Trip Planner feature
Our team created a travel itinerary feature that seamlessly integrates with Yelp's existing platform. This feature enables users to plan their trips and keep track of their plans in one place, providing a convenient solution for trip planning.
For a Yelp concept project, we were tasked with creating a feature to aid users in trip planning and increase user engagement by appealing to travelers.
Increase user engagement on Yelp by appealing to travelers
Expand Yelp's offerings to be the go-to place for travelers planning their trips
Create a new feature that allows users to create itineraries for their travels and record their experiences
We interviewed 5 people and asked them 15 questions to try an gather information on the following:
what challenges, frustrations and pain points do they have when planning trips;
what kind of software are they using to plan;
how they like to record their experiences.
We conducted a task analysis on our direct competitors: Road Trippers and Wanderlog and also researched Google’s solution.
We reviewed both apps by planning the same trip to San Diego and took notes on their strengths and weaknesses.
During the research phase, we discovered that all the interviewed users were using Google for planning their trips. We analyzed its features and noted that users appreciated the interactive map and reliable reviews. However, they found it frustrating to switch between multiple tabs for planning purposes.
Google falls short in providing a "one-stop shop" for trip planning as users had to open multiple tabs to book a flight, find things in the area, and determine the distance between stops, resulting in an overwhelming amount of information.
We gained valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of Yelp’s competitors, and interviewed users to gain insights into their experiences and preferences.
Users prefer a platform that is not overwhelming.
Users want the ability to like locations and access the list easily.
Most users use Google for trip planning due to its familiar and effective map feature.
Reviews and pictures play a significant role in users' decision-making process.
Yelp is not currently a popular choice for travel planning among users.
Rainn was created as a result of the insights we gained from the discovery phase.
Yelp wants to expand its offerings to become the go-to platform for travelers planning their trips. The challenge is to design a new feature that allows Rainn to create itineraries for his travels and record his experiences, while also considering the need to simplify the user experience and make it more intuitive for Rainn who often feels overwhelmed by the amount of information available. The goal is to increase user engagement on Yelp and provide a seamless, one-stop-shop experience for trip planning.
Yelp’s design system is called Cookbook and we adhered to it whilst designing our solutions for desktop and mobile.
Their design system follows Brad Frost's Atomic Design methodology but uses a food analogy with ingredients for their styles, recipes for their components, and entrees for complex components.
Yelp's color palette is an essential component of its visual identity and brand recognition. The primary brand color of red and the link/active text color of teal are used strategically to communicate specific meanings and create a cohesive and recognizable visual language.
Yelp uses Poppins and Open Sans throughout their site and app.
In addition to adhering to the design system, we also had to integrate our design into Yelp's existing desktop and mobile home pages.
We also had to consider the theme and tone of the writing when adding our feature. Here’s a paragraph we created to help us stay aligned with Yelp’s usual style.
Planning your next trip soon? Use Yelp's newest feature Yelp Trip Planner. We know planning can be a bit overwhelming, we want to take the stress out of exploring a new place. On Trip Planner you can create an itinerary, explore what your destination has to offer, add it to a wishlist and save those experiences to a gallery. No more juggling multiple tabs, give your browser a break and plan with ease on Yelp’s Trip Planner.
Keywords: millennial, frequent traveler, fun, informed, decisive, adventurous
We had six people complete tests both on our mobile and desktop hi-fidelity prototypes using Maze.
100% loved the quick access buttons
Add modals for new users to help guide them using the feature
Build out the maps interactivity
Make the edit button larger for desktop
Below are loops of the hi-fi prototype’s main features, on mobile and desktop.
Travelers can select places from the explore section or directly from the map.
Never forget the good times by effortlessly saving trip photos.
Access places you saved earlier and add them to your itinerary.
See where spots are on the interactive map and hover over the location for more information.
I’ve used the MoSCoW method below to help ensure that the next steps are clearly defined and prioritized.
Implement modals for guidance to new users
Further testing to refine the design and ensure a seamless user experience.
Enhance interactivity on map
Partner with marketing - pay travel influencers to plan trips using the feature. Upload the trips to the site so users can plan the same trips, following in the footsteps of their favorite travel people
Add more features to the gallery - ability to upload notes and movies.
Conducting thorough research is essential for a successful design solution. By understanding Yelp's business goals, user needs, and existing design system, we were able to create a travel itinerary feature that seamlessly integrated with their platform and fulfilled their objectives.
Consistency with brand guidelines is important. By adhering to Yelp's established brand guidelines, we were able to maintain the existing visual language while introducing new features to the platform.
A user-centered design approach is key to achieving a high-quality design solution. By continuously iterating on our design decisions and gathering feedback, we were able to create a travel itinerary feature that was intuitive, user-friendly, and added value to the Yelp user experience.
