Ecotravel is the prototype for an application dedicated to promoting sustainable travel by offering features such as eco-friendly travelling, accommodation and activity selections, calculating the user's CO2 footprint, and suggesting methods to offset the impact created by the trip.
It promotes sustainable tourism by making it easy and rewarding for travellers to minimise their carbon footprint while enjoying fun activities, resting in luxurious accommodations and travelling safely.
In this group project, I focused on contributing to our collective goal by leveraging my skills and insights to enhance the app's user experience and environmental mission. I worked on scheduling and task management, documentation, user research and analysis, user journey, branding, sketching, wireframing and prototyping of the Accommodation flow, user testing, and final presentation.
Overview
Role
Scrum Master, UX Research & Visual Design
User Research/analysis 3 weeks
UX/UI Design: 4 weeks
Presentation: 1 week
Durations
Challenges
Changing Mindset: Consumers are increasingly concerned about climate change and pollution.
Rising Emissions: Tourism-related greenhouse gas emissions are expected to rise by 25% by 2030 (The World Counts, 2020).
Trends: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the trend towards sustainable travel (Hederer, 2022).
Tourism Recovery: Global tourism is not expected to recover to 2019 levels until 2023 (Behsudi, 2020).
Consumer Demand: 90% of consumers look for sustainable options when travelling (Expedia Group, 2022).
Problem Statement
Travellers consider themselves environmentally conscious and would take more responsibility for their carbon footprint if they could clearly understand the impact of their travel choices, track their footprint and receive incentives to do better. Users must easily identify cost-effective sustainable alternatives that do not impede their established habits and daily routines or impede their holiday goals. They would expect to access the service by both mobile and desktop methods.
Results
Key Features
Comprehensive Travel Experience: The application allows users to seamlessly book their journey offering bookings for activities, accommodation, and selecting eco-friendly transportation options.
Eco-conscious Planning Tools: the app provides a feature to calculate the environmental impact of travel choices in terms of CO2 emissions and employs AI to recommend alternatives for offsetting this footprint, aiming for a sustainable travel experience.
Incentives for Sustainability: Ecotravel enhances user engagement by integrating a rewards program and facilitating contributions to environmental charities, such as tree planting initiatives.
Design Process
User Research
We interviewed a sustainability professional who shared useful information on problems (e.g., greenwashing) and trends (e.g., affordable, popular solutions for CO2 offsetting). We conducted mixed methods research (survey and interviews) to discover user habits and needs. The data derived was analysed with an affinity map to produce How Might We statements and create our persona.
We analysed the competitive landscape, noting the vast and growing market for sustainable tourism. Existing platforms offer some sustainable options, but a specialised app was needed to tackle sustainable tourism holistically.
Competitor Analysis
How Might We statements
The statements from the interviews and survey were categorised into groups. The 'How Might We' statements created from these have revealed the users' pain points and, consequently, their needs.
Persona
Meet Sam, a 38-year-old urban professional who is passionate about sustainability but struggles to find reliable eco-friendly travel options.
Journey Map
We mapped Sam's journey to identify key stages and potential pain points, ensuring our app addresses these effectively.
Branding & Accessibility
In developing the Ecotravel app, I prioritised accessibility to create an inclusive experience for all users. Following a user-centred design approach, I used the accessibility heuristic evaluation checklists to identify and resolve usability barriers, ensuring compliance with WCAG standards for users with varying abilities. We selected the Montserrat and Mulish font pairing for its legibility and modern aesthetic, and carefully calibrated the colour palette, balancing eco-friendly tones with sufficient contrast to meet WCAG Level AA standards. These efforts reflect our commitment to delivering a sustainable travel platform that is inclusive, user-friendly, and visually engaging.
Prototyping
I designed the Ecotravel accommodation flow prototype to make selecting sustainable accommodation straightforward and engaging. The design allowed users to easily filter and book eco-friendly stays based on sustainability criteria. I created wireframes and interactive prototypes to guide users seamlessly through searching, booking, and monitoring their environmental impact. Usability testing offered valuable insights, leading to refinements in layout and feature prioritisation to improve user experience and accessibility.
Results & Impact
User testing with five participants revealed that 80% found the eco-friendly travel suggestions intuitive and motivating. Feedback highlighted the CO2 footprint calculator as particularly engaging, encouraging users to explore more sustainable travel options. Participants appreciated the rewards system, noting it increased their likelihood of adopting eco-conscious habits. Based on feedback, future improvements could include more personalised travel recommendations and clearer pathways to redeem rewards.
Future Plans
The Ecotravel app represents a significant step forward in promoting sustainable travel. By providing users with tools to make eco-friendly travel choices, we aim to reduce the carbon footprint of tourism and encourage more responsible travel habits. The project has taught us valuable lessons about user-centred design and the importance of aligning our solutions with environmental goals.
Plans for Ecotravel include creating a platform with an expanded database of eco-friendly options, integrating more advanced AI features for personalised recommendations, and developing partnerships with environmental organisations to enhance our impact.
Testimonial