As the sole designer and researcher, I was responsible for overseeing the entire design process, from concept to completion. I conducted in-depth market research, developed the website architecture, and crafted the final design. Throughout the process, I collaborated closely with senior designers for feedback and worked alongside developer interns to ensure smooth implementation of the design, bridging the gap between design and development.
Tech-savvy young adults who frequently travel and prefer using digital tools to organize their trips. They’re all about intuitive, no-fuss designs that make planning seamless and stress-free.
How do you create a travel itinerary planner that’s both user-friendly and developer-friendly? The challenge was to design a website that simplifies trip planning with clear navigation and easy-to-use input fields, catering to the audience. And here’s the twist: it needed to be easy enough for developer interns to build in a shorter timeline.
The goal was to balance usability with practicality, ensuring that users can easily create detailed travel plans while making it straightforward for developers to implement.
To kick off, I conducted comprehensive market research to analyze key competitors like:
This helped identify features users value most, such as itinerary creation, integrated web searches, and budget tracking. I reviewed several sources for inspiration, including tools with AI-driven features and extensive functionality, but my challenge was to narrow down the core elements that would keep the design intuitive without overwhelming the user.
Market research notes
I facilitated collaborative discussions with my team to align on objectives and create a well-defined information architecture. This involved working closely with developers to ensure the design could be seamlessly coded, balancing visual appeal and functionality.
Market research notes
I created multiple iterations of wireframes based on feedback and evolving insights. This iterative process allowed me to refine the design progressively, ensuring both ease of use and efficiency in every step.
Drawing out wireframes
As the only designer, I faced challenges in identifying all potential user scenarios and use cases. Collaborating with non-design team members required me to take the lead in defining key functionalities and deciding on the most user-friendly approach. I solved this challenge by proactively discussing with senior experienced designers, adapting their insights to make confident, well-informed decisions.
Though the primary goal was functionality, I paid close attention to visual aesthetics, applying color psychology to create an appealing and effective palette. After experimenting with several variations, I chose a final palette that enhanced the user experience without overshadowing functionality.
Color palette iterations
The project resulted in a working website that the developer interns successfully coded and added to their portfolios.
The final design focused on simplifying the process of creating a travel itinerary, with clear input fields and an intuitive user flow. Visual aesthetics were enhanced by applying color psychology principles, even though visuals were not the primary focus.
Basic Home Page
Planning Page - List view and map view
More details dialog box
Itinerary with shortlist page open by default
Itinerary page: focus on changing layout and arrangement of itinerary
Checking the map for daily activity route
Empty state screens
I believe there is significant potential for improvement in this project. If I had more time, I would work on the animation transitions to explain the concept and also conduct user testing to help identify areas for refinement.
This project reinforced the importance of collaboration, especially when working across disciplines. It highlighted that there’s rarely a single solution to a design problem—what matters most is prioritizing the user’s experience. I learned to step back, define clear goals, and focus on designing solutions that are intuitive, adaptable, and user-friendly, no matter the timeframe.
