The Problem
Group plans break
down quickly
Deciding what to do as a group often turns into long message threads with no clear outcome. There are no existing non-sticky tools to support group decision-making during group travel. This leads to slow decision-making and in some cases, conflict.
They rely on:
- Back-and-forth conversations
- Manual coordination
- Uneven contribution
The goal
Effortless
decision-making
01.
Create a tool that takes group dynamics into account
02.
Help travelling groups reduce friction.
03.
Create a non-sticky tool that doesn't take them out of their travel experience
User Research
What did the
backpackers think?
We interviewed 30 backpackers aged 18-24 across 2 different hostels and found some recurring pain-points. At the end of the day, Everyone wants a fun, stress-free group outing.
01.
Hidden power dynamic in groups
02.
Planning responsibilities are unclear
03.
Decision-making is difficult for all
04.
Different planning styles
Personas
Who are our users?
There is a hidden power dynamic in group planning. Planning responsibilities and roles are often unclear. Decision-making is exhausting for everyone and different planning styles often lead to conflict. However at the end of the day, everyone wants a fun, stress-free group outing
Planning Patricia
- Frustrated she always does a bulk of the planning
- Others ignoring messages
- Disagreements with friends over sticking to the plan
- Panics when plans fall through
- Has to use many different platforms
Gregory
- Has never travelled without his parents before
- Overwhelmed by long chats and decision-making
- Prefers spontaneity and doesn't like to plan
- Not accustomed to travelling
- Regrets not speaking up about preferences before
The ecosystem
How do groups travel?
We designed an ecosystem that marks various touchpoints users encounter when going on a trip from being inspired to take the trip to research to being inspired for your next trip. We found that group planning happens throughout, most tools don't take groups into account and there is a massive gap in the market for a group planning tool.
Competitive research
Who are our competition?
Platform Comparison
Wanderlog
Flickmate
Splitwise
WhatsApp Polls
Instagram Polls
Voting on existing content
Suggesting Activities
Creating and maintaining multiple groups
Easily adding & removing members
Adding temporary members
Free
Sitemap
Mapping it out
All suggestions
0.0
Edit crew
0.1
Matches
1.0
Make a suggestion
2.0
Profile
3.0
Edit crew mates
0.1.1
Crew list
3.1
Languages
3.2
onboarding part 1
A.0
Onboarding part 2
A.0.1
Onboarding part 3
A.0.1.1
Login
B.0
Create group
B.0.1.1
Add mates
B.0.1.1.1
User flow
How will groups experience the app?
Low-fidelity
Sketching it out
Final design
The outcome
Motion design
Design in action
To conclude
Key takeaways
Navigating group dynamics can be so difficult and existing planning tools often require too much coordination, while assuming groups already know what they want to do. In reality, one person usually ends up doing the research, organizing, and decision-making for everyone else. Designing AllAboard demonstrated that UX/UI design can ease social friction, encourage fairness, and make shared experiences feel collaborative rather than exhausting.