Helping Travelers Find Their Next Destination with Intripid ✈️🌍 - UX/UI Case Study
This case study showcases Intripid's Destination Discovery, which helps users find their perfect travel spot in just 8-12 minutes based on preferences like budget, dates, and trip type.
Date
January 2025
Role
Lead Product Designer
Company
Intripid
Services
User-Centered Design, Intuitive User Interface (UI), Visual Design, Responsiveness and Accessibility
1. The Challenge: Where Should I Travel Next? 🤔
“Ever wanted to travel but had no idea where to go? We’ve all been there.
With countless destinations to choose from, travelers often feel overwhelmed and unsure about picking a place that fits their budget, interests, and schedule.
The Core Problem
Users struggle with choosing a travel destination that aligns with their budget, preferences, and time constraints.
Existing travel platforms often assume users already know where they want to go.
There’s no seamless, AI-powered way to discover destinations based on personal preferences.
Opportunity 🚀
Could we design a feature that helps users effortlessly find their next travel destination, personalized just for them? That’s where Intripid’s Destination Discovery comes in.
2. Understanding the User 👥
Before designing the solution, we needed to understand our audience. Who are the users struggling with destination choices, and what factors matter most to them?
User Research & Insights 📊
Who are they? (Solo travelers, families, budget travelers, spontaneous adventurers?)
What are their pain points? (Too many choices, uncertainty, lack of personalized recommendations?)
What influences their decision? (Budget, experiences, activities, climate?)
User Persona 👤
This helped us to get into the mindset of audience type to discover how they would use our product, and what information they would be looking for.
User Journey 🛤️
Shown are steps that user takes before, during, and after using the Destination Discovery feature.
User Flow 🔄
3. Wireframes & Explorations 📝
We started with low-fidelity wireframes to map out the user flow and interactions.
📌 Why I Chose Iteration 2:
✅ Encourages playful exploration with a more dynamic interface.
✅ Better usability—no wasted space, making all elements feel cohesive.
✅ Stands apart from competitors by offering a unique experience instead of a generic form-based approach.
Refining the Question Flow 🔄
In our initial design, we included additional questions to further refine the recommendations. However, through testing, we realized that some questions were unnecessary and created friction in the user experience. Therefore, we removed the following questions:
Who’s joining?
Cuisine Preferences
Dietary Restrictions
Preferred Transportation Modes
Travel Pace
By streamlining the flow, we reduced cognitive load and made the process faster and more intuitive while still maintaining high-quality recommendations.
4. The Solution: Destination Discovery 🗺️
How It Works 🔍
Instead of asking users to input a destination, we let them discover it based on what matters to them.
💡 Users enter key travel details, and our AI suggests the best destinations tailored for them.
Key Inputs We Consider:
Step 1️⃣ - Travel Dates (Fixed or flexible?)
Specific Dates → Users select exact travel dates.
General Month of Interest (I'm Flexible) → Users choose a month and the desired trip duration.
"This Weekend!" → Users are asked to clarify what they consider "weekend" (e.g., Friday-Sunday or Saturday-Monday).
Step 2️⃣ - International/Domestic preference (Or no preference?)
Step 3️⃣ - Starting Address (To personalize recommendations based on location)
Do we have saved addresses? If yes, they are shown in a dropdown (default already selected). The map centers and zooms on the selected address, prompting the user to confirm.
If no saved address: The user inputs a full address (excluding Line 2). Once entered (onBlur submit), the map centers and zooms on the address, prompting confirmation.
Step 4️⃣ - Budget & Income Band (Affordable recommendations)
Keeping Users Engaged During Processing 🕵️♂️
When users enter their Budget & Income Band, there’s a short processing time before the next step. To keep users engaged and informed, we display interactive prompts such as:
Found X possible destination ports
Searching for cities near the reachable ports...
Analyzing which ports are reachable
Eliminating unreachable ports
Okay, let's see where you can get to...
This ensures users feel involved in the process and don’t get bored while we search for the best possible destinations.
Intuitive AI transition animation: I designed an animation similar to Apple Siri's AI animation, appearing between transitions from one question to another. This not only makes the experience feel more intuitive but also visually reassures users that something is happening in the background, preventing them from feeling overwhelmed while waiting.
Step 5️⃣ - Desired Experience (Adventure, relaxation, culture, nightlife, etc.)
Step 6️⃣ - Activity Preferences (Water sports, sightseeing, wellness, shopping, etc.)
Final - Perosnalized Results
Based on these inputs, Intripid suggests travel destinations that fit the user’s needs. We provide:
Top destination matches 🌍
Why this destination? (Based on budget, season, activities, etc.)
Best time to visit 📆
Estimated cost breakdown 💰
5. Impact & Results 🌟
✅ Drastically Reduced Search Time: What once took days now takes minutes, thanks to our AI-driven, highly personalized approach.
✅ Super-Personalized Results: Users receive curated recommendations tailored to their preferences, budget, and travel style.
✅ Higher Engagement & Completion Rate: Our interactive experience keeps users engaged throughout the discovery process, ensuring they feel involved and in control.
✅ Better Decision-Making:By providing real-time insights and options, travelers can confidently make well-informed decisions without feeling overwhelmed.
👉 What do you think? Would you use Destination Discovery for your next trip? 🌍✈️
