A new way of traveling
Foundations of the study
To start the project, we must understand that it is a new product, using an outside-in perspective to focus on users, their problems and needs and contrast this information with the assumptions that the company has at the beginning.
This way we can save a lot of money (since it will prevent us from making incorrect decisions regarding the product or service). We try to minimize falling into biases such as the carryover effect, authority, confirmation...
Design process
We decided to follow a double diamond design process, which we found attractive due to the phases of convergence and divergence, which translates into discovery (divergence), definition (convergence), development (divergence) and delivery (convergence.
In the stages of divergence, research generates a multitude of ideas and paths that we can decide to explore or not, and in the phases of convergence all the information obtained is linked together or discarded to achieve certain objectives or purposes.
About problem
Previous assumptions:
A new trend of the population was found that understands the concept of travel in a very different way, understanding traveling as something:
Really cheap and within everyone's reach.
Long lasting.
That more than relaxing, learning new cultures and connecting with new people is prioritized.
Which serves to really learn about the local culture of the country to which they travel, living a more immersive experience and creating more sustainable tourism.
Problem overview
The platform we are going to work for, Nexo (we will see the reason for the name later) seeks to offer travelers a place to stay in exchange for work.
Nexo seeks to solve a problem in the lives of many people who love to travel, such as:
The high cost of accommodation for travelers, which limits their ability to travel and learn about different places and cultures.
The lack of work opportunities for travelers, which makes it difficult for them to integrate and learn in the destinations they visit.
Create and develop sustainable tourism
Increase people's safety and confidence when traveling.
This was clear to us from the first moment but we still decided to reframe the problem to not only make sure it was a good idea, but perhaps we could find new problems or hypotheses.
Reframing the problem
At first the idea was based on work in exchange for accommodation, but by changing the script, and placing the host as the party that needs the traveler's help, we discovered that:
There are also people who want to go on a trip (generally with more purchasing power) who do not want to leave the house alone or their pets in the kennel.
We discovered that the reason why many people make these types of trips may also be to look for work. Labor migration of Spaniards to other countries is a phenomenon that has intensified in recent years, due to the economic crisis, unemployment, precariousness and lack of opportunities in Spain. Some of the data (a little so as not to bore you too much) and the trends that can be highlighted are:
According to the article [Spanish emigration in the 21st century: an analysis of recent flows](https://www.migrationdataportal.org/es/themes/migracion-laboral), between 2009 and 2019, more than 1.2 Millions of Spaniards emigrated abroad, which represents an increase of 62% compared to the previous period. The main destinations were the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the United States and Switzerland.
According to the article [The emigration of young Spaniards in the context of the crisis: what do we know?](https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-our- european-way-life/statistics-migration-europe_es), young Spaniards are one of the groups most affected by emigration, since they represent 40% of Spanish emigrants. The reasons that drive them to emigrate are the search for employment, the improvement of working conditions, professional development and the acquisition of skills.
According to the article [Skilled emigration from Spain in the European context](https://cincodias.elpais.com/cincodias/2020/08/13/economia/1597332177_815464.html), Spaniards who emigrate abroad have a level of higher qualification than the population resident in Spain, and that of emigrants from other European countries. However, they also face difficulties in the recognition of their degrees, job placement and professional mobility.
Finally, we found a need that, honestly, we don't know why it couldn't have appeared before, it is about making the trip as a couple or with friends.
Goals
The objectives of the research are:
Know the behaviors of potential users and what other underlying needs or frustrations they may have.
Allow the development of a people-centered platform.
Establish a system that makes users participate and interact within the app itself.
Establish which are the potential allies for Nexo
Find a way to make the platform profitable and sell it attractively to investors.
Journey map
With all the knowledge about the project, their goals and the design challenge. The next step was to create a Journey map to show how users discover and use the platform.
Initially we see that the app will have 2 types of users, hosts and travelers, that is why we create a journey map for each one, since the experience will be different.
Laura, a traveler discovering Nexo
Marcos, a host just discovering the app
As a result, we get that in both journeys, there is a motivation phase, where they discover the app, one gets excited because in exchange for letting someone sleep at home, they can have someone to help them, and another sees that they can really travel with accommodation and other free benefits.
What made the greatest impression on us was the feeling before arriving at the destination or booking, that anxiety of not knowing what awaits you. This made us focus on the safety and quality of both the hosts through a complete verification, and that what is seen in the images of the app is faithful to what the traveler is going to find. This also applies to the host's point of view, having the assurance that he or she is a respectful, kind person who is not going to cause any problems.
Another phase, as unexpected as it is important, is what happens some time after the activity, being able to see the memories of the trip and see how the project or business in which a traveler helps a host evolved. For them we decided to emphasize the profile section, to create a kind of section that compiles a notebook of memories or travel for the traveler.
Interviews and sourveys
It was decided to do both interviews and surveys because we needed both quantitative and qualitative data about the needs, motivations and frustrations of users.
To see the complete script of the interviews and surveys click here.
Interview insights:
Trend for trips that go beyond tourism and sunbathing. These users travel to get to know the country's culture in depth in the most local way possible.
Generally long stays, from 1 to 3 months in the same place, although they can change houses or places to sleep. They also tend to go on short getaways to places a little far from where they are staying with the host and go to other apps like couchsurfing or even Airbnb or booking.
Generally very economical way of traveling.
Normal accommodations, tending towards basic ones like a tent.
Often, travelers are also hosts.
The best jobs are some such as working in farms or in construction of certain projects of the hosts.
Sharing and living experiences with other travelers is a must
It solves a lot of problems and money for hosts, by not having to hire people as such.
Brand values are important to users
Desired functionalities stand out, such as: advanced filtering with information on duration, availability, conditions and ratings, a profile system to show everything you travel and the people you know, reservation and payment through the app. The option of cancellation, refund and insurance is very important. Assessment and feedback system with criteria such as quality, satisfaction, recommendation...
The jobs they would like to offer are usually more specific than those that the hosts offer in workaway, that is, many want and can offer marketing services, filming... but what is most offered is work in the garden.
Surveys insights:
There is real interest in this type of app, since 83.33% of those surveyed see the app as something great or very interesting.
There are 76.92% who have higher or postgraduate studies, that is, our respondents have a high level of studies and knowledge about something in particular, possibly that is what they would like to work on during the trip... (hypothesis)
53% are students, which makes sense since in addition to having low economic power (in general), they have fewer responsibilities. This needs to be checked more specifically, for example by looking at the average age of people who use similar apps.
77.7% of the people surveyed travel more than two or three times a year, some even more than 6.
The accommodation par excellence is Airbnb or Booking with 44.4%, this tells us that these people are accustomed to the interaction patterns of this type of apps, it is better to recognize than learn again.
The biggest challenges for Nexo will be, with 33.3%, adapting to the coexistence rules of the hosts, 22.2% having an open mind and respecting others, 22.2% being responsible and committed to work.
Of the most important things for those surveyed would be, 30% seeing a wide variety of jobs and accommodations, 30% Ease of contact, exchange and feedback between travelers, 30% Simple, fast and secure design.
The most requested features are, an advanced search and filtering system and a chat and video call system with other travelers or hosts.
User persona
With all this information we decided to create our user persona in order to give the design a user-centered perspective, since everything that is carried out will be with this profile in mind.
Based on the research we have we have decided:
Using a female profile for reasons such as:
That the unemployment rate is four times higher than that of men.
Although 84% of men have traveled alone compared to 74% of women, the majority of the time a man travels alone is for work reasons.
Located in a city neither too big nor too small
With a job of a defined duration, since to make this type of trips, you must be available for it.
An average age close to 30, although in this case we decided to use 27 since we see a higher rate of availability in this sector of the population to travel or dedicate part of their time to making one of these trips, which does not mean that There are cases of people who are much older.
Verónica Calvo
Years old: 27
Work: Tourist guide on a seasonal basis
Family: No
Home: Burgos
intelligent - introvert - gamer
Objectives
She would like to travel more on her own and live more authentic and enriching experiences.
Frustrations
You get frustrated when you don't have enough money to travel at that time or when you can't find accommodation that suits your finances.
She hates feeling like just another tourist and encountering unfriendly hosts.
Bio
She is slightly extroverted and quite creative. The season she works is busy most of the time, and she can't do many things, but still she is quite independent and loves to make plans alone.
Idea prioritization
Based on the research and prioritizing the insights from the interviews, we prioritize the best functionalities that this app should have, already knowing the behaviors of our users and taking into account all the data collected.
Must have: The most requested functionalities, especially in surveys and interviews, were:
An advanced search and filtering system, to locate exactly where the user wants to travel and all the conditions of the accommodation and the work to be done.
A space where you can see all the data, both your own and that of other travelers or other hosts, to establish a relationship of trust and community, adding a “portfolio” section where you can show all the experiences lived and places visited. This is related to the need to share and interact with other travelers with similar interests or who seek to resolve doubts about traveling or not traveling to a specific place.
A section, easy to find and access, where you can see the status of the reservations, for hosts, and a summary and confirmation of the trip, for travelers.
A way to verify and secure the desired accommodation for travelers, with the least possible inconveniences in addition to reviews, to increase credibility.
A subscription method that is simple and fits our users.
Should have: Desired functionalities, although not essential for the correct functioning of the app.
Be able to save and follow hosts
Meet or connect with other travelers
In addition to verification, establish a range of activity based on various actions, which position the hosts in a kind of ranking. It can be done through badges for performing a certain action.
Plan a trip to more than one destination.
Could have: What would be nice for the app to have, if the deadline and budget allowed time.
Confirmation to a third person that the traveler arrived at their destination and everything is correct, for greater security, especially when traveling alone.
Add additional benefits to the exchange of accommodation for work, such as airport pick-up.
Reminder of memories or memories made long ago.
Won't have: What the app definitely won't have:
A hosts section, although to a certain extent there will be two types of users, there will not be a specific area for hosts.
Book a taxi from the airport to the hotel, due to the great difficulty of integration it would entail.
Be able to search for travelers nearby.
Bussines model canvas
Using a business model canvas we have been able to define three main things:
Alliances: Depending on the behavior of our users, we see it possible to ally with:
Neobanks like N26, which is something that interests our users and would be a win-win for both of us.
Travel guide apps
Insurance companies
Costs, determined by factors such as:
Design, development and maintenance
Customer Support
Team staff
Verification and security
Software and licenses
Income and profitability of the app:
Annual subscription.
Advertising and sponsorships.
Merchan and travel products.
Conclusion
Have we met our objectives?
✅Behaviors of potential users and what other underlying needs or frustrations they may have.
✅ Allow the development of a people-centered platform.
✅ Establish a system that makes users participate and interact within the app itself.
✅ Establish which are the potential allies for Nexo
✅ Find a way to make the platform profitable and sell it attractively to investors.