Known For Travel - Travel & Community App Design.
Known For Travel is a social-driven travel application designed to help users discover the best places to visit based on user-generated content (UGC). The app combines social media-inspired feeds with accurate mapping and location tracking to create a personalized travel experience.
Key Features:
Aggregates content from Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Interactive map bubbles with location-specific UGC.
Scrollable feeds tailored to user preferences and location.
Social-media-style interactions like likes, comments, and shares.
Target Audience: Frequent travelers, digital nomads, and city explorers aged 18–35 who value authentic, community-generated recommendations over generic tourist guides.
User Experience
Personalization: A single onboarding screen ensures user preferences are captured early without being intrusive.
Navigation: Real-time maps and dynamic content bubbles create a cohesive exploration experience.
Content Curation: By aggregating UGC from trusted platforms, the app delivers visually appealing, authentic recommendations.
Familiar Interactions: The scrolling feed and interactive map bubbles leverage existing social media behaviors, reducing the learning curve for new users.
Design Analysis
1. Sign in Screen
The login screen features a clean and welcoming interface with multiple options, including Apple, Google, TikTok, and Facebook, ensuring ease of access for users. The use of a vibrant blue accent establishes a modern and approachable aesthetic while evoking a sense of trust and reliability.
2. Onboarding
The onboarding experience is streamlined, asking users relevant questions about their travel interests and desired activities. The design balances clarity and minimalism, with icons and interactive elements like checkboxes to make personalization intuitive. By collecting preferences early, the app ensures a tailored experience for each user.
3. Home Feed
The “For You” page adopts a social-media-style scrolling feed, making it instantly familiar to users. Posts highlight user-generated content, including images, descriptions, and hashtags, creating a visually engaging and immersive experience. The subtle use of tabs—“Near You,” “For You,” and “Next Trip”—offers easy navigation without overwhelming the screen.
4. Interactive Map View
The map view introduces dynamic bubbles that reflect nearby locations tied to geotagged user posts. Clicking on a bubble reveals a preview of the location, followed by access to a scrollable feed of related posts. The map’s clean layout, clear labeling, and the addition of functional buttons like "Directions" enhance usability.
5. 3D Map Walking Screen
The walking mode mimics Waze's real-time navigation while incorporating the app’s unique content feature. The map visually tracks the user’s path and displays content bubbles along the route, enabling spontaneous discovery of local attractions. The interface strikes a balance between functionality and simplicity. your text here...
Challenges and Solutions
Integrating Maps and User-Generated Content: Created dynamic bubbles with layered content previews, combining maps and feeds in a visually appealing, functional way.
Balancing Simplicity with Functionality: Designed clean, minimalist layouts with interactive map bubbles to present rich features without overwhelming users.
Ensuring Familiarity with Social Media Elements: Adapted familiar features like scrollable feeds and hashtags, tailoring them to highlight travel-focused content.
Real-Time Navigation Usability: Developed a walking mode with clear directional cues and non-intrusive bubbles, ensuring users stay focused on their routes while interacting with content.
Aggregating Content from Multiple Platforms: Standardized card designs for a cohesive look, presenting diverse content (e.g., TikTok, Instagram) seamlessly across the app.
These strategies ensured the app remains intuitive, visually appealing, and effective for users exploring new destinations.
