Travel buddy matching for backpackers
ROLE
UX designer — Research, UX Design, Prototyping
DURATION
6 weeks
LOCATION
Taiwan
OVERVIEW
Posting to seek a travel buddy is a user-initiated method on social platforms to find travel buddies. On the Backpackers forum, there is a monthly average of 688 posts seeking travel buddies. The efficiency of matching is hindered by sorting and format limitations. The goal is to improve the process, increase the ease, and enhance the efficiency of matching suitable travel buddies, thereby boosting user engagement.
Highlights
Improving clarity and efficiency for seeking travel buddies brings more users to Backpackers forum.
Plans page /prototype
Create post page /prototype
Context
A travel forum built for backpackers.
Backpackers forum
Backpackers (背包客棧), Asia's largest travel forum, sees an average of 2.85 million monthly visits. Established in 2004 in Taiwan, it maintains a unique position in the Asian market despite the popularity of Facebook and Instagram.
Home page of Backpackers
Its main features:
Post
to ask or share travel info.
Search
for others travel experiences.
Other features:
Price comparison
Book hotel, ticket
Dilemma
Facing threats from emerging social media.
Many users are open to travelling with strangers and they seek travel buddies online.
People have their preferences for social platforms.
Global
Taiwan based
Backpackers
MoPTT
Dcard
Productizing travel buddy matching is a niche market.
Many people post on social media to find a travel buddy. However, since the posting feature isn't originally designed for this purpose, matching efficiency is low.
Key Research
First understand how to seek a travel buddy.
1. One-way user flow=double cost for matching travel buddies.
It was crucial to first understand the user journey involved in the matching process. Reviewing the user journey, whether posting plan or filtering plans to reply, is a one-way flow.
Sandy wants to find someone travel with her...
Sandy wants to find someone travel with her.
Opens Backpackers and tries to search and filter out similar plans.
Posts a plan on Backpackers to see if people have interests.
Search results are general due to limited filtering options.
Gets little responses of her plan, but she hope to quickly find someone to travel with.
Sandy drops off from the platform because she can't find what she wants.
Entry point
Action 1
Action 2
Struggle 1
Struggle 2
Drop off
2. The platform can no longer meet the needs of users.
From 137 questionnaire responses, we identified various factors that hindered the efficiency of matching process.
Unclear posting guidelines
Unclear posting guidelines lead to incomplete posts and prolonged communication.
Limited filter options
Limited filter options produce generalized search results, requiring users to spend more time browsing plans.
Hover to learn Sandy's struggles.
Hover to learn her struggles
Sandy wants to find someone travel with her.
Entry point
Opens Backpackers and tries to search and filter out similar plans.
Action
Filter option:
1. by month
2. by area
Search results are general due to limited filtering options.
Struggle
Posts a plan on Backpackers to see if people have interests.
Action
Plans sorted by time :
- they sunk by time, too.
- make some urgent seekers hard to quickly find a suitable buddy.
Gets little responses of her plan, but she hope to quickly find someone to travel with.
Struggle
Sandy drops off from the platform because she can't find what she wants.
Drop off
Goal
Optimize the matching feature to maintain a unique market position.
1. Identify user needs:
-
Filter potential travel buddies with travel purpose, duration, and budget to get more precise results.
-
Recommend similar plans based on the search.
2. Audit from design side:
-
Audit the user flow of the matching — helping discover notable usability and heuristic issues.
3. Understand business needs:
-
Targeted sponsor product promotion is vital for sustaining operations, engaging backpackers, and improving matching rates.
Backpackers' Opportunity
Hover to learn more
Become a matchmaker to help people find their travel buddies.
Post plan
Filter, reply to plans
Design principles
The Heart of Design Journey
Aligning with users expectation:
Clarity and Simplicity
-
Ensure interface elements and functionalities are clear and easy to understand.
Consistency
-
Maintain consistency in the design to improve usability and predictability.
Flexibility and Adaptability
-
Be willing to change direction based on new insights or challenges.
Feature 1: Filter
A More Accurate Filter is a Time Saver.
No more getting lost in a sea of data.
To enhance accuracy of travel preferences, we've added comprehensive filter options to improve user efficiency in finding what they need with the new filter bar in Backpackers.
Filter for search results
What did users say?
It's taking me much longer to find suitable plans.
The lack of detailed filters means I often get irrelevant search results.
The search function is too basic. I often can't find what I'm looking for because I can only filter by month and area.
Feature 2: Match with travel buddy
From One-Way to Mutual.
A More Efficient, Interactive Way to Match.
The new matching system facilitates a more interactive and efficient process. By introducing new features, users are better informed and can make quicker decisions.
Visually organized information decreases the cognitive load for users.
From list view → card view
The change to card views enhances the visual organization and accessibility of information.
Before
After
Default Plan /Card view
Plans page /List
Countdown creates urgency and scarcity, encouraging users to act quickly on urgent plans.
Due to chronological order, posts quickly get buried. I added a countdown to the urgent cards to draw users' attention to time-sensitive plans. This visible indicator creates a sense of urgency and scarcity, encouraging users to act quickly and engage before the plan expires.
Before
Single plan /list view
After
Urgent plan /Card view
Personalized experience & explore potential matches
Similar travel plans streamline decision-making and increase user engagement. Tag cloud of "explore travel ideas" motivates users to approach other ideas.
Before
After
➀
Plan detail page
Explore travel ideas /Tag cloud
Similar travel plans /Card view
➁
➂
Plan detail page
Feature 3: Step-by-step post
Post a Plan with Guide to Enhance Clarity.
Enhancing Post Clarity for Better Engagement
Based on user research, posts with detailed information receive more attention and replies. A new guide for posting plans helps users provide the necessary details, making the posts more engaging and informative for potential buddies.
➅
➄
➃
➃
Unclear Dropdown Menu Label
The dropdown menu is ambiguously labeled as "sort." Users are unaware of its function until they click on it and see a list of months, indicating it sorts by departure month.
➄
Inconsistent Input Formats
The input fields for "destination, time, people, and budget" require users to manually type entries. This leads to inconsistencies in the data, making it difficult to search for posts with matching keywords due to varied formats.
➅
Lack of Guidance for First-Time Users
The input field requires paragraph drafting about trip details. First-time users often struggle to create comprehensive and engaging posts, resulting in incomplete plans that attract few replies.
Create post page
Prototype
Experience the new matching feature!
Design Process
✷
Define
✶
Ideate
✭
Prototype
✦
Test
✹
Research
Mockup
Hi-Fi Prototype
Usability test
Iteration
Competitor Analysis
Direct competitor analysis
By industry: travel
Goal
Understand Backpackers' strengths and weaknesses compared to similar products in the market.
Result
Studied competitors like TripAdvisor and Facebook for social and travel products, identifying top features like posting and reviewing.
Indirect competitor analysis
By feature: matching
Goal
Understand how the matching feature works in the market.
Result
Examined indirect competitors of dating products like Tinder and Bumble, and identified their best features, such as matching, and chatting.
View complete competitor analysis here
User story
“After getting to know some friends well, I realized they didn't suit my travel style. That's why I started looking for travel buddies on Backpacker.”
Connie's story
In 2007, I began searching for travel information on Backpackers for solo backpacking. I found reliable and friendly advice from experienced travelers on the forum. Inspired by shared travel stories, I sought travel companions and later shared my own experiences upon returning.
Challenges & Learnings
Pivoting to Address the Real Problem.
Challenge 1
My initial hypothesis—that users needed a travel itinerary planning app—was incorrect.
-
Discovery: Market research and quick interviews with five users revealed that four out of five used Google Sheets and Excel, along with Google Maps, for travel planning.
-
Learning: Recognize and adapt to true user needs. Despite the time invested, I pivoted to a more relevant idea, understanding the importance of not clinging to an incorrect hypothesis.
Challenge 2
Scope Definition: Determining whether to focus on laptop or mobile interfaces.
-
Discovery: The forum founder informed me that they had no data on device usage, as the site had not tracked this since its founding in 2004.
-
Learning: Without specific user data, I realized the importance of defining the scope based on available insights and general trends, ensuring the design accommodates both platforms effectively.
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