RED Academy — TrekMate Travel App
This UX/UI design case study outlines the process I went through to validate my social travel app concept, design a simple intuitive on-boarding process and create the app’s look and feel.

As the wise Coldplay once sang, let’s go back to the start…
For our major and final project in my UX Foundations course at RED Academy we were individually instructed to design an app that would make Toronto a better place. I already came into the course with an app idea I wanted to work on and got the go-ahead to proceed: my app idea is going to make the world a better place… or at the very least, the overall “travellers” community.
I am a self-proclaimed avid jetsetter. I find joy in discovering a good flight deal and capitalizing on it as quickly as I can. Usually this poses a problem however, with finding a suitable travel companion on said trip I just booked. Some friends can’t get the time off, others might not have it in their budget, some just aren’t interested, you get the point. Personally, I do not think there is anything wrong with solo travel. In fact, I quite enjoy it most of the time. It gives one a sense of a new kind of freedom to roam and explore completely on your own terms, unlike traveling with others where you are confined to certain limitations associated with traveling as a pair (or group) . When traveling solo, your choices are as limited or as limitless as you want them to be.
The specific problem I have faced when in a solo travel situation had to do with the social aspect of traveling. Often when with friends, we were able to meet likeminded travellers on our journey and make instant travel buddies. Unfortunately, many times I had the expectation that as long as I stayed in a hostel, I would have no trouble finding people to socialize with. This was not the case. Instead, I was faced with an empty common room, or sometimes no place to congregate at all. This put a damper on my plans to meet new people and enjoy sharing stories with others. Instead, I would either retreat to my bed, or longingly look at other tables socializing at the restaurant. Wouldn’t it be neat if there was an app that could help with this???
Phase I: Research
Before I got ahead of myself and designed an app that only I wanted, I needed to conduct some user research to either strengthen or debunk my theory. I started by conducted some user interviews, some formal and some informal to see what specific pains people had in the realm of solo travel, if any.
User Interview Findings
- Everyone has met a fellow traveller on at least one trip they have been on (solo or with others)
- Most people went on to spend time with new friend
- Everyone who has been on a solo trip has experienced bouts of loneliness at some point during the trip and would have liked more opportunities for making friends
- People enjoy traveling with others because it allows for ideas that they might not come up with or want to try out on their own
These findings added value and insights that were applied towards a user survey to reach a larger audience.
User Survey Findings

- 57% of respondents said they most prefer traveling with a small group of friends; The second most popular response was solo travel at 23%.
- 53% of respondents were between the ages of 25–30, 20% were over 36, 17% were 31–35 and 10% were 18–24
- 100% of people said they have made friends while traveling.

- Most new friends were fellow travellers at 93% (choose more than one option was available).
- A majority of respondents said they have had an experience where making new friends was difficult or not possible.
Persona
I used my findings to pinpoint the target audience. It led me to the following user persona:

Competitive Landscape
Being a social traveller myself, I have for years been searching for the perfect app that will help me meet fellow travellers when the opportunity does not present itself naturally. Although the travel app market is currently saturated, the current social apps out there just miss the mark:
- Tinder — worldwide, however comes with the premise of a hookup/dating app and only shows the opposite sex
- Couchsurfing — used primarily for people looking for a place to sleep from a local
- Tripr — buggy, not a large user base, no content
- Travello — shows random people on news feed (not location centric), non-personal, buggy
Phase II: Planning
Now that I have uncovered that there is indeed a demand for a product that can facilitate a meetup between fellow travellers, I needed to lay down some ground work.
MVP & Feature Prioritization
The primary feature of the app is to connect travellers who are in the same location. The secondary feature is to give suggestions on events and things to do (which will in turn facilitate actual meetups, given the activities presented based on interests and proximity).
User Flow
I have documented the user onboarding process (error states included), both from a primary and secondary features as I believe both are pivotal functions for the success of the app.

Wireframes
Wireframes presented for the onboarding process:

Phase III: Design
First Iteration High-Fidelity Prototype

User Testing
I had asked a few classmates as well as friends to try and use the app with the intention of making a new friend “in the area”. Here were the major takeaways:
- Motion design (user was expecting to swipe up instead of clicking)
- Landing page is not concise enough; does not immediately allude to what the product is for
- Simply “Logo” confused many people (this was a placeholder until I came up with the name)
Second Iteration HiFi Prototype

Given we were asked to complete just the MVP, I did not design the other functions of the app at this time, such as the events page, or how to make a profile, etc.
Designing this app was quite an insightful and motivating process. It broke down many assumptions I had from the onset and really tested my empathy skills in learning about the user and what is most important to them. I hope to continuing improving my project. With this app, I hope to help individuals feel less alone when traveling and help them find a travel buddy, a secret cafe, or maybe just a new favourite memory.
Next Steps
- Complete other functions of app such as profile page and events/explore page and conduct related user testing on new functions
- Explore revenue stream for app (ie. event/business sponsors, etc)
InVision Link to Prototype: https://invis.io/9KC322JF3
Thanks for taking the time to read, I welcome any and all feedback :)
