Project Summary

Project Title

Collaborative Trip Planning & Expense Management App for College Students

Objective

The goal of this project was to design an app that simplifies trip planning and expense management for college students. Through user research and design exploration, I aimed to address common pain points college students face when planning group trips, such as coordinating schedules, tracking payments, and ensuring accountability. This app provides a centralized space where students can easily manage shared expenses, keep everyone updated, and track who has paid their share.

Why I Did It

Planning group trips often involves multiple layers of coordination—selecting a destination, budgeting, splitting costs, and keeping everyone in sync. College students frequently experience delays and frustrations due to unclear roles, missed payments, and lack of transparency in expenses. My research highlighted a strong need for a streamlined platform to help manage these challenges. This project was inspired by insights gathered through interviews, where users expressed a desire for real-time payment tracking, clear accountability, and centralized communication for better group alignment. This app is designed to fill that gap and enhance the group travel experience.

Design Decisions

1. Intuitive User Flow and Clear Navigation
   I focused on creating a seamless, guided onboarding experience for users to easily start a trip and invite friends. Each screen in the setup process is intuitive, asking essential questions about the trip (name, destination, dates, group members) to establish a foundation for the trip plan.

2. Expense Breakdown and Real-Time Payment Tracking
   The home screen features a breakdown of expenses by category (e.g., Airbnb, Gas Money, Food) with a clear indicator of the remaining balance for each. Users can instantly see which expenses are fully paid or still require contributions, providing transparency and accountability. A “Paid” label for fully covered expenses was added to eliminate any ambiguity around zero balances.

3. Visual Hierarchy and Emphasis on Key Actions
   Key actions such as “Add an Expense” or “Create Your First Trip” were designed with a strong visual hierarchy to guide users' attention. Primary actions are highlighted with blue buttons, while secondary actions (like “Back”) are more subtle, keeping the user focused on the primary tasks. Drop shadows were applied to interactive elements to give them depth and make the interface feel dynamic and clickable.

4. Alignment with User Needs and Preferences
   Based on user interviews, I prioritized features that directly address common pain points, such as the ability to see who has paid and reminders for unpaid contributions. The app also provides the option for a designated trip leader to manage logistics, based on feedback that having a clear leader improves group coordination.

5. Optional Communication and Coordination Features
   Additional features like a shared group space for updates or a live progress bar for fund collection were considered to improve communication and motivation. These features help users stay aligned without switching between multiple platforms for planning and updates.

Final Result

The final design is a cohesive, user-friendly app that simplifies trip planning and expense management for college students. It incorporates a clean and intuitive UI, with interactive elements and clear payment tracking, making it easy for groups to coordinate and manage their trips effectively. The app’s design is informed by real user needs and offers a comprehensive solution that addresses the challenges of group travel planning and expense accountability.

Built With

• figma