Solo Sisters
Solo Sisters
A community-generated toolkit to foster connection, and support an international Sisterhood of solo female travelers.
A community-generated toolkit to foster connection, and support an international Sisterhood of solo female travelers.
Role
Role
Product Design
UX Research
Visual Design
Prototyping
Product Design
UX Research
Visual Design
Prototyping
company
company
Nomadic Matt
Nomadic Matt
Stakeholder
Stakeholder
Director of Community
Director of Community
Recognition
🏆
London Design Awards: UX Design - Travel & Culture
🏆
UX Design Awards Nominee
🏆
Interaction Awards Nominee
Recognition
🏆
London Design Awards: UX Design - Travel & Culture
🏆
UX Design Awards Nominee
🏆
Interaction Awards Nominee
PROJECT SUMMARY
PROJECT SUMMARY
Context
Context
Solo female travel is booming, but resources in the market space still do not reflect that. Working to create a more progressive and equitable travel industry, I explored how to connect and serve the vulnerable community of solo female travelers while still maintaining the magic of their experiences.
Solo female travel is booming, but resources in the market space still do not reflect that. Working to create a more progressive and equitable travel industry, I explored how to connect and serve the vulnerable community of solo female travelers while still maintaining the magic of their experiences.
Watch my 6 minute presentation here!
Watch my 6 minute presentation here!
The Problem
The Problem
Beginner solo female travelers often lack confidence in their ability to take and enjoy a trip alone. They list concerns of safety, navigation, and social isolation as what’s holding them back.
Beginner solo female travelers often lack confidence in their ability to take and enjoy a trip alone. They list concerns of safety, navigation, and social isolation as what’s holding them back.
Role
Product Design
UX Research
Visual Design
Prototyping
company
Nomadic Matt
Stakeholder
Director of Community
Recognition
🏆
London Design Awards: UX Design - Travel & Culture
🏆
UX Design Awards Nominee
🏆
Interaction Awards Nominee
With women traveling alone more than ever...
With women traveling alone more than ever...
How might we help bolster solo female travelers' confidence by providing safety measures when alone in a new region?
How might we help bolster solo female travelers' confidence by providing safety measures when alone in a new region?
The Solution
The Solution
A Community-Generate Toolkit & Connection App
A Community-Generate Toolkit & Connection App
A Community-Generate Toolkit & Connection App
Solo Sisters is centered on intersectional feminism, made for anyone who identifies as a woman, and provides the resources and knowledge to navigate the nuances of adventuring on your own. The platform is an international Sisterhood of solo female travelers, whether they’re out exploring the world or back at home.
Solo Sisters is centered on intersectional feminism, made for anyone who identifies as a woman, and provides the resources and knowledge to navigate the nuances of adventuring on your own. The platform is an international Sisterhood of solo female travelers, whether they’re out exploring the world or back at home.
Insight
Solo female travelers actively research safety, logistics, and cultural norms, but struggle to find trustworthy, destination-specific guidance in one place—leading to uncertainty and decision fatigue.
solution
Make well-informed decisions with location-specific travel tips
Insight
Solo female travelers feel more confident visiting places that have been vetted by people like them, and value recommendations rooted in lived experience
solution
Find comfort in shared community
Insight
Solo female travelers are intentional and goal-oriented, seeking connection that aligns with their travel style, values, and intentions
solution
Meet travelers nearby & see if it's a compatible match
Insight
Locals hold invaluable cultural knowledge and often want to share it, while travelers crave authentic, human insight that goes beyond traditional tourist recommendations.
solution
Engage with locals
The approach
The approach
Design Process
Design Process
The cyclical design process started by discovering user needs, defining design goals, and designing the optimal solution to deploy for the greatest market impact.
Discovery
Discovery
The Opportunity
The Opportunity
Challenges aside, solo female travel is absolutely booming–with such eye-catching statistics as these.
Challenges aside, solo female travel is absolutely booming–with such eye-catching statistics as these.
Interviewing & Testing with Diverse Groups of Women
Interviewing & Testing with Diverse Groups of Women
Over the first few months of research, I interviewed 16 women–10 women who have traveler solo before, and 6 women who have never traveled solo before.
Over the first few months of research, I interviewed 16 women–10 women who have traveler solo before, and 6 women who have never traveled solo before.
Competitive Landscape
Competitive Landscape
While there wasn't a wide array of female-focused travel resources, I made a point to find products solo female travelers were using or would be of use to them.
While there wasn't a wide array of female-focused travel resources, I made a point to find products solo female travelers were using or would be of use to them.
Identifying Assumptions
Identifying Assumptions
Early on, I laid out all of the assumptions I had about this problem space; the subgroups being Social, Safety, and Choosing a Destination.
Early on, I laid out all of the assumptions I had about this problem space; the subgroups being Social, Safety, and Choosing a Destination.
Early on, I laid out all of the assumptions I had about this problem space; the subgroups being Social, Safety, and Choosing a Destination.
I then went on to plot my assumptions—the x axis ranging from “unknown” to “known”, and the y, being how low or high risk it is—is this an important assumption to test? Test the high risk, unknown ones.
I then went on to plot my assumptions—the x axis ranging from “unknown” to “known”, and the y, being how low or high risk it is—is this an important assumption to test? Test the high risk, unknown ones.
ideate
ideate
Experiment 1: Connection
Experiment 1: Connection
What makes one person want to meet another? To figure this out, I broke down the act of connecting into interests and personality.
What makes one person want to meet another? To figure this out, I broke down the act of connecting into interests and personality.
Synthesis
Synthesis
Experiment 1: Learnings
Experiment 1: Learnings
Short-term travel = Interests > Personality
Short-term travel = Interests > Personality
Interests + Personality go hand-in-hand
Interests + Personality go hand-in-hand
Long-term travel = Compatibility > Interests
Long-term travel = Compatibility > Interests
Solo female travelers are goal-oriented
Solo female travelers are goal-oriented
Persona Spectrum
Persona Spectrum
ideate
ideate
Experiment 2: Safety
Experiment 2: Safety
For the second prototype, I attempted to tackle the issue of safety. The second screen shows “Safety points” which are designated locations to find solace. I also explored the idea of providing travelers “Safe paths”, as well as more wider locations of “Safe Zones.”
For the second prototype, I attempted to tackle the issue of safety. The second screen shows “Safety points” which are designated locations to find solace. I also explored the idea of providing travelers “Safe paths”, as well as more wider locations of “Safe Zones.”
synthesis
synthesis
Experiment 2: Learnings
Experiment 2: Learnings
This prototype went over really poorly. I ran up against questions of data and tech viability issues, but worse than that, I was butting heads with some ethical design issues that could result in racial bias, harassment, and surveillance.
This prototype went over really poorly. I ran up against questions of data and tech viability issues, but worse than that, I was butting heads with some ethical design issues that could result in racial bias, harassment, and surveillance.
Ethical issues of safety & trust
Ethical issues of safety & trust
Questions of data and tech viability
Questions of data and tech viability
design exploration
design exploration
Information Architecture & Wireframing
Information Architecture & Wireframing
synthesis
synthesis
Testing with Users
Testing with Users
The approach to testing was intentional with guidelines and questions intact; yet loose enough to garner unexpected feedback because it was not a task-oriented script.
The approach to testing was intentional with guidelines and questions intact; yet loose enough to garner unexpected feedback because it was not a task-oriented script.
Final designs
Final designs
Visual Identity
Visual Identity
The finished visual identity was made to feel magical, yet approachable.
The finished visual identity was made to feel magical, yet approachable.
Learnings
Learnings
Main Takeaways
Main Takeaways
1
Content Design is critical design
Content Design is critical design
2
Relevancy of some content varies by region
Relevancy of some content varies by region
3
Research should be diverse & multi-sensory
Research should be diverse & multi-sensory