Pocket Local mobile app
Overview
The app
Pocket Local is a travel app built to help users plan flexible itineraries with the freedom to wander and explore.
The project
Pocket Local was created as part of a design project to develop a new mobile app that could differentiate itself from an already-saturated travel industry.
The value
Travelers need easier access to information that better meets their expectations in the moment.
We might be able to help if we create a reliable source of truth for travel locations that allows users to imagine a life there.
Methodology
Excerpts
Persona creation
An international traveler, Michelle Collins plans loose itineraries that allow flexibility. She needs help experiencing local life at her destination because there are too many options, too many tourist traps, and a lack of reliable recommendations.
Michelle would like features such as:
- Integration with Google Maps and social media
- Personality algorithm for recommendations
- Review filters for local guides
- Import capabilities for travel schedules and saved locations
- "Scenic route" mapping between saved locations
- Timely notifications to put info at fingertips
Sketches and wireframes
Pocket Local is an app for the meanderers, the "oh, look at that cute place"-ers, the travelers who think walking around a neighborhood is the best way to explore. It’s a personalized experience, built for the way you already travel.
Final designs
This exploration showed there is an appetite among travelers for an app less focused on itineraries and more focus on in-the-moment suggestions.
- Existing interfaces often feel cluttered and users would prefer an app with simpler design
- Due to market saturation, this app would only be successful if it delivered on promised features evaluated in the persona creation