Travellers plan in one app, read reviews in another, search for a guide somewhere else and hope they never need help. Explore Ease puts discovery, trusted local guides and safety in one place, so people explore unfamiliar places with confidence.
What I did
AInterviews, competitive and gap analysis
BPersonas, empathy map, journey map
CUser flow, card sorting, information architecture
DName, logo and design system
EWireframes → 50+ hi-fi screens → Figma prototype
FLaunch ads, social posts, user testing
The first screen · Get started
How I worked
01 · Discover
Listen
Interviews, research, competitors.
02 · Define
Frame it
Personas, empathy and journey maps.
03 · Ideate
Structure
User flow, card sorting, IA.
04 · Design
Build
Wireframes, brand, visual design.
05 · Test
Check
Usability tests with real travellers.
02
02 · The problem
Too much information, too little trust.
PAIN 01
Information is scattered
Plans, reviews, maps and tips live in different apps, and much of it is out of date.
PAIN 02
Good guides are hard to find
Touts push tours at stations; hired guides can lack knowledge, language or professionalism.
PAIN 03
Help is far away
In an unfamiliar city, few know the local emergency number, the nearest police station or the language.
Why we picked itNews of tourists in India being scammed, harassed or attacked, and research showing solo travellers hesitate to hire a guide they can’t trust. Bad experiences hurt the traveller and the place.
Who it’s for
International touristsFirst-time visitors to IndiaSolo travellersGroup travellersBusiness travellersAdventure seekersCulture loversBudget travellers
03
03 · Research
Everyone wanted the same three things.
Qualitative interviews with solo travellers, families, couples and business travellers, plus tour and travel companies, on how they pick places, get around, eat and stay safe.
04Traveller types interviewed
Solo, families, couples, business.
03Apps benchmarked
TripAdvisor, MakeMyTrip, Goibibo.
01Gap found
No single app covers it all.
What we heard
Safety, security and price come first, whatever the budget
Families look for kid-friendly stays and activities
Luxury travellers want personal service and smooth bookings
Language is a wall: translation and local phrases help
People want emergency help and trusted contacts in the app
Nothing they use today does all of this in one place
Competitive landscape
TA
TripAdvisor
Huge database, reviews, community
Agents not cooperative, overpriced, dated UI
my
MakeMyTrip
Every booking, good prices, friendly UI
Prices rise at checkout, high fees
go
Goibibo
Deals, hourly rooms, rewards
Booking first, little help on the ground
The gapBooking apps stop at the booking. Nobody pairs discovery with verified local guides and an SOS toolkit for the trip itself.
04
04 · Users
Four passports, four kinds of trip.
Passport · USA
EM
Name
Emily
Age
28 · business
Travels
Solo, on a budget
Solo
WantsHikes, hidden gems, local food, and safety tips for women travelling alone.
WorriesBudget, being alone in remote areas, transport and hygiene.
P<USAEMILY<<SOLO<<<<<<<<<<
Passport · Spain
MA
Name
Maria
Age
45 · married
Travels
With two young kids
Family
WantsKid-friendly stays, culture and outdoor time the whole family enjoys.
WorriesDifferent ages to please, children’s safety, language barriers.
P<ESPMARIA<<FAMILY<<<<<<<<
Passport · UK
JA
Name
James
Age
35 · married
Travels
Luxury, with family
Luxury
WantsPremium stays, fine dining and private tours, all arranged smoothly.
WorriesSeamless bookings, extreme weather, cultural sensitivity.
P<GBRJAMES<<LUXURY<<<<<<<<
Passport · India
PR
Name
Priya
Age
35 · married
Travels
Family sightseeing
Sightseer
WantsLandmarks and heritage sites, comfortable stays, easy transport.
WorriesCultural differences, touts and scams, family needs.
P<INDPRIYA<<SIGHTS<<<<<<<<
Empathy map: a first week in India.
Says
“Wow, this place is so colourful!”
“How much does this cost?”
“Can you recommend real local dishes?”
Thinks
“I hope I can get through these crowded streets.”
“I should learn a few phrases in Hindi.”
“Will I find my way back to the hotel?”
Does
Photographs the Taj Mahal and Hawa Mahal
Tries samosas, chaat and dosas
Takes guided tours of the Red Fort
Feels
Amazed by the landscapes and culture
Overwhelmed in busy cities
Frustrated haggling with vendors
First-time visitor
05
05 · Journey map
Four stops where travellers get stuck.
Goal
Pain point
So we designed
06
06 · Ideation
Best ideas, worst ideas, then the blend.
Naming the worst version of the app showed us what to avoid as clearly as the best ideas showed what to build.
Best possible
+An AI guide that plans tours around your interests
+A social layer: local experts, food walks, shared tips
+Sustainable travel: eco stays, low-carbon transport
Worst possible
−Outdated info, crashes, ads and pop-ups everywhere
−Copied content and careless handling of personal data
−Spammy recommendations and fake reviews
What we keptAn AI “plan my day” helper, rated local guides you can message or call, and a one-tap safety hub. No clutter, no ads, real reviews.
07
07 · Information architecture
Five tabs, each one thumb away.
Card sorting grouped 60+ items into five tabs. SOS gets its own tab, so help is never more than one tap away.
Splash
Log in / sign up
Choose destination
Filters
CountryActivitiesPrice rangeLength of stayRatings
HomeDiscover
ExploreSuggested for your place
Must seeCulture, food, festivals, shows
Make a tripHotels, transport, food, places
Places to eat
WishesSave
Saved places
Bucket list
GuideFind your way
Map
Audio guide
Top-rated tour guides
SOSStay safe
Emergency contacts
Police station
Information about the place
Live location
First aid
Voice translator
ProfileMe
My account
Bookings · schedules
Tour guide
Security · transactions
Help & support
User flow · from landing to sharing the adventure
Landing
Log in
Set preferences
Choose adventure
Choose destination
Home
Explore places
Search filter
Results
Adventure details
Wishlist
Book trip
Contact tour guide
Schedule the trip
Connect with community
Share the adventure
08
08 · Wireframes
Grey boxes first, colour later.
Mid fidelity · 16 screens
01 / 16
Splash
Sign in
Onboarding
Interests
Explore
Hotels
Hotel
Reviews
Room
Booking
Guide profile
Guides
Flights
Plane seat
Train seat
Platform
Drag: wireframe on the left, final on the right.
WireFinal
Splash
WireFinal
Interests
WireFinal
Explore
WireFinal
Guides
09
09 · Branding
A compass that points to hidden gems.
The name
Short-listed in my sketchbook: easy to remember, friendly, easy to use.
Your GuideBeyond BordersTravel BuddyRoaming RouteExplore Ease
Sketchbook · naming
Sketches · direction, pin, globe, E
Nine digital explorations
The pick · compass + key features
Travel made simple
01Compass · no more wandering around for information
02Spark · the hidden gem it unlocks
03Dotted route · the wordmark travels from a start dot to an X
Blue · calmRed · attentionYellow · joy
UI colour
Sky#2F8EC1
Sun#FADF2F
Sunset#FF9950
Forest#2F8507
Lagoon#36C4DD
Dusk#BC9BFF
Cloud#FFFFFF
HeadingsAaInria Serif
“Explore”, “Hi, Adam”: a warm, bookish voice.
Bold · Regular
InterfaceAaInter
Every label, list and button.
Light · Regular · Medium · Semibold
BrandEeDays One
Taglines and campaign headlines.
Regular
Mood board
From lost and tired to free and relaxed.
Before the app
After the app
10
10 · Final UI
One trip, from the first tap to safe.
Keep scrolling to walk the main flow of the prototype, screen by screen.
Delhi → HaridwarStep 01 / 09
11
11 · Features
Plan, book, guide, stay safe.
Hi-fi screens · tap one to enlarge
01 / 20
01 · PlanExplore a city
History, the best time to visit, things to do and a map of temples and ghats.
OnboardingHaridwarGalleryMap
02 · Plan the day“Help me plan my day”
AI builds an itinerary; your schedule tracks what’s next.
Plan my dayScheduleProfile
03 · BookStays and tickets
Hotels, flights and trains, with seat maps and one clear summary.
HotelFlightsSummaryTrain ticket
04 · Stay safeHelp in one tap
Police nearby with call and directions, and a two-way voice translator.
SOSPoliceTranslator
12
12 · Safety
Designed for the worst moment of a trip.
01One big Help button · alerts every saved emergency contact
02Big, colour-coded tiles · readable in panic, no menus to dig through
03Police nearby · distance, opening hours, call and directions
04Voice translator · speak or point the camera, both languages shown
Police nearbyVoice translate
13
13 · Launch campaign
Postcards from the launch.
Where travellers already wait: airports, metro stations, seat-back screens, city billboards and their feeds.
Poster · Jaipur
Key visual
Airport
In flight
Instagram
Billboard · Barcelona
Airport walkway
Brochure
Metro
Web banner
Street
Banner + QR
14
14 · User testing
Four travellers, four postcards back.
We sent the prototype to travellers and asked what worked and what didn’t.
Tester 01The “help me plan my day” feature is quite unique and handy.Tester 02Good, but the tab bar icons change position when you switch sections.Tester 03It has everything a traveller needs; the functionality could improve.Tester 04All the information about a place before travelling. That’s great.
What I’d fix nextLock the tab bar: Home stays in the middle and the other icons never move, on every tab. Then deepen the planner, the feature testers loved most.
15
15 · Outcome & impact
A scattered trip, made one journey.
Arrived0Weeks, research to prototype
Visa50+Hi-fi screens
Entry0Personas
Checked0Testers
IMPACT 01
One app for the whole trip
Discover, plan, book, guide and SOS in one connected experience.
IMPACT 02
Confidence and safety
Verified guides with reviews, live location and help one tap away.
IMPACT 03
Clear next steps
Testers liked having everything in one place and showed us exactly what to refine.
16
16 · Reflection
What this project taught me.
LESSON 01
Safety is a feature
It earned its own tab, not a link buried in settings.
LESSON 02
Consistency builds trust
One moving tab bar icon was enough to confuse testers.
WireFinal
WireFinal
WireFinal
WireFinal
