Problem
Planning a holiday with family or friends involves building an itinerary, managing a budget, finding attractions, booking accommodation, and arranging transportation. Bringing all of these pieces together can become complicated and tiring.
UX/UI · Travel App
Vera
Vera is a user-centred mobile app that brings the whole travel process together in one place, from discovering new destinations to building personalised routes and managing travel expenses and preparation lists.
Meet Your Travel Companion
Vera is a mobile app that brings all your travel needs together in one place. It offers destination search, maps, itinerary planning, travel companion management, preparation lists, expense tracking, and a gallery for your travel photos and videos.
Why “Vera”?
The name “Vera” comes from Latin and represents trust and truth. It reflects the app’s goal of guiding people at every stage of their journey and creating an enjoyable experience from planning through discovery.
Solution
Vera brings itinerary management, expense tracking, destination discovery, accommodation booking, and transportation planning into one app. It simplifies the process and helps families and friends organize a more relaxed trip together.
User Journey
The user journey follows each step from discovering the app to managing a trip. In Vera, it covers key moments such as destination search, itinerary planning, preparation lists, and expense tracking. The experience is designed to make travel planning feel smooth and enjoyable.
Travel
Planning
- Ask friends for information about the trip
- Check dates and availability
- Research the destination
- Prepare the itinerary
Discovering
Attractions
- Search for attractions
- Gather information from previous visitors
- Read user reviews
- Choose the best places to discover
Finding
Accommodation
- Search for nearby accommodation
- Read user reviews
- Compare prices across different websites
- Complete the accommodation booking
Finding
Transportation
- Search transportation details
- Review user feedback
- Research the vehicle owner
- Complete the vehicle booking
Preparing the
Itinerary
- Choose the destination
- Search for tourist activities
- Check distances between attractions
- Plan activities by time and distance
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A Closer Look at the Design Process
Design Thinking is essential for showing how problems encountered while shaping the user experience are understood and resolved. Throughout this process, I used a User Centered Design approach focused on understanding user needs and creating solutions that respond to them. This method keeps the user in mind from beginning to end and supports highly usable outcomes.
Empathize
- Competitor Analysis
- Quantitative Research
- Qualitative Research
Define
- Persona Creation
- Empathy Mapping
Ideate
- User Flow
- Information Architecture
- Paper Sketching
Design
- Mid Fidelity Wireframes
- High Fidelity Wireframes
- Prototyping
Test
- Feedback From Usability Testing
Project Timeline
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Design
Test
Day
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User Interviews and Identifying Needs
As part of the quantitative research, participants were asked a set of questions to understand their travel needs and expectations. The questions were designed to reveal the difficulties they experience and what they expect from a travel app. The findings helped identify key problem areas and guided the product toward meeting user expectations more effectively.
Questions Asked During the Interviews
- How often do you travel?
- What are the biggest challenges you face while planning and booking a trip?
- Do you keep your itinerary on paper or on a mobile device?
- How do you research tourist attractions?
- Which features do you consider most important in a travel app?
- How do you discover and book local activities or experiences?
- Which apps do you use to track travel expenses?
- How do you plan and organize group travel?
- How long does it take you to prepare an itinerary?
- Do you prefer one app for every task or separate apps for booking tickets, accommodation, and activities?
Problems Travelers Face and Key Findings
Difficulty Finding Safe Accommodation and Transportation
Travelers struggle to identify reliable accommodation and find suitable local transportation options.
Time Consuming Planning
Searching for information about routes and activities makes planning feel long and tiring.
Confusion Across Multiple Booking Apps
Using several booking apps makes it harder to find the best price, while some offers turn out to be invalid.
Lack of a Trusted Travel App
Users struggle to find a reliable app that brings travel planning and ticket booking together.
Quantitative Research Findings
As part of the quantitative research, an Excel survey was designed to collect measurable data about travelers’ habits, preferences, challenges, and needs. The findings were analyzed to identify shared behaviors, needs, and patterns that could improve Vera’s features and user experience.
How do you check reviews for restaurants, accommodation, and tourist attractions?
1
- Google Reviews≈74%
- Social Media≈16%
- Word of Mouth≈10%
Which apps do you use to manage travel expenses?
2
- Google Pay≈70%
- Splitwise≈9%
- Other≈21%
What are the main challenges you face during trip planning and booking?
3
- Safe Accommodation≈20%
- Finding the Best Prices≈20%
- Preparing an Itinerary≈40%
- Reliable Travel Bookings≈20%
Analyzing Market Competitors
Competitor analysis examines competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, strategies, and market positions. It covers direct, indirect, and potential competitors together with the features they offer. By reviewing other travel apps, key opportunities were identified to improve Vera, increase user satisfaction, and encourage regular use.
| Feature | Polarsteps | Tripadvisor | TripIt | Wanderlog | Visit A City | Tripoto | Lambus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate routing | × | × | × | ✓ | × | × | × |
| Search within every category | × | ✓ | × | × | × | × | × |
| Sort locations by distance | × | ✓ | × | × | × | × | ✓ |
| Nearby location suggestions | × | ✓ | × | ✓ | ✓ | × | ✓ |
| Website | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| In-app map | ✓ | ✓ | × | ✓ | ✓ | × | ✓ |
| Invite people to a trip plan | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × | × | ✓ |
| Offline access | ✓ | × | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | × | ✓ |
Personas
Personas were developed to represent different types of travelers. Each one captures details such as travel habits, goals, and common challenges. Understanding these people helped shape Vera around real needs and expectations, making the app more useful and easier to navigate.
01
Asya
“Travel turns ordinary days into unforgettable moments.”
About
Asya works as a chemistry teacher at a private school in İstanbul. She travels twice a year, using those trips both to relax and reconnect with the people she cares about.
Challenges
- She is tired of spending days preparing an itinerary.
- She struggles to arrange safe accommodation and transportation within the city.
- She cannot find one trusted app for organization and ticket booking.
Goals
- Integrated maps.
- Suggestions for nearby activities and places.
- Reliable ratings, safety information, and clear pricing.
02
Okan
“Travel far, live fully, and enjoy every moment.”
About
Okan works as a UI/UX designer at an IT company in İstanbul. He usually plans two trips a month to visit his family or travel with friends.
Challenges
- Keeping an itinerary on paper is inconvenient and makes quick changes difficult.
- He uses several booking apps to find the best price and confirm that an offer is still valid.
Goals
- One tool for travel groups, members, checklists, splitting expenses, and sharing media.
- Accessible support through TalkBack, translation, and text to speech.
- Nearby travelers, entertainment, emergency assistance, and SOS support for solo trips.
Empathy Map
At Vera, empathy mapping helps summarize insights gathered through user interactions and gives us a clearer view of travelers’ feelings, frustrations, and needs. By focusing on what people say, think, do, and feel, this process guides the design and helps the app respond more thoughtfully to their challenges.
What Does the User Say?
- They involve friends and family in planning because everyone brings a different travel idea.
- Although they have not used travel apps before, they are eager to try one that feels reliable and easy to use.
- Destinations were once chosen through word of mouth, but YouTube vlogs and Instagram creators now have a stronger influence.
What Does the User Think?
- They need accurate route maps with hotel and restaurant reviews, along with opening hours for tourist attractions.
- Integrated maps and directions to selected accommodation would be especially helpful for occasional travelers.
- They want one tool for groups, members, categorized lists, splitting expenses, tracking finances, and sharing media.
- They want nearby places supported by ratings, reviews, and photos, with filters for bikes, accommodation, restaurants, and activities.
What Does the User Do?
- They use Google Chrome to check accommodation, reviews, prices, safety, and comfort.
- They manage expenses with Google Pay and Splitwise.
- They use separate apps for tickets, accommodation, and activities.
- They create itineraries and checklists both on mobile devices and on paper.
- They find attractions through websites, Instagram, and people who have visited the area.
What Does the User Feel?
- They struggle to organize safe accommodation and transportation.
- They feel frustrated because planning takes too much time.
- Too many booking apps, invalid offers, and repeated price comparisons make the process difficult.
- Last minute changes can mean missing nearby places or rushing through a visit.
Finding Solutions
Ideation involves exploring a range of ideas and developing creative ways to solve user problems. At this stage, I turned findings from the empathy map into user stories and used brainstorming to identify possible solutions. The following requirements were shaped around those stories.
Creating a travel plan
User Story
The user spends several days putting together a balanced travel plan.
Feature
Ready made itinerary templates for popular destinations let users quickly adapt a plan to their own preferences.
Solution
- Identify the current location
- Enter destination details
- Set the travel date and time
- Load a prepared itinerary
- Customize the itinerary
Finding the best accommodation price
User Story
With so many booking apps available, finding the best price in one place is difficult, and many advertised offers are no longer valid.
Feature
Prices from different trusted booking sites are listed together. Selecting an option takes the user to the relevant website to complete the reservation.
Solution
- Enter the destination
- Choose the accommodation tab
- List hotels, hostels, and other accommodation options
- Show price differences across websites
Finding transportation within the city
User Story
The user has difficulty finding transportation options within the city.
Feature
The app presents vehicle rental options alongside user reviews, ratings, and contact information.
Solution
- Enter the destination
- Choose the rental tab
- Filter cars, bicycles, and tourist vans
- Show rental information with contact details
Creating a route within the app
User Story
The traveler struggles to find routes between locations without relying on Google Maps. Switching between different apps creates friction and interrupts the travel experience.
Feature
The app lets users choose a destination and see how to reach it. They can also download the map and continue using it without an internet connection.
Solution
- Identify the current location
- View destination details
- Enable the phone’s location services
- Navigate to the destination with the in-app map
- Download the offline map
… and many more ideas!
Organizing App Features: Information Architecture
Information architecture arranges content and functionality in a clear, consistent hierarchy that reflects how users think. Vera’s structure makes essential actions easy to reach, including discovering places, saving favorites, searching the map, and creating a trip. Once a trip is created, route planning, travel companions, media, expenses, and preparation tools are brought together in one connected flow.
Getting Started
Main Navigation
Trip Management
My List
Existing Trips
Create a Trip
Route
- Automatic Route
- Custom Route
Travel Companions
- Add Friend
- Remove Friend
Photos and Videos
- View Photos and Videos
- Add Photos and Videos
Travel Expenses
- Spending
- Debt
Preparation List
- Add Item
- Remove Item
Log In
Sign Up
Home
Explore
My List
Map
Profile
Notifications
Events
Search
Top Cities
Accommodation
Restaurants
Vehicle Rental
Tourist Attractions
Favorites
Search Location
My List
Existing Trips
Create a Trip
Route
Travel Companions
Photos and Videos
Travel Expenses
Preparation List
Automatic Route
Custom Route
Add Friend
Remove Friend
View Photos and Videos
Add Photos and Videos
Spending
Debt
Add Item
Remove Item
User Flow
The user flow is designed to understand how people move through the app and how they behave along the way. In Vera it maps the whole journey, from discovering new destinations to building trip plans, managing travel expenses and reaching essential information, making sure every single step feels intuitive and effortless.
Splash Screen
Onboarding Screens
Get Started
Sign-In Screen
Sign-Up Screen
Create New Account
Sign Up
Enter Username
Enter Password
Log In
Home
Events
Location
Top Cities to Explore
Profile
Notifications
My List
Search Favorites
View Favorites
Explore
Accommodation
Restaurants
Attractions
Vehicle Rental
Map
Search Location
Create Route
Plan
Existing Plans
Plan Details
Start Planning
Trip Title
Number of People
Plan
Travel Companions
Plan Your Route
Trip Media
Expenses
Preparation List
View Friends
Add New Person
Remove People
View List
Add Item
View Photos and Videos
Add Photos and Videos
Automatic Plan
Custom Plan
Destination
Trip Dates
Destination
Trip Dates
Preference
Daily Plans
Plan
Plan with Auto Itinerary
Plan with Custom Itinerary
Trip Plan Screen
Trip Plan List View
Trip Plan Map View
Download Trip Plan as PDF
Add Location
Edit Trip Plan
Set Trip Name
Choose Destination
Date - Time
Edit Destination
Delete Destination
Set Trip Name
Edit Destination
Date - Time
Spending
Debts
Group Total Expense Details
Individual Expense Details
Add New Expense
Select the Payer
Expense Date
Select People to Split With
Add Debt
List Individual Debts
View Debt Details
Payment Details
User Flow Legend
- Represents a screen and its core function or structure.
- Marks an input the user has to fill in or interact with.
- Shows an operation or an action that is carried out.
Concept Design
Mid-fidelity wireframes are the step that follows the paper sketches. They add more detail to the layout while still focusing on structure and user flow, without any final design elements. Building on new ideas, refinements were made that set them apart from the low-fidelity versions.
Colours
Vera's colour palette was built to create a balanced visual language that supports feelings of trust, calm and discovery. Blue, the primary colour, stands for reliability and calm throughout the travel experience, while green adds a balanced, supportive presence. Coral red highlights key actions and the points that need attention. Light, neutral tones keep content comfortable to read, producing a clean, airy and user-focused interface.
Primary Colours
Primary colours carry the app's brand identity across text, active buttons, links, important states and highlighted areas. They build a consistent, easily recognisable visual language throughout the interface.
- #1C1C1C Midnight Shadow
- #00AB67 Emerald Touch
- #5D9CEC Skyline Blue
- #FF595D Coral Red
Secondary Colours
Secondary colours are used for supporting text, icons, backgrounds, dividers, placeholders and inactive states. These neutral tones let the primary colours stand out while keeping the interface visually balanced.
- #6E6E6E Stone Grey
- #929292 Nickel Grey
- #CBCBCB Cloud Mist
- #F6FBFF Arctic White
Choosing the Typeface
The typefaces were chosen with care, to lift the user experience and push readability as far as it will go. Poppins leads with its modern, clean design and helps the app present a visually appealing, intuitive interface.
Poppins
font family
Light / 14px, 24px
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
! @ # $ ^ * ( ) _ + - = : ; " ' < > , . ? /
Regular / 14px, 16px
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
! @ # $ ^ * ( ) _ + - = : ; " ' < > , . ? /
Medium / 12px, 14px, 16px, 18px, 24px, 32px
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
! @ # $ ^ * ( ) _ + - = : ; " ' < > , . ? /
Bold / 14px, 16px, 18px, 24px
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789
! @ # $ ^ * ( ) _ + - = : ; " ' < > , . ? /
Grid Structure
The four-column layout grid and the 8pt spacing grid used across Vera keep the layout clean and orderly with consistent spacing, which lifts the overall user experience of the app.
An Overview of the UI Components
The components section covers the core UI elements used across the app, among them buttons, cards, text fields and navigation bars. Making these elements look and behave the same everywhere is what keeps the design consistent and easy to use.
Refining the Design with Iconography
Icons play an important part in improving the user experience, standing in visually for actions, features or content inside the app. They bring clarity and sharpen the overall aesthetic, which makes the app more intuitive and friendlier to use.
Creating a Distinctive App Logo
Logo design is about building a unique, recognisable visual symbol for a brand or a project. Vera's app logo brings a location pin together with a plane, so the mark carries the travel-focused nature of the product.
User Interface Screens
The UI screens represent the final design stage, with the focus on detailed visual elements such as colours, typography, icons and interactions. They sit very close to the finished product and make sure the design is user-friendly and ready for development.
Splash Screens
When the app is launched, the splash screen shows the project logo and title, giving people a warm welcome and introducing the identity of the app. It helps set the tone and makes the move into the next part of the app feel seamless.
Onboarding Screens
The onboarding screens introduce the core features of the app and guide people on how to navigate it and use it effectively. They help users get to know the purpose and the functions of the app before they step into it.
Log In and Sign Up Screens
The log in and sign up screens give people a simple interface for signing into an existing account or creating a new one. These screens provide easy, secure access to the features of the app.
Home Screen
The home screen acts as a central hub with quick access to the core features: discovering new destinations, viewing saved places and reaching the maps. People can also search for locations, browse the top cities to explore, check events and manage their profile, all from one fluid, intuitive interface.
Explore Screen
The explore screen brings options together in one place: finding accommodation, discovering popular restaurants, browsing tourist attractions and locating rental agencies.
My List Screen
The saved places screen lets people bookmark and keep their favourite accommodation, restaurants, tourist attractions and rental services, so everything is within reach while they plan a trip.
Map Screen
The map screen lets people search for destinations and apply filters such as restaurants, accommodation and tourist attractions. Once a filter is picked, the map shows nearby options for that category, giving a personalised view of the surroundings.
Plan Screen
The plan screen shows a list of all the existing trips and also offers the option to plan a new one.
New Plan Screen
Before the trip is created, people enter a trip title and set the size of the group.
Created Trip Screen
Once the trip is created, users can build an itinerary, invite friends, put together checklists, track travel expenses and view the photos and videos uploaded by the members of the group.
Route Plan
When the route plan option is chosen, people are asked either to build a custom route plan or to have one generated automatically from their preferences.
Custom Route
Users enter their travel destinations and dates, after which the trip plan screen is created for the planning that follows.
Automatic Route
Users enter the destination, the travel dates, the number of stops per day and their travel preferences. A personalised itinerary is then built from what they provided.
Automatic Route
Users enter the destination, the travel dates, the number of stops per day and their travel preferences. A personalised itinerary is then built from what they provided.
Add a Destination
Users can add new destinations by giving a title, a location and the date and time of the visit.
Trip Plan List View
In the list view the itinerary is laid out with time, distance and duration. Every location carries a map pin, and completed stops are highlighted in green.
Edit the Plan
Users can change the existing itinerary or remove specific places from it.
Trip Memories
Users can view and manage the photos and videos shared by their travel companions.
Travel Companions
Users can add friends to their trip or remove existing members.
Expense Tracking · Spending Screen
Users can add expenses and follow the group spending, showing who paid, what it was for and the date. It also lets them keep track of each person's individual spending.
Add a New Expense
Users can enter the details of an expense by choosing who paid, the date, the amount and a category such as food or travel. They can also pick the people involved to split the cost and, if needed, add the expense to the debts.
Expense Tracking · Debts Screen
The debts screen states the amount owed and who it should be paid to. The app arranges the settlements so they take the fewest transactions possible.
Accommodation Screens
Travellers can browse nearby places to stay or search for a specific one. They can read the overview, go through the reviews and discover interesting spots in the area.
Prices and Deals
Travellers can pick a date range and set the number of guests.
Restaurant Screens
On the restaurant screens, travellers can get an overview, look through the menu, read the reviews and discover places nearby.
Vehicle Rental Screens
On the rental agency screens, travellers can read the overview, browse the vehicles on offer, check availability and discover places nearby.
Tourist Attraction Screens
On the tourist attraction screens, travellers can see the key details about a site, go through the reviews and look at the places nearby.
Usability Testing and Feedback
Usability testing means watching real people interact with a product, in order to spot any problems, understand how easily it is used and improve the overall design and functionality.
Assigned Tasks
- Starting from the home screen, go to the Explore screen and look through accommodation, restaurants, vehicle rentals and tourist attractions.
- Create a trip, plan the itinerary, track the travel expenses, view the photos and videos, and check your travel companions.
Positive Feedback
- The navigation is smooth and the design is clean.
- The option to add and manage travel expenses is a great feature for group trips.
- The price quotes and the comparison feature on the accommodation detail screen are very thoughtful.
- The itinerary builder is intuitive and helps organise travel plans effectively.
Suggestions for Improvement
- Consider adding a currency converter for international trips.
- Include notifications or reminders in the itinerary section.
- Add a dark mode to reduce eye strain during night-time use.