Host Tree

Making travel optimized for experiencing things, locally

OVERVIEW

HostTree is a booking platform designed to immerse travelers in authentic cultural experiences through the eyes of local residents. This project was developed during a three-day sprint as part of my Visual Design course in Human-Computer Interaction, sponsored by Kingsborough Community College.

As the sole product designer, I led the entire process of user research and design from start to finish.

Timeline

Oct 2023

Tools

Figma

Notion

Google Suite

Miro

Team

1 Product Designer

Skills

User Interface Design

User Research

WCAG 2.1

SCOPE

While many travel platforms, such as Airbnb and Booking.com focus primarily on booking accommodations, there is a noticeable gap in services specifically tailored for booking immersive homestays with local residents.

Current platforms offering homestay options often lack the breadth of booking choices and detailed information needed to captivate and engage users effectively.

Some of the relevant requirements and goals we kept in mind….

Seeing through local perspectives

Focusing on crafting experiences that offer travelers a unique opportunity to see the world through the eyes of local residents, ensuring authenticity and cultural depth.

Catering to Diverse Traveler Identities

Recognizing the varied needs of solo adventurers, families, and friend groups, we aimed to design a platform that accommodates these diverse identities while maintaining the core promise of an immersive and personalized travel experience.

PREVIEW OF EXPERIENCE

Creating a seamless booking platform that offers a wide range of services to accommodate diverse traveler identities, all while delivering an authentic, culturally immersive experience through the perspective of local residents.

RESEARCH

With these questions in perspective, this set the stage for me to uncover our answers from users.

Survey Research

Conducted with 42 participants as part of a generative research approach to uncover insights into travel experiences.

Competitive Analysis

Analyzed one direct competitor and one indirect competitor to uncover unmet opportunities and refine unique value propositions.

INSIGHTS

Travel experiences become stress-free when plans are well-organized in advance, but discovering authentic local recommendations remains a challenging and time-consuming task.

"An enjoyable travel experience is one where I don't have to worry too much about where to go next. I find that time can be wasted when plans are not made ahead of the trip"

"It can also be difficult to find good authentic food recommendations since most websites will refer you to a tourist trap."

When planning a trip, the biggest challenge isn't booking accommodations—it’s deciding what to do. Our findings reveal that sifting through countless resources for local recommendations is often inefficient and frustrating. Given the significant cost of travel, prioritizing meaningful and authentic experiences is essential to making the cost worthwhile.

Through personas and user stories, I synthesized key insights from my primary target groups to shape the experiences.

Story#1: As an avid traveler, I want to effortlessly plan trips that include locally recommended experiences, ensuring I can create and share unforgettable memories with my friends and family.

Story #2: As a travel enthusiast, I want to discover the best activities recommended by locals at my destination, ensuring a fun, insightful, and stress-free travel experience.

EXPLORATION

After analyzing the research findings, I concluded that the most impactful design concepts for the user base included curated listings of experiences and activities, locally guided tours, and veritable user reviews.

Crowdsourced Reviews: Real-Time Insights from Fellow Travelers

Streamlines the planning process with centralized, real-time reviews from other travelers. This verifiable, crowd-sourced feedback ensures an efficient and reliable way to plan meaningful experiences.

Stress-Free Travel with Curated, Locally Guided Tours

Homestays offer a unique glimpse into life from a local perspective, but the journey doesn’t stop there. To make planning stress-free, the platform connects travelers with accredited homestay hosts who offer guided tours—ranging from relaxing day trips to immersive, multi-day adventures.

Personalized Experiences and Activities for Every Group

While the platform focuses on homestays, it goes beyond accommodations. Curated activity cards offer tailored options not only for solo travelers and couples but also for larger groups of friends and families who may prefer more diverse experiences, ensuring everyone’s comfort and enjoyment.

REFLECTION

Exploring Advanced Prototyping Features

Discover enhanced prototyping capabilities that incorporate user-generated activities, enabling potential collaboration with fellow travelers.

Testing, Testing, and More Testing

Conduct early-stage testing using low-fidelity designs and sketches to refine feature priorities effectively.