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, with a 761.15% increase in popularity since 2021. Yet the tools and resources in market haven’t kept pace. With a goal of creating a more progressive and equitable travel industry, I explored how to better support solo female travelers without compromising the magic of traveling alone.
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.
problem addressed
Safety | Uncertainty
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.
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
Make well-informed decisions with location-specific Travel Tips
problem addressed
Safety
Insight
Solo female travelers feel more confident visiting places that have been vetted by people like them, and value recommendations rooted in lived experience.
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
Find comfort in shared community
problem addressed
Isolation
Insight
Solo female travelers are intentional and goal-oriented, seeking connection that aligns with their travel style, values, and intentions
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
Meet travelers nearby & see if it's a compatible match
problem addressed
Uncertainty | Isolation
Insight
Locals hold invaluable cultural knowledge and often want to share it, while travelers crave authentic, human insight that goes beyond traditional tourist recommendations.
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
Engage with locals
The approach
The approach
Design Process
Design Process
Using a double-diamond design process, I explored two distinct problem spaces through sequential experiments, refining each and ultimately converging them into a single, integrated experience.
Using a double-diamond design process, I explored two distinct problem spaces through sequential experiments, refining each and ultimately converging them into a single, integrated experience.
Experiment #1
Experiment #1
Solving for Social Isolation
Solving for Social Isolation
Experiment #2
Experiment #2
Solving for Safety
Solving for Safety
+
Combine Experiments #1+2
Combine Experiments #1+2
Solving for Social Isolation & Safety
Solving for Social Isolation & Safety
Discovery
Discovery
The Opportunity
The Opportunity
Solo female travel is booming, but most travel tools weren’t designed with the nuances of traveling alone as a woman in mind.
Solo female travel is booming, but most travel tools weren’t designed with the nuances of traveling alone as a woman in mind.
Interviewing Diverse Groups of Women
Interviewing 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.
What We Learned from Conversations with Women
What We Learned from Conversations with Women
Conversations with women revealed that many first-time solo travelers feel uncertain about their ability to travel alone. This uncertainty was driven by three recurring concerns:
Conversations with women revealed that many first-time solo travelers feel uncertain about their ability to travel alone. This uncertainty was driven by three recurring concerns:
While these themes were consistent, their meaning and intensity varied from woman to woman.
This insight made it clear that a single, prescriptive solution would fall short—flexibility and self-definition needed to be central to the experience.
While these themes were consistent, their meaning and intensity varied from woman to woman.
This insight made it clear that a single, prescriptive solution would fall short—flexibility and self-definition needed to be central to the experience.
Understanding the Competitive Landscape
Understanding the Competitive Landscape
Research showed that solo female travelers were piecing together a fragmented mix of travel, safety, and social tools. To understand what was—and wasn’t—working, I evaluated adjacent products through the lens of three core problem areas: social isolation, safety, and uncertainty.
Research showed that solo female travelers were piecing together a fragmented mix of travel, safety, and social tools. To understand what was—and wasn’t—working, I evaluated adjacent products through the lens of three core problem areas: social isolation, safety, and uncertainty.
Research showed that solo female travelers were piecing together a fragmented mix of travel, safety, and social tools. To understand what was—and wasn’t—working, I evaluated adjacent products through the lens of three core problem areas: social isolation, safety, and uncertainty.
This evaluation revealed a clear gap: most products addressed only one dimension of the solo travel experience. No solution meaningfully integrated social isolation, safety, and uncertainty.
This evaluation revealed a clear gap: most products addressed only one dimension of the solo travel experience. No solution meaningfully integrated social isolation, safety, and uncertainty.
Mapping Assumptions with Stakeholders to Prioritize What to Solve
Mapping Assumptions with Stakeholders to Prioritize What to Solve
With the three core problem spaces—social isolation, safety, and uncertainty—defined, I worked with other designers on the project to map our assumptions. This included surfacing my own biases shaped by personal travel experience and examining where intuition, rather than evidence, was influencing early thinking.
With the three core problem spaces—social isolation, safety, and uncertainty—defined, I worked with other designers on the project to map our assumptions. This included surfacing my own biases shaped by personal travel experience and examining where intuition, rather than evidence, was influencing early thinking.
By plotting my assumptions based on certainty (known vs. unknown) and user impact (low vs. high value), II identified which beliefs posed the greatest risk if left untested. This helped prioritize high-impact unknowns and ensured early research focused on the problems most critical to solve.
By plotting my assumptions based on certainty (known vs. unknown) and user impact (low vs. high value), II identified which beliefs posed the greatest risk if left untested. This helped prioritize high-impact unknowns and ensured early research focused on the problems most critical to solve.
Persona Spectrum
Persona Spectrum
Based on insights from 16 user interviews, patterns emerged around how women experience solo travel—not as fixed personas, but along a spectrum of confidence, preparedness, and independence.
Mapping these archetypes across the broader population revealed an important imbalance: while expert travelers were the most self-sufficient, first-time and moderately experienced travelers made up the majority—and expressed the greatest need for support. This spectrum reframed the problem from designing for a single “solo traveler” to intentionally prioritizing those earlier in their journey.
Based on insights from 16 user interviews, patterns emerged around how women experience solo travel—not as fixed personas, but along a spectrum of confidence, preparedness, and independence.
Mapping these archetypes across the broader population revealed an important imbalance: while expert travelers were the most self-sufficient, first-time and moderately experienced travelers made up the majority—and expressed the greatest need for support. This spectrum reframed the problem from designing for a single “solo traveler” to intentionally prioritizing those earlier in their journey.
ideate
ideate
Experiment #1: Solving for Social Isolation
Experiment #1: Solving for Social Isolation
Hypothesis:
Hypothesis:
By facilitating meetups between solo female travelers, they will feel a greater sense of comfort in socializing during their trip and ultimately have a more fulfilling journey.
Connection is broken down into two components:
1. Interests → Do we want to do the same things while traveling?
2. Personality → Do we seem similar or in sync?
Instead of converging on one solution, I explored multiple ways to visualize each component and compared how they shaped perception, trust, and intent.
By facilitating meetups between solo female travelers, they will feel a greater sense of comfort in socializing during their trip and ultimately have a more fulfilling journey.
Connection could be meaningfully expressed through two complementary components:
1. Interests → Do we want to do the same things while traveling?
2. Personality → Do they feel safe, relatable, and human?
Instead of converging on one solution, I explored multiple ways to visualize each component and compared how they shaped perception, trust, and intent.
Research question:
Research question:
How do solo female travelers decide who feels safe and worth meeting while traveling?
How do solo female travelers decide who feels safe and worth meeting while traveling?
Why these prototypes:
Why these prototypes:
I leveraged familiar mental models from dating apps and personality-assessment frameworks—tools this demographic already identifies with—to test how best to communicate the interests and personality of someone they had never met.
I leveraged familiar mental models from dating apps and personality-assessment frameworks—tools this demographic already identifies with—to test how best to communicate the interests and personality of someone they had never met.
A) Assessing Interests
A) Assessing Interests
B) Assessing Personality
B) Assessing Personality
Synthesis
Synthesis
Experiment #1:
Translating User Insights into Actionable Design Goals for Social Connection
Experiment #1:
Translating User Insights into Actionable Design Goals for Social Connection
USER TESTING INSIGHT 1
USER TESTING INSIGHT 1
For short-term socializing, shared interests matter more than personality.
For short-term socializing, shared interests matter more than personality.
design goal 1
design goal 1
Make interests instantly scannable for short-term meetups so users can decide quickly and confidently.
Make interests instantly scannable for short-term meetups so users can decide quickly and confidently.
USER TESTING INSIGHT 2
USER TESTING INSIGHT 2
Personality cues matter more than shared interests more for long-term trips.
Personality cues matter more than shared interests more for long-term trips.
Personality cues matter more than shared interests more for long-term trips.
design goal 2
design goal 2
Pair interest signals with personality cues so profiles communicate both what you’ll do together and who they are.
Pair interest signals with personality cues so profiles communicate both what you’ll do together and who they are.
USER TESTING INSIGHT 3
USER TESTING INSIGHT 3
For long-term travel, compatibility matters more than shared activities alone.
For long-term travel, compatibility matters more than shared activities alone.
design goal 3
design goal 3
Provide rich personality expression options for longer travel scenarios.
Provide rich personality expression options for longer travel scenarios.
USER TESTING INSIGHT 4
USER TESTING INSIGHT 4
Solo female travelers are goal-oriented.
Solo female travelers are goal-oriented.
design goal 4
design goal 4
Make travel intent and goals visible early in profiles.
Make travel intent and goals visible early in profiles.
ideate
ideate
Experiment #2: Solving for Safety
Experiment #2: Solving for 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.”
Hypothesis:
Hypothesis:
Providing travelers with location-based safety cues in real time will increase confidence and reduce anxiety while navigating new environments.
By facilitating meetups between solo female travelers, they will feel a greater sense of comfort in socializing during their trip and ultimately have a more fulfilling journey.
Connection could be meaningfully expressed through two complementary components:
1. Interests → Do we want to do the same things while traveling?
2. Personality → Do they feel safe, relatable, and human?
Instead of converging on one solution, I explored multiple ways to visualize each component and compared how they shaped perception, trust, and intent.
Research question:
Research question:
How might we support solo female travelers in navigating safety in the moment while traveling alone?
How might we support solo female travelers in navigating safety in the moment while traveling alone?
Why these prototypes:
Why these prototypes:
To reduce cognitive load in high-stress moments, I grounded these prototypes in familiar navigation and location mental models, layering in shared, community-driven safety context. Two prototypes focus on planning for safety in advance, while the latter two explore support in the moment, when context and speed matter most.
To reduce cognitive load in high-stress moments, I grounded these prototypes in familiar navigation and location mental models, layering in shared, community-driven safety context. Two prototypes focus on planning for safety in advance, while the latter two explore support in the moment, when context and speed matter most.
synthesis
synthesis
Experiment #2:
Translating User Insights into Actionable Design Goals for Safety
Experiment #2:
Translating User Insights into Actionable Design Goals for Safety
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.
USER TESTING INSIGHT 1
USER TESTING INSIGHT 1
Safety is subjective—and products can’t promise it.
Safety features risk reinforcing fear, bias, and mistrust if they rely on surveillance or judgment.
Safety is subjective—and products can’t promise it.
Safety features risk reinforcing fear, bias, and mistrust if they rely on surveillance or judgment.
Safety is subjective—and products can’t promise it.
Safety features risk reinforcing fear, bias, and mistrust if they rely on surveillance or judgment.
design goal 4
design goal 4
Design for empowerment over enforcement: provide clear expectations, consent, and user control instead of “guarantees” or monitoring.
Design for empowerment over enforcement: provide clear expectations, consent, and user control instead of “guarantees” or monitoring.
Design for empowerment over enforcement: provide clear expectations, consent, and user control instead of “guarantees” or monitoring.
USER TESTING INSIGHT 2
USER TESTING INSIGHT 2
Real-time safety signals raise major questions around accuracy, data sources, and who maintains or verifies them at scale.
Real-time safety signals raise major questions around accuracy, data sources, and who maintains or verifies them at scale.
Real-time safety signals raise major questions around accuracy, data sources, and who maintains or verifies them at scale.
design goal 2
design goal 2
Ground safety in feasible, transparent systems: use lightweight, explainable safety supports that don’t depend on unverifiable real-time data.
Ground safety in feasible, transparent systems: use lightweight, explainable safety supports that don’t depend on unverifiable real-time data.
Ground safety in feasible, transparent systems: use lightweight, explainable safety supports that don’t depend on unverifiable real-time data.
design exploration
design exploration
Combining Experiments #1+2 to Flesh Out Information Architecture & Wireframing for Final Prototype
Information Architecture & Wireframing
synthesis
synthesis
User Testing the Final Prototype
User Testing the Final Prototype
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.
Home Page
Home Page
What was tested
What was tested
What was tested
First-time users’ ability to understand the purpose, priority, and relevance of the information presented
Alignment between displayed content and user expectations
Which elements felt urgent, contextual, or confusing at a glance
First-time users’ ability to understand the purpose, priority, and relevance of the information presented
Alignment between displayed content and user expectations
Which elements felt urgent, contextual, or confusing at a glance
Meet Sisters Page
Meet Sisters Page
What was tested
What was tested
What was tested
Whether UI elements accurately depict information about another user
Understanding the key concepts of traveler vs. local
Clarity and usefulness of the “Open to meet” toggle
How users expected filtering and sorting to work when discovering other sisters
Filter Sisters Page
Filter Sisters Page
What was tested
What was tested
What was tested
How users expected to filter Sisters when opening the filter menu
Whether filter categories (age, trip interests, personality) felt relevant and intuitive
Whether the filter experience felt helpful or overwhelming when refining results
User Profiles
User Profiles
What was tested
What was tested
What was tested
Whether profile information clearly communicated who someone is and why you might want to meet them
Understanding of key distinctions, including traveler vs. local and profile iconography
How users interpreted safety and comfort cues when evaluating another person
Clarity and usefulness of interests, goals, and shared attributes
Whether any information felt unnecessary, overwhelming, or distracting
Whether profile information clearly communicated who someone is and why you might want to meet them
Understanding of key distinctions, including traveler vs. local and profile iconography
How users interpreted safety and comfort cues when evaluating another person
Clarity and usefulness of interests, goals, and shared attributes
Whether any information felt unnecessary, overwhelming, or distracting
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.
