred to utilise the services of an agent. Whereas others wanted the ability to customise travels themselves to better suit them

Research Goals

Understand market and target groups
Identify existing group-style websites - services, strengths, and weaknesses
Learn preferences, goals, pains, motivations of target groups

Research Questions

What type of individual prefers group travel?
What are the main difficulties that are experienced when searching for trips?
How do individuals search for trips?
What are the existing services for trip searches?
Main issues when doing research on trips?
Main issues when booking trips?
Likes/Dislikes after finishing the trip.

Methodologies

Competitor Analysis - research existing companies, understand how it works, pros and cons
User interviews - 3-5 individuals and their experience with job search, acceptance, rejections, being a mentor or looking for a mentor

Assumptions

Assumption: people look at cost when travelling.

Somewhat false – cost is a factor for most but not if it comes in the way of quality.

Assumption: younger people are more cost aware.

True. In this case, the 3 participants in the 18 – 30 age range were conscious about costs. They did not mention about cost vs. quality. However some in the older age-range spoke about the importance of low cost but not to the same degree.

Assumption: people avoid solo travel when it’s a place considered not safe.

True. People would rather travel to places that are safe/known.

Assumption: People are willing to travel to ‘unsafe’ places if they went in an organised travel group.

False. Individuals still wouldn’t take the chance of visiting even with a group.

Assumption: frequent travellers would fall in the category of adventure traveller.

False. Most individuals who identified themselves as frequent traveller (more than 1 trip a year) preferred comfort based travels

Assumption: frequent travellers are more likely to look at cost.

False. Most of those who fell in the frequent traveller category did not consider cost to be of more importance than quality of the trip.

Competitive Research

Finding what other companies are getting right, and what their gaps are.

Reflection

I came up with this idea after using a group travel site to visit South America. I noticed the lack of customisation allowable. Sites have optional activities but they don't cater too much to our timing or desires in travel.

Customisable

Convenient

Straightforward

Experience

User Interviews

Use open-ended questions as a start, but as conversations flowed, change to penetrative questions allowing for detailed responses.

11 individuals with varying backgrounds were interviewed during this initial time period.

Age: 20 - 63
Duration 10 - 20 minutes

"I need transparency, if I'm going to spend so much money and time!"

02 Define

03 Ideate

After the initial user interviews and competitor analysis, I began with some low-fidelity versions to help myself visualise the platform. Being able to see the competitors gave a good idea of the general build of those websites. The designs below follow a similar flow and design.

Constantly address issues and feedback.

High fidelity Wireframes: 2019

High fidelity Wireframes: 2021

It has been almost 2 years since I completed this assignment. This was a self-assignment to view any differences that have occurred in design skills. Rather than create another prototype, I created a responsive version of the home page.

04 Prototype

AxureRP was used for the prototype phase. Being this was my very first design doing wireframes and prototyping, the general goals were achieved.

2021: I can see some issues occur when re-visiting the prototype. In terms of design, there are missing elements, such as breadcrumbs, unique selling points, navigation can be confusing etc.