travel app research

the inspiration

almost 20 tabs open on my computer and about 4 different social media apps on my phone, and let's face it—i'm getting nowhere closer to planning my itinerary for the trip i'm embarking on in a few short days. like many, i am determined to maximize the time when i am able to travel to a new place. so when we could choose a topic for my needs and usability assessment course, i knew this was the problem i wanted to explore so that travel planning could be a more efficient, enjoyable, and social experience.

this research explores how a digital product could improve the travel planning process. the intended users are people who love to travel and do so frequently, often seeking ways to make trip planning more efficient, enjoyable, and less overwhelming.

secondary research

before i began to interview potential users, i wanted to ensure that this was actually a product that there was a need for in the travel market. i embarked on conducting secondary research to confirm my hypothesis that there is not currently a digital product that adequately makes the travel-planning process a simple, enjoyable experience.

overall, this shows a strong need for creating a product that would help make planning vacations a much more enjoyable experience.

recruitment plan

after identifying that there was a market opportunity for this product, i began to create a recruiting plan for my user interviews. i established inclusion and exclusion criteria to support my research goals and ensure that i was interviewing my target users.

because i had clear inclusion and exclusion criteria, i also needed a screening process for my interviews. i then wrote a recruitment text with some of the screening questions, which i then sent out to recruit my interview participants, confirming they met my inclusion/exclusion criteria. see my screening questions and recruitment text below!

screening questions and recruitment text

interviewing

next, i was tasked with creating an interview guide with 37 questions using the funnel technique. these questions included warm-up questions, general issue questions, deep focus questions, retrospective questions, and wrap-up questions. below are the 37 questions i created for my interview. i also wanted to add a behavioral aspect to the interview to uncover insights that couldn't be captured through attitudinal questions alone. in this activity, i asked participants to plan two activities for an upcoming trip and used probing questions to better understand their behavior and decision-making process.

i also conducted a pilot interview with one user to test out my questions and ensure they would be sufficient for a one-hour session. the pilot went smoothly (phew!), so i moved forward with conducting additional interviews to gather more research data.

when conducting ux research, it was extremely important for me to mitigate bias during the interviews. to do so, i framed questions neutrally by asking “which do you like” instead of “do you like this,” and stayed mindful of keeping a consistent tone and facial expressions throughout each session.

interview coding

after interviewing and creating transcripts for each participant, i moved on to coding the interview data. these codes were essential for identifying themes and creating my affinity diagrams. to do so, i went through all 5 interview transcripts and added codes to specific quotes, ensuring that i took note of any patterns that formed throughout the various interviews. this is an example of some of the codes i developed from the interview data.

interview themes

once i finished coding all of my interview scripts, i was able to identify key themes based on my user research. i created affinity diagrams to highlight patterns across interviews and uncover insights that would be critical if this app were to be designed.

click a theme to explore the participant quotes behind it.

synthesis

users view travel planning as both exciting and overwhelming. while the process allows them to explore new places and cultures, it is also filled with small, stressful decisions, especially when coordinating with family or friends. nearly everyone starts with google, but planning quickly becomes fragmented, bouncing between tools for budgeting, research, and scheduling.

what users care about most is simplicity, trust, and control. they want reliable information like reviews, affordable options, and tools that reflect their personal preferences. visual content like photos and videos builds excitement and helps them imagine the trip, but social media also adds pressure and comparison, making planning feel performative.

despite different travel styles, the core needs were consistent. users want a way to plan collaboratively, keep track of the details, and make decisions with confidence. furthermore, themes like budgeting, trust, and stress came up consistently across participants, suggesting i reached data saturation in these areas.

but what does this mean for the creation of a digital product?

product implications

• streamline the planning process by centralizing logistics such as budget, bookings, and to-dos in one place
• support collaboration with shared tools for group planning and scheduling
• reduce stress through personalized recommendations and clear, trustworthy reviews
• integrate visual inspiration like photos and sample itineraries without fueling comparison
• build user trust by emphasizing credibility, transparency, and ease of use

this research points to a clear opportunity: a travel planning app that feels personal, organized, and genuinely helpful. it should reduce decision fatigue while keeping the joy of travel intact.

and that wraps up my ux research project!

reflection + next steps

next steps: actually create the product! this research laid a strong, evidence-based foundation for designing a travel planning app. i really enjoyed the process of learning more about different user perspectives and consistently working to view pain points through their lens.