VisaVault
Effortlessly track and manage your visas with VisaVault, your digital visa wallet.
Problem Statement
As a frequent traveler, how might I efficiently manage my multiple visas and travel history to ensure a hassle-free travel experience?
Problem Background
While the idea of travelling is fun, the process of it can be incredibly complex. Especially when it comes to international travel that requires travellers to face multiple visa requirements and manage various travel documents. This is especially challenging for frequent travellers with multiple visas or passports. Our research indicates that 53% of travellers struggle with tracking entry/exit dates, 68% find it difficult to complete visa application forms accurately, and 28% have trouble managing active and expired visas . Current manual and memory-based methods are inefficient, leading to significant frustration and inefficiencies.
Research Insights
Through Facebook groups, personal networks, and university alum databases we collected 86 user surveys, identified prospective users and conducted over 10 user interviews to understand their pain points. This revealed that travellers predominantly rely on memory (44%) or manual methods like notebooks or spreadsheets (26%) to track visa statuses and travel history. Many travellers (34% very frustrated, 31% somewhat frustrated) find filling out visa application forms to be a major hurdle . These insights highlight a clear need for a more efficient solution.
User Pain Points
- Tracking entry/exit dates is cumbersome.
- Managing visa statuses (active, expired) is complex.
- Completing visa application forms is frustrating and error-prone.
Supporting Data
- 73% of people we spoke to mentioned they were unhappy with their current solution for tracking visas and travel history.
- 49% are very likely to use a new tool designed to simplify visa management.
Feedback
- Our preliminary user research found that travelers are eager for a centralized, efficient solution to manage their visas. They expressed interest in features like real-time updates, automatic tracking of entry/exit dates, and integration of visa guidelines .
Solution Explanation
Based on our target users’ pain points, we developed VisaVault, a streamlined, user-friendly app designed to simplify visa management. Modeled after the intuitive layout of Apple Wallet, VisaVault allows users to effortlessly add and manage personalised visa cards, track visa statuses, and log travel entries/exits automatically. Key features include real-time status updates, notifications for expiring visas, and a comprehensive view of accessible countries. After showcasing our prototype to users, we received positive feedback, particularly on the ease of use and the automation of tracking entry/exit dates.
Future Steps
- Conduct a detailed competitive analysis of the top 5 visa management apps.
- Conduct additional surveys with frequent travellers to test current features, discover additional features, and prioritise the roadmap.
Possible Additional Problems to Address:
- Integration with embassy websites for automatic updates on visa requirements.
- Expanding the app to include other travel-related documents such as vaccination certificates and insurance.
- Enhancing security features to ensure the safe storage of sensitive visa information.
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Avani Patwardhan
- Do thorough research: Spending time understanding the problem space is crucial. Conducting user interviews and analyzing feedback provides invaluable insights.
- Listen to customers: Engaging with customers and understanding their pain points helps in designing a solution that truly addresses their needs.
- Iterate and collaborate: Rewriting drafts and seeking feedback is essential. Collaboration with the team ensures a well-rounded and robust product.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.