Group Travelling has been rated higher and more fulfilling as opposed to solo travel. In one study we read, more Millennials and Gen-Z travellers are doing so in groups the last couple of years. It increases satisfaction and bonding.

Yet as enjoyable as Group Travel is, a majority of respondents (over half) also reported that Group Travel Planning as a large point of stress and a big area for improvement.

Research Insights

From our 92 Respondants to our Survey, over 75% reported difficulty planning travel and logistics with almost a quarter struggling in both areas. Isolating the data further, of those that reported Logistics as a challenge, 50% reported planning an itinerary as the toughest part.

We also conducted 6 user interviews that helped us to understand things further.

Digging a bit deeper from the responses, we found that a lot of the difficulty in planning seemed to center around nailing down and syncing on flights, accommodations, and activities/things to do.
One respondent talked about a dependency on the different kind of people they would be traveling with, whether they were a bit more wild or a bit more nature-inspired, or city inspired.
One respondents said that having an ability to vote would be interesting while another suggested having a group leader

Solution Explanation

Based on the findings, our goal is to understand what Group Travelers need the most to make planning trips much more efficient and less stressful so that Gen-Z and Millennial travelers can breathe a bit easier and enjoy their rest and relaxation.

Our proposed solution is a web app that helps to simplify group travel planning by allowing for Travellers to create itineraries and vote on activities with other travel companions to get on the same page.

Lofi & Hifi Mockups

Iterative Design Learnings

After we showcased our prototype to 7 potential users we got the following feedback:

Strengths

Real-Time Voting & Simple Design: Users vibed with the real-time voting. The simplistic design is a hit too.

Weaknesses

Limited Features: Some folks felt a bit limited by the lack of bells and whistles, especially those who wanted more detailed planning.
No Time Selection: Users wanna see potential conflicts for activities on the same day. Time matters!

Clarifications and Questions

Is Voting Anonymous?: Users want clarity on whether their votes can be seen by other users in the group.
Add Dates, Times, and Hyperlinks: Makes planning way easier.

Suggestions for Improvement

Better Time Management: A common ask is the ability to manage activities by day and time, plus conflict notifications.

More Integration: Syncing with existing platforms like Google Calendar and Airbnb? Yes, please.
Engagement Boosters: Gamification and reminders could reel in the less tech-savvy or disorganized users.

Implementation Details

Technical implementation

We have used a combination of popular front end and backend languages.

Front end:

React + Vite
Tailwind CSS
React Router Dom
React Datepicker

Back-End:

NestJs
Prisma (ORM)
Postgres
Jwt

Where is it hosted?

Our project is hosted on Vercel, with Continuous Deployment enabled. https://wander-us.vercel.app/

High level journey of a request

Signup / Login Requests

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Creating Trips Request

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Adding Itenaries

Voting

Technical challenges

What was the hardest part of development?

Creating basic screens and APIs went through quickly, but it required a lot of questions and brainstorming when we started to think about what an MVP would require, what an user would actually want and what a user process looks like.
The answers led to a lot of back and forth changes to the development already done or left.
Mapping all the entities of our MVP like users, trips, activitiesm, days & votes – proved to be a challenging yet rewarding journey. Through the evolution of our ideas, thoughtful iterations, ER diagrams, and rigorous testing, we successfully materialized our vision. Our collaborative efforts and persistence enabled us to achieve a robust and well-structured system that aligns seamlessly with our goals.

Does your app have any scaling issues?

To scale our app to many users, we would need to use Cloud services to deploy our APIs as we depend on user input a lot.

What are some key takeaways?

It is important to visualise how a lot of things will look before starting development, from designing screens to designing API flows.
Smaller checkpoints were a lot of help as it made us understand what is of utmost priority for us.

Future Steps

We are agreed on moving forward together, whether it is this project or another project, that remains to be seen. It would depend on further research and building new features that we find can be monetizable. Otherwise, we are okay with working together on another MVP. We’ve found a good groove working along side each other, so we’re good with sticking together.

Images

Learnings

Product Manager Learnings:

Eric Chien

In terms of lessons learned, one of my biggest take aways was time management and Prioritization was key in our journey. By Identifying what our users needed most and breaking down user stories into smaller tasks, I ensured that we were investing our time and energy in the right places. This approach allowed us to create a product that was focused and attuned to our users' genuine needs.

I also learned that I could slice across user stories versus focusing one feature at a time to make sure there was something usable every step of the way. It’s great to know that so many methods of building that exist in product like horizontal and vertical slicing

Designer Learnings:

Seriena Wang

While working cross-functionally, I gained a lot of insight about the significance of clear communication to convey design choices to colleagues from non-design backgrounds. Collaborating with diverse teams bolstered my ability to be flexible in my design strategies and reinforced the idea that incorporating different viewpoints leads to more comprehensive solutions.

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:

Yash Surana

I learnt a lot about how the other members of a team think about their tasks. Their work process, mind flow and restrictions. Also learnt issues faced with API integration and workarounds and solutions for them.

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:

Nishant Shrivastva

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I found great satisfaction in conducting surveys and dissecting submissions to precisely define our problem statements. This departure from my usual backend focus allowed me to engage in ideation and analysis. Collaborating with domain experts was inspiring, fostering innovation and a comprehensive project perspective. I look forward to assisting further and enjoyed the ideation phase, survey analysis, and collaborating with skilled team members.

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.

Full Team Learning

As a team, a big learning was that establishing a really good set of norms in the beginning really helped us thread the needle when it came to working together cohesively. That is why we’ve chosen to continue partnering with each other on new projects, whether it’s this one, or another problem space.