Wanderlust is a rental housing website that makes it easier for you to connect with other travelers by enabling you to find and chat with travelers who are filtered according to your itinerary. Wanderlust also tailors its housing recommendations according to your selected travel type.
PROJECT
Design a rental website, that focuses on building connections between travelers.
TASKS
Concept Development, Branding, User Research, Visual Design, Wireframing, Prototyping
DURATION
2 months
PROJECT TYPE
Personal
IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM
Need:
I discovered that travelers especially those that are single wanted a way to meet other people while traveling.
Opportunity:
How can I facilitate connections between travelers who are staying in the same general area?
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
To understand how I could improve upon and differentiate Wanderlust from current competitors, I analyzed industry leaders such as Airbnb, VRBO, and Expedia.
I found that these competitors didn't have a social aspect to their websites, the main focus was lodging.
I also found that listing results were focused more on property type than the lifestyle of the person traveling.
Price conscious travelers had to click into the property to view a pricing breakdown.
THE VISUAL DESIGN
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Website Fonts
Futura
Logo Fonts
Futura
The Wanderlust brand at its core is about relaxed, fun vibes and the colors chosen are meant to evoke feelings of warmth and the tropics.
LOGO DESIGN
The logo design for Wanderlust was influenced by the movement of the wind. Similar to the wind, the word wanderlust reflects a constant desire to travel and move. The use of the accent color mustard and the san-serif fonts Maku and Futura give the logo a playful feel.
WIREFRAME CONCEPT
USABILITY TESTING
The overall goal of the usability tests was to determine if users felt that the addition of the social connection feature added value in comparison to other rental websites currently on the market.
I conducted two usability tests with 5/6 participants per test. Participants were asked to give feedback based on ease of navigation and visual design. I also asked participants for feedback regarding the connection feature and if it enhanced their experience.
REFLECTIONS
By allowing users to interact with other travelers, I hoped to provide users with an opportunity to socialize in realtime as they do on many apps and websites with a social component.
In general, users offered positive feedback and liked that they could connect with other travelers. If I were to further develop the website, I would focus on the host aspect and how they would connect with the travelers booking their property.
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