Problem

People often waste time switching between multiple platforms (Google Maps, TripAdvisor, event pages, booking sites) when planning a day out or a trip. The experience feels fragmented, especially when coordinating activities, reservations, and payments.

Primary Users

Research Methods

• 6 qualitative user interviews in Barcelona.

• Competitive analysis of apps like Airbnb Experiences, Google Maps, and TheFork.

Key Insights

• Users want reliable local recommendations that feel curated, not overwhelming.

• They dislike switching between apps for discovery, booking, and payment.

• Transparent price breakdowns and easy group coordination increase trust.

Ideation

Key Features Explored

• “Near Me” discovery feed: Location-based suggestions for dining, nightlife, and activities.

• Curated experiences: Customizable day plans (“All day long”) and destination bundles.

• Integrated booking: Calendar-based date and participant selection.

• Seamless payments: Stripe integration for trust and ease.

• User profile: Track upcoming bookings and manage preferences.

Main Flows Designed

1. Onboarding / Login → Personalized recommendations.

2. Explore “Near Me” → Filter by activity type and see top-rated venues.

3. Detail View → Venue info, images, price, and available dates.

4. Booking Flow → Date selection, participants, and transparent pricing breakdown.

5. Payment (Stripe) → Apple Pay or card checkout.

6. Upcoming Events → Summary of confirmed plans.

Navigation Structure

Bottom navigation bar with 4 primary sections:
🏠 Home | 📅 Calendar | 💬 Chat | 👤 Profile

Design — Visual & Interaction Choices

• Dark mode palette: Creates a premium, immersive experience (black, gold, beige).

• Typography: Elegant sans-serif (Space Grotesk) for readability and modern appeal.

• Imagery: High-quality, warm-toned photos to evoke luxury and emotion.

• Buttons & CTAs: Rounded, minimal, clearly distinguished for mobile accessibility.

Design Principles

• Trust through clarity: Clear price breakdown and confirmation steps.

• Emotionally engaging visuals: Encourage exploration through photography.

• Cognitive simplicity: Minimal steps per action (discovery → booking → payment).

Test — Usability Validation

• Prototype tested with 6 participants (3 travelers, 3 business org.)

• Focused on “discover → select → book → pay” journey

Key Findings

The most significant finding was that the experiences were not easy to click on, indicating a need for a more visual way to display them. Additionally, many users abandoned the process before booking and paying for the experience because the payment method was not quick enough. Conversely, we need to find a direct and clear way to display upcoming booked experiences.

Constraints & Considerations

• Technical: Dependence on third-party APIs for location & booking data.

• Business: Monetization through service fees and partnerships.

• Legal: Compliance with data protection (GDPR).

• UX: Balance between premium aesthetic and performance (load time, imagery).

Outcome and Lessons learned

This project highlighted how easily design decisions can be driven by assumptions rather than evidence. Early in the process, we explored multiple approaches to the user experience and attempted to anticipate all possible scenarios. However, many of these assumptions proved unreliable once we began testing. Conducting user testing in the early stages was essential to uncover real user behaviors, identify incorrect hypotheses, and refocus the solution on what actually mattered. This reinforced the importance of validating ideas early to reduce risk, avoid over-design, and make more confident, user-centered decisions.