Unpluggd Travel
Redefining how you discover the world
OUR ROLE
Product Client
UI/UX Designer
Fullstack Developer
Tools
Figma, React Native, Node.js, MongoDB, GraphQL, Express
Date
2022
Because travelers should truly own their experiences
The world is at an interesting new intersection, where everything is switching to the digital realm, yet after two years of restricted movement due to the pandemic, people across the globe are eagerly rediscovering the joy and freedom of travel and human interaction. So how do we digitize an in-person experience? How do we merge the ease and comfort of web browsing with the rush of finding all the great locals’ hang out spots on your 3-day trip?
Global tourism is a trillion-dollar industry and the gifts, novelty and souvenirs market share is expected to rise by USD 11.88 billion by 2025. At this rate, it seems the perfect time for a shakeup in the sector. Being the shovel-making enthusiasts that we are here at Unpluggd, we took the project head-on.
Ideation
An NFT passport. A well-integrated, remote-work enabler. The next Trip Advisor. This is where the project started, and here's where we are now.
Conceptual Design
Starting with the Unpluggd aesthetic, our designers developed a concept for a travel app while building in key functionalities.
MVP Development
There are so many things this app can do and we want to tackle them all! But we had to start somewhere, and based on research and a knowledge of our target market, starting simple with a focus on souvenirs was the way to go.
Testing
We'll be sharing an early release of the product to generate buzz and get feedback on what users want next.
Our Process
Research the market
On a hunch that the travel industry could greatly benefit from blockchain and nft involvement, we dug deeper and found out that souvenirs are a hugely underdeveloped niche market.
Develop the concept
The team considered a broad range of ways that users could best use blockchain technologies in traveling to improve their experiences. With almost too many to choose from, we narrowed in on a strong MVP idea and kept a list of other options in our back pocket for future development.
Gather Feedback
We put together a landing page of all the key features we wanted to launch with. This would be used to gauge interest from both potential users and partners while helping us craft the messaging of the app.
Design & Development
Once the flows and layouts were in place, it was time to build the app. Design lasted just shy of two months and with development ongoing, we’re on track for a start-to-finish launch in five months.
Color
As one of our pilot products, it was important for this travel app to carry the Unpluggd brand – crisp and minimal with a fresh spin. Imagery is the main focus here, so we kept the background mellow and used color sparingly as a accent or highlight, allowing the NFT designs and location images to pop.
Typography
Round-bodied sans serif fonts are signature of Unpluggd Media Group. For Unpluggd Travels, we went a bit flatter and wider to follow the image layouts on the page.
Aa
Body
Archivo
Name
large text bold
large text regular
medium text bold
medium text regular
normal text bold
normal text regular
small text bold
small text regular
Font size
20px
18px
16px
14px
Line height
28px
25.2px
22.4px
19.6px
Sleek & Immersive
Like every great experience should be
The goal with Unpluggd Travel is to create a new way for travellers to discover new places, choose their experiences and cherish the memories in this digital era where ownership is king. To make that work, that app has to balance providing a huge amount of visually appealing information to draw users into the possibilities without overwhelming them. How did we do?
Collaborative Approach
Like a fine wine, these designs get better with time. Different members of our team look at the product from every angle for a well-rounded final deliverable.
Low Fidelity Design
Wire framing and page organisation helps us think through the user experience on our app. This was the stage where many key decisions were made – what happens after login? How do group members hop from one bar experience to the next? We tweak it till it’s right.
High Fidelity Design
And now to color within the lines
This is the point where the app comes to life, Images, colors and text all get added and finessed to complete the design. What’s the first image users see? How does the color palette set the mood for the experience? How well do navigation buttons direct you to each page without overwhelming the design? This is the time to work it out.
