SNAPSHOT

In the fragmented world of bus travel, booking a trip can feel like a guessing game. Routely was conceived to solve this very problem: a digital platform designed to provide a unified, stress-free experience for booking bus travel across Europe.

The project's success would be measured by its ability to simplify a complex process for a key demographic: recent college graduates looking for an intuitive, reliable way to plan their next adventure.

Interactive Prototype

PROBLEM

For travelers, booking a bus ticket across Europe should be an exciting start to an adventure, not a source of stress. Beginning with only a logo, the challenge was to solve a problem that is frustratingly common: fragmented information scattered across dozens of confusing websites, outdated booking apps, and a lack of transparent pricing.

The goal was to tackle this head-on by creating a single, reliable platform that could consolidate bus options and provide a sense of confidence in travel plans. The core problem wasn't just finding a bus; it was the anxiety and guesswork that came with the process itself.

PROCESS

Given a blank slate, the first step was to deeply understand the user's journey. I started with user research, confirming that travelers value time and confidence, but are frustrated by outdated technology. This led me to develop a user persona: Kevin, a recent college graduate — whose needs became the driving force behind every design decision.

From there, I conducted a competitive analysis, highlighting a key insight: while other platforms excel at one aspect of the user journey, no single solution provides a truly seamless, end-to-end experience. This validated the need for Routely as a consolidated, reliable source. Finally, I moved into usability testing with a mobile prototype.

The results confirmed my initial assumptions and revealed opportunities for improvement, particularly around the length of the checkout process and navigation consistency. The feedback directly informed the final design, leading to a more streamlined and intuitive user experience.

SOLUTION

The final product was a unified digital platform that brings clarity and confidence to the travel experience, proving that great UX can turn a frustrating process into an intuitive one.

The final UI was designed to be bright, clean, and simplified, allowing users to effortlessly find, book, and manage their trips.I used a strategic color scheme to evoke the right emotions: a dark turquoise green to instill a sense of stability and reliability, and a burnt sunset orange to represent the warmth of culture and adventure.

I also prioritized the use of high-quality destination photos to immerse the user in their potential journey, tapping into the visual language of social media to make the experience feel aspirational and relatable.

Key features like Apple Pay, the option to share a ticket, and a streamlined checkout process directly addressed the core pain points identified in the research phase, providing a stress-free and modern booking solution for travelers.

REFLECTION

This project underscored a vital lesson: a designer's role is not just to solve a functional problem, but to alleviate emotional pain points. I learned that for a young traveler, the anxiety of being potentially stranded in a foreign country is a major factor in the user experience. By designing for a stress-free journey and incorporating features that provide real-time updates, I could directly address and calm those anxieties.

I also discovered a clear generational divide between who the mass travel sites cater to and what modern travelers actually need. This insight validated the importance of adding features like Apple Pay, photo-rich interfaces, and the ability to share tickets.

Looking back, I would have made the UI buttons on the ticket confirmation page more prominent and created a dedicated button to easily add a ticket to Apple Wallet, making the final step of the journey even more seamless.