travel gals
travel gals
03
personaL
APP DESIGN
Traveling solo can be a transformative experience, but many women still feel insecure or hesitant to do so. This project aims to enhance the solo travel experience by offering a digital solution that empowers more women to explore the world with confidence and connect with new people along the way.
Traveling solo can be a transformative experience, but many women still feel insecure or hesitant to do so. This project aims to enhance the solo travel experience by offering a digital solution that empowers more women to explore the world with confidence and connect with new people along the way.
Role:
UX/UI Designer
Role:
UX/UI Designer
Company:
Project for a MicroDegree
in UX Design
Company:
Project for a MicroDegree
in UX Design
Company:
Project for a MicroDegree in UX Design
Timeline:
2023/2024
Timeline:
2023/2024
Hypothesis
If we provide female travelers with digital safety and connection tools, more women will feel encouraged to travel solo and confidently enjoy the experience.
If we provide female travelers with digital safety and connection tools, more women will feel encouraged to travel solo and confidently enjoy the experience.
Research Discovery
Exploratory Interviews
Exploratory Interviews
I interviewed women travelers (solo, accompanied, and first-time travelers) to understand their behaviors, motivations, and fears when planning a trip.
I interviewed women travelers (solo, accompanied, and first-time travelers) to understand their behaviors, motivations, and fears when planning a trip.
Synthesis of Findings
Synthesis of Findings
Pre-trip planning: They value advance information, but perceived safety concerns when being alone remain a barrier.
Community safety: The key finding is that women feel safer and more confident traveling and socializing with other women, which directly influences how they choose accommodation and activities.
Pre-trip planning: They value advance information, but perceived safety concerns when being alone remain a barrier.
Community safety: The key finding is that women feel safer and more confident traveling and socializing with other women, which directly influences how they choose accommodation and activities.
Actionable Insights
Key insights emerged from the interviews that were turned into design opportunities. Each insight reflects a real need, and the actionables propose how to address it through the digital solution:
Key insights emerged from the interviews that were turned into design opportunities. Each insight reflects a real need, and the actionables propose how to address it through the digital solution:
Insight 1
Destination Safety
"Knowing which areas are safe makes me feel much more at peace."
– Deborah
ACTIONABLES
Show reviews and experiences from fellow female travelers.
Highlight top tourist spots and recommended places.
Provide locations for nearby police stations or help centers.
Insight 2
Confidence in Socializing
"Knowing the interests and travel goals of new people gives me confidence."
– Gabriela
ACTIONABLES
Create verified profiles for female travelers.
Include an option to display each traveler's trip objectives.
Enable a pre-trip chat to interact before connecting at the destination.
Insight 3
Trip Organization
"Having a space where I can organize and share my schedule makes me feel more structured."
– Miriam
ACTIONABLES
Include an online planner to structure itineraries.
Centralize tourist spot information in one place.
Dedicated space to save emergency numbers and important contacts.
Insight 1
Destination Safety
"Knowing which areas are safe makes me feel much more at peace."
– Deborah
ACTIONABLES
Show reviews and experiences from fellow female travelers.
Highlight top tourist spots and recommended places.
Provide locations for nearby police stations or help centers.
MVP Definition
After analyzing insights and prioritizing user needs, I defined an MVP focused on two main pillars: highlighting safe tourist spots and enabling trustworthy connections with new people. The trip organization feature was deferred to future iterations.
Must
Qué es lo mínimo que tengo que hacer para ayudar en este problema?
Should
Puede hacerse en una versión 2
Could
Puede hacerse en una versión 3
Won’t
No se pueden incluir ahora, mucha complejidad o incertidumbre
MVP
OTRAS ITERACIONES
Cómo conocer a nuevas personas
Organizar mejor
su viaje.
Se podría sumar en otra iteración
Mostrar los lugares más turísticos y seguros
Recopilatorio de sitios turísticos
Restaurantes y actividades del lugar.
Recomendaciones de tour por agencias
Preferencia en los géneros y edad
Guardar como favorito los lugares
Reviews por mujeres en base a seguridad.
Recomendar personas con los mismos gustos
Chat
Perfil con fotos y verificados
Objetivos de viaje y gustos
Añadir fechas del viaje.
Añadir lugares que visitaré
Compartir mi cronograma con mi familia
Guardar números de emergencia.
Botón
de emergencia
Mostrar mi viaje en tiempo real.
Ideation and Wireframes
Ideation and Wireframes
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
I created low-fidelity prototypes to validate the onboarding flow and core navigation with real users.
I created low-fidelity prototypes to validate the onboarding flow and core navigation with real users.
Clear value proposition: Explain the app's benefits before sign-up.
Personalization and trust: Selecting interests enables better connections; camera verification is seen as an essential step for safety.
Minimal friction: Users prefer uploading a quick photo initially and completing the rest of their profile later.
Clear value proposition: Explain the app's benefits before sign-up.
Personalization and trust: Selecting interests enables better connections; camera verification is seen as an essential step for safety.
Minimal friction: Users prefer uploading a quick photo initially and completing the rest of their profile later.
Navigation Findings
Navigation Findings
During internal navigation testing, users highlighted key elements to prioritize within the app, centered on trust, safety, and connecting with fellow female travelers:
During internal navigation testing, users highlighted key elements to prioritize within the app, centered on trust, safety, and connecting with fellow female travelers:
Home: Prioritize travel buddy matching as the main screen; destination search moves to the background.
Location Details: Prioritize community reviews and ratings. Recommend travel buddies who have saved the same destination to their favorites.
Backlog / Future Iterations: Include hotels and restaurants.
Traveler Profile: Enhance safety through peer reviews between users. Highlight trust metrics: Top User badge and travel buddy frequency.
Home: Prioritize travel buddy matching as the main screen; destination search moves to the background.
Location Details: Prioritize community reviews and ratings. Recommend travel buddies who have saved the same destination to their favorites.
Backlog / Future Iterations: Include hotels and restaurants.
Traveler Profile: Enhance safety through peer reviews between users. Highlight trust metrics: Top User badge and travel buddy frequency.
Final design
Final design
Access & Registration
Access & Registration
The flow begins with a modern carousel showcasing the app's value proposition before requesting user details, followed by a clean login screen that facilitates quick registration (Social Login) with minimal friction.
The flow begins with a modern carousel showcasing the app's value proposition before requesting user details, followed by a clean login screen that facilitates quick registration (Social Login) with minimal friction.
Onboarding
Onboarding
The onboarding process was structured to build trust progressively, responding to users' need to feel part of a secure community.
The onboarding process was structured to build trust progressively, responding to users' need to feel part of a secure community.
Essential data without saturation: We start by requesting basic information (first name, last name, and country) to personalize the experience without creating friction in the initial steps.
Current travel context: We ask about upcoming travel timeline ("Are you traveling soon?") to filter and prioritize recommendations based on their current status (planning phase or ready to go).
Affinity connection (Interest Tags): We allow categorizing interests (Creativity, Sports, Nightlife) to facilitate matching with travel buddies who share a similar travel style—a feature highly valued during usability testing.
Streamlined photo upload: We designed a visual uploader where users can seamlessly upload a main photo and secondary pictures, deferring the rest of the bio completion for later.
Camera verification (Security Filter): Based on key testing insights, facial verification was implemented as a mandatory step. This biometric filter ensures all profiles belong to real women, creating the trusted environment the community requires.
Datos esenciales sin saturación
Iniciamos solicitando información básica para personalizar la experiencia sin generar fricción.
Traveler Contact Flow
Traveler Contact Flow
Addressing the key finding from navigation testing—where users prioritized finding travel buddies over browsing destination catalogs—this flow centers on social interaction backed by safety validation (social proof).
Addressing the key finding from navigation testing—where users prioritized finding travel buddies over browsing destination catalogs—this flow centers on social interaction backed by safety validation (social proof).
Home on "Travelers": Prioritizes profile cards with matching destinations, highlighting the "Verified" badge to instill immediate peace of mind.
Profile Details: Organizes information into tabs (About Me / My Trips) to review history and social links before reaching out.
Connection Management: Centralizes the list of saved travel buddies and active conversations into a single view.
Secure Chat: Facilitates pre-trip interactions to coordinate details, featuring a direct report button for added safety.
Home on "Travelers": Prioritizes profile cards with matching destinations, highlighting the "Verified" badge to instill immediate peace of mind.
Profile Details: Organizes information into tabs (About Me / My Trips) to review history and social links before reaching out.
Connection Management: Centralizes the list of saved travel buddies and active conversations into a single view.
Secure Chat: Facilitates pre-trip interactions to coordinate details, featuring a direct report button for added safety.
Places Catalog
Places Catalog
Allows users to explore recommended tourist attractions at the destination, connecting each spot with the community through a list of travelers who are also interested in visiting them.
Allows users to explore recommended tourist attractions at the destination, connecting each spot with the community through a list of travelers who are also interested in visiting them.
Conclusions and Learnings
Conclusions and Learnings
Reflection on the Process
Reflection on the Process
I discovered that for female travelers, "safety" isn't solved solely through heatmaps or police data; it is built through support networks and peer recommendations. Community validation mitigates perceived risk much more effectively.
I discovered that for female travelers, "safety" isn't solved solely through heatmaps or police data; it is built through support networks and peer recommendations. Community validation mitigates perceived risk much more effectively.
Potential Impact
Potential Impact
This solution transforms solo travel from a perceived "risky" experience into one backed by a collaborative community. By lowering the fear barrier through profile verification and direct recommendations from fellow travelers, the app not only simplifies logistics, but also empowers more women to confidently choose independent world exploration with peace of mind.
This solution transforms solo travel from a perceived "risky" experience into one backed by a collaborative community. By lowering the fear barrier through profile verification and direct recommendations from fellow travelers, the app not only simplifies logistics, but also empowers more women to confidently choose independent world exploration with peace of mind.
app redesign
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Copyright © 2026 Raquel Sedano. All Rights Reserved.
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A quick look into my experience, skill set,
and background.
Copyright © 2026 Raquel Sedano. All Rights Reserved.