Voyella (She Goes)

ROLE

Chief Design Officer

TEAM

Voyella

DURATION

July 2024 - August 2024 (15 Days)

Voyella is a platform that provides essential tools such as travel reviews, safety tips, and the ability to connect with other women travelers. Its aim is to create a secure, community-driven platform that bridges the gap between safety and freedom for women traveling solo.

Voyella, a travel app designed to address the unique safety concerns of solo female travellers.

The Voyella project received overwhelming validation from multiple sources. Over 300 signatures of support were collected, affirming the need for our solution. Investor feedback was highly positive, with many expressing strong interest in the brand’s potential.

Additionally, we were nominated by Nixon Peabody for the prestigious Trademark Artisan Award, valued at $3K, recognizing Voyella as an “exceptionally brilliant” brand with strong U.S. trademark potential. This recognition further reinforces the strength and uniqueness of our project.

Results + Feedback

My Contribution

I led the ideation session for Voyella, where I facilitated user-driven brainstorming and conducted 1:1 interviews with users of competitor apps during the ideation stage, guiding them to sketch their vision of the ideal prototype.

Using these visualizations, I took charge of creating the app’s prototype, translating the user’s ideas into a functional design. Thereafter, I gathered further feedback to refined the user flow, ensuring an intuitive and user-centred experience.

Furthermore, I took charge of the creation of Typeform surveys for Voyella, synthesizing data from over 100 responses that shaped our business plan, marketing strategies, and product features.

In the rapidly growing global solo travel market, women represent 85% of solo travelers, with 88% of them reporting discomfort due to safety concerns.

Problem

Women (ages 18-34) planning solo travels, a market segment expected to grow significantly in the coming years, with $128 million projected in solo travel spending.

Target Users

To understand users’ travel pain points and preferences, our team conducted a social media survey, gathering over 100 responses across various age groups. Key insights revealed a desire for authentic cultural experiences, with concerns about safety during nighttime exploration and the need for reliable information.

Insights + Takeaways

  • Traveler’s prioritize safety and community engagement.

  • Common concerns include navigating unfamiliar environments.

  • Authentic cultural experiences are highly valued, with a willingness to pay more for immersive opportunities.

  • Users seek platforms that offer community-driven support and real time safety updates.

Research

I conducted a comparative analysis of apps such as Google Maps, TripAdvisor, and NomadHer to gain insights into competitor design strategies and their approaches to enhancing user experiences in travel planning.

Competitor Analysis

Designing the Product

Key Features

  • Seamless Discovery: Effortlessly explore local experiences with options to rate them based on safety, cleanliness, aesthetics, and service quality.

  • Community Connection: Connect with other women who share similar interests, fostering a supportive travel community.

  • Tailored Recommendations: Receive personalized suggestions curated to align with individual user preferences for a more enriching travel experience

  • Conducted one-on-one interviews with users of competitor apps, prompting them to sketch their vision for an ideal prototype.

  • Used these visualizations as a foundation to lead the development of the app’s prototype, effectively translating user insights into a functional design.

  • Gathered additional feedback to refine the user flow, ensuring an intuitive and user-centered experience that aligns with users’ needs.

User Interviews

Design, Test, Iterate

In this phase, I prioritized simplicity and clarity, emphasizing the app's killer feature out of the three: seamless discovery.

The goal was to empower women to effortlessly explore local experiences while providing them with the ability to rate options based on safety, cleanliness, aesthetics, and service quality.

Despite the limited time frame, we successfully developed high-fidelity prototypes that not only showcased the app’s ideal functionality but also served as valuable marketing collateral and visual assets for investors.

Takeaways

Navigating Constraints, Adapting Under Pressure.

Participating in the European Innovation Academy was an incredible experience. It was my first time abroad, collaborating with team members from various disciplines to develop a product in a startup environment, culminating in the thrilling opportunity to pitch our project to investors and venture capitalists.

However, it also came with its share of challenges. Each day brought different moving parts, and with limited time, I had the chance to apply my knowledge in a fast-paced, dynamic setting. One of the greatest challenges was developing the prototype while trying to understand how users would navigate it, given the short timeframe and limited testing opportunities.

While we aimed for ideal functionality, the constraints meant our prototypes may not have captured every detail perfectly. Nevertheless, they effectively illustrated the core concept of the application. Despite these challenges, the prototypes served as a solid foundation for grasping the application's vision and value.