Avia
Timeline
Sept - Dec 2024
Members
Agamjot Kaur, Sukena Abbas, Emily Chan, Scarlet Sun
Defining the problem space
Female travellers often find themselves navigating unsafe environments without a clear sense of security.
Solo travel offers women a unique sense of freedom and independence, but it also comes with significant safety challenges.
Research goal: To explore the safety challenges solo female travellers face, the factors that prevent them from travelling, and the strategies of how they overcome these obstacles.
We’ve scripted a series of questions to guide the 4 semi-structured interviews:
Do you use any resources when traveling alone? If you do, what are your thoughts on them?
How do you think your solo traveling experience could be made to feel more protected?
If you had a genie, what one wish would you make to ease your travel experience?
1.
Women avoid going out after hours and worry about security issues despite staying in reputable accommodations.
2.
Differences in social-cultural values that they might not be aware of before arriving in a certain country
3.
The struggle to find trustworthy connections abroad amplified the solo travelling anxiety
Building empathy with personas:
Through several interviews, we found 3 archetypes including: an anxious student, a white-collar worker & a first-time traveller.
Whether travelling alone for the first time or frequently for co-op and business, while most preventative measures like staying alert and researching the destination beforehand are helpful, they rarely address the real-time safety needs that arise during travel for these users.
How might we
allows women to embrace adventure and autonomy while ensuring their safety and well-being?
How might we
foster a sense of community in a foreign location?
How might we
reduce friction to receive real-time assistance?
Ideation
Concept: What if there was an app that create a travel experience that allows women to embrace adventure while turning uncomfortable situations into familiar journeys?
Mapping the ideas on an impact-versus-effort matrix and applying the MoSCoW analysis for each functional requirements. We came away with a clear image of high-impact priorities.
We tagged the SOS Button and Travel Buddy as Must-Haves. After consulting with our advisor , the team also opted to still prototype location sharing and a travel handbook for their added value to the product's value proposition.
Crazy 8s & Storyboarding
A critical challenge
Each team member had a strong opinion about how to approach the 2 most important features of the app
SOS Button
We considered putting it on the navigation bar that user press and hold if they sensed danger, or having them enter a code to cancel the process.
Decision: I advocated for the idea of having the SOS button as a large button on the home screen as it’s the most prominent, providing a one-tap solution to minimize friction to help.
Companion match
We initially considered limiting the results to three to avoid cognitive biases, but we realized that the comfort of familiarity in a foreign country outweighed that.
Decision: as many choices of compatible travelers are shown as possible.
Low-fi interactive paper prototype
Feedbacks received after running the usability tests:
Redundancy with the hamburger menu at the top and the bottom navigation bar both offered similar functions
Misleading SOS button iconography; it's unclear the button also contains other resources like embassy, emergency services
Sign up process is too simple, raising security concerns; does the user have to login again every time?
We addressed these issues by:
Unified the nav bar
Added descriptive labels to SOS with intuitive icons for both emergency and non-emergency help
Introduced a 2FA onboarding process
Establishing the Design System
I was 1 of 2 people on design system creation. This included setting up the font styles, color styles and the component library.
The Final Solution; Avia
Homescreen & Onboarding process
At the heart of the app is the SOS Button, a feature designed for women’s immediate accessibility to emergency services. The design prioritizes a seamless solution to minimize friction and provide a direct line to help.
The Non-Emergency Contact Info feature provides location-based support for situations that require guidance but not immediate intervention.
Recognizing that solo travel can feel isolating, the Buddy System feature enables users to filter & search for companions based on travel preferences. Users can form meaningful connections that enhance both safety and enjoyment during their journeys.
With Travel Handbook, a centralized repository of essential destination information, including cultural insights, activities, and safety tips,
Testing with users
Using the Observe & Think-Aloud method, we ask the users to complete a number of tasks:
- What's the phone number for Mexico’s national mental health hotline?
- What time is Parke Hotel the least crowded?
- Who is someone who can explore Mexico with you?
- A friend in front of you suddenly has a severe allergic reaction, what do you do?
The team received feedbacks and came up with possible next steps.
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Key Takeaways
Reflecting back on the process, what did I learn?
🔎 Research lays the groundwork
Designing from my own lens is easy—and limiting. I initially thought I understood what solo female travelers needed: stay alert, stick to safe areas, share your location. Interviews showed “stay alert” was a symptom of feeling unsafe; what they really wanted was reassurance, community, and real-time support. That pivot pushed me to drop assumptions, listen deeply, and let users’ stories drive the product.
🎯 Mastering design systems
I underestimated how much work goes into things like icons, border radius, button states, transitioning animations, etc. I came to realized how much attention to detail it takes to make a system scalable and consistent
🧸 Branding that feels like a warm hug
Our app wasn’t just made for women; it was made by women. I wanted the visual identity to reflect that sense of comfort and strength, which is why I drew inspiration from violet flowers. The result? A product that wasn’t just functional, but felt welcoming and intuitive.
