Gotra Travel App

Challenge

A growing number of people are starting to travel internationally. Studies show that 89% of people prefer to travel without resorting to a tour guide to plan their stay. Gotra’s goal is to reach independent travelers and provide them with a seamless hotel booking experience with the aim of turning a hobby into a habit.

Solution

Create an app that connects consumers to desired hotels and handles payment information, this provides clarity and makes traveling more secure. Having all steps of the booking process in-house will ensure retention and elevate overall satisfaction.

 
 

I explored a variety of different options and eventually decided to combine 3 elements that embody the thrill of vacationing.

Choosing the right colors

Taking color theory and assessability into mind, these colors recreates the welcoming warm feeling travel provides. My goal was to reproduce the magic found in the top competitor Airbnb while also making the interface more accessible to those with vision impairments.

I gravitated towards using simple default icons from a UI kit to offset the use of vibrant colors used throughout the interface.

The goal of this user flow is to create an experience that is trustworthy and effective—worthy of brand loyalty and referrals. A product that is attractive, intuitive, and secure. The byproduct will be an immersive, personal-feeling product that is also efficient.

After we defined the flow and what screens we needed, I proceeded with creating the wireframes to explore the experience in more detail on a screen-by-screen level. The main focus was the trip planning flow which sits at the heart of the app.

After my initial wireframes were complete, as part of the design process, I conducted 2 rounds of usability testing with 5 users in order to obtain practical, real-time feedback to improve the design and provide a more optimal user experience.

 

High-Fi Mock Up

I then started inputting the determined visual identity into my high-fidelity mock up.

Learning Outcomes

I learned how crucial it is to go into the research phase with no biases and no solution in mind. The interviews and secondary research will likely provide insights that were not apparent before, and that is what the solution should be based on. It is easy to think of a solution beforehand, and only takeaway information from the research that confirms your initial beliefs, however, this will not solve the users true pain points.

I have also learned that it is critical to experiment early on, especially during the sketching process, because as you progress in the project, it becomes increasingly more difficult to make changes. Taking your time to experiment with different app designs early on, will save time down the road.