Overview

Role: UX Designer (solo project)
Timeline: Semester project
Tools: Figma, Miro, Google Forms
Methods: Literature review, competitive analysis, survey, interviews, empathy map, affinity map, ideation workshop, wireframes, usability testing
Focus: Sustainable design, accessibility, user motivation, eco-conscious decision-making

Goal:
Design a mobile app that helps users plan sustainable trips by providing accessible information, motivating eco-friendly choices, and reducing the complexity of sustainable travel planning.

The Problem

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges today.
While many people express interest in sustainable travel, they often choose less eco-friendly options due to lack of information, inconvenience, or overwhelm.

 

Problem Statement:
Travelers need an intuitive tool that makes sustainable travel planning simple, motivating, and accessible.

 

Vision:
Empower users to travel more sustainably by providing clear, reliable information and showing the positive environmental impact of their choices.

Process: Design Thinking

1. Empathize

To understand barriers to sustainable travel, I combined secondary and primary research:

• Literature review explored the importance of sustainable travel and user attitudes toward eco-conscious choices.

• Competitive analysis revealed that most travel apps prioritize convenience, not sustainability.

• Survey (13 participants) identified key challenges:

  • Lack of centralized information

  • Confusion about what’s truly “sustainable”

  • Motivation fading when planning feels difficult

• Interviews (semi-structured) provided deeper insight into user emotions and expectations.

Key insights:

• Users feel guilty about unsustainable choices but need convenience and clarity.

• They want to see the impact of their decisions.

• Overwhelm and conflicting information reduce motivation.

2. Define

Synthesized data using empathy and affinity maps to identify patterns.

Persona – Emma, 29, eco-conscious traveler

• Wants to travel sustainably but gets overwhelmed.

• Needs trustworthy guidance and tools that make green choices easy.

• Values clarity, personal impact tracking, and smooth planning.

Point of View:
Eco-conscious travelers need a simple, motivating tool that provides trustworthy guidance and helps them feel their choices matter.

User Needs:

• Centralized, clear info about sustainable transport, lodging, and activities

• Personalization (interests, goals)

• Emotional motivation through visible impact

3. Ideate

I facilitated an ideation workshop using brainwriting and mind mapping.

Top ideas generated:

1. Sustainable Trip Planner – plan full journeys with eco-friendly options

2. Emissions Tracker – visualize CO₂ saved through user choices

3. Destination Tips – local eco-activities and impact education

How Might We Questions:

• How might we show that sustainable travel is not inconvenient?

• How might we motivate users through visible impact?

• How might we reduce overwhelm when presenting options?

Prioritized ideas using MoSCoW:

• Must-haves: Trip planner, emission tracker, simple navigation

• Should-haves: Local tips, user profiles with interests/goals

• Could-haves: Gamification, social sharing

4. Prototype

Built low-fidelity wireframes to test structure and navigation:

• Sign-up flow: collects name, goals, interests

• Home screen: trip planner, emissions tracker, menu

• Trip planner: start-to-finish journey planning

• Menu page: blogs, guides, local activities

• Profile page: history and progress

Applied Don Norman’s Three Levels of Design:

• Visceral: Calm, trustworthy appearance

• Behavioral: Streamlined tasks, one-click planning

• Reflective: Pride in sustainability, visible achievements

5. Test

Conducted formative usability testing (3 participants, remote):

• Tasks: sign up, plan a trip, use emissions tracker, explore menu

• Goal: Evaluate clarity, motivation, and usability

Findings:

• Sign-up: Lacked personalization; users wanted more custom input

• Trip planner: Confusion between “+” and “Plan a Trip” → unified button

• Emissions tracker: Not enough info on how data was calculated

• Menu: Purpose unclear → needed stronger content labels

Recommendations:

1. Simplify trip planning into local vs. long-distance categories

2. Add visual feedback for emissions tracker

3. Rework menu to highlight benefit to user

4. Include short tips during onboarding for better guidance

Design Principles & Accessibility

• Clarity: Clean layout with minimal steps per task

• Trust: Transparent calculations and visible impact

• Motivation: Positive reinforcement, not guilt

• Accessibility: Legible text, high contrast, intuitive navigation

Outcomes

Travel Green helps users:

• Easily plan eco-friendly trips

• See the environmental value of their decisions

• Build motivation through visible progress and positive feedback

Core result:
A concept validated by testing, with clear next steps for refinement.

Reflection

This project strengthened my ability to:

• Combine quantitative and qualitative insights

• Turn complex topics into simple, actionable flows

• Recognize the emotional side of sustainability and motivation

What didn’t work:

• Users wanted more trustworthy data in the emissions tracker

• The first version’s menu and labels lacked clarity

• Recruitment for a wider demographic was limited

Next Steps

• Conduct further testing on redesigned features

• Partner with real data sources (e.g., transport APIs) for accurate tracking

• Explore gamification (e.g., CO₂ milestones) to maintain motivation

• Add localized content for global usability