Travel Imp : the design of a human-centered travel diary application : an exegesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract

The conceptual app, Travel Imp, explores how to optimize and help travelers document and experience their travel with an app developed through a human-centered design approach. I focus on the insights and analysis of travel behavior and the various media for travel documentation. This includes the concepts of travel heterogeneity acknowledging the increasing relationship between social media and the individual. Travel Imp focuses more on encouraging personal and private self-expression during travel. The travel diary and Guy DeBord's drift (dérive in French) approach are primary sources of inspiration. For example, the drift allows people to experience the city from different perspectives and make random, unexpected trips, and gain unique travel experiences and records. The inclusion of the different sensory modalities and the technique of sketching from travel diary nudge users to discover the unknown environment from different perspectives. The following discussion expands on the methods and processes used in this exploration—in particular, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with regard to user desire and preferences. This informed the creation of personas and journey maps that were needed in order to further connect users' behavior with the concept's design. This is then followed by review of the prototype and testing procedures. The refined prototype was tested three times. An ideal demo, or "day-in-the-life," was simulated to evaluate the conceived experience and possible innovations within the app. Travel Imp satisfies the users' pursuit of heterogeneous experience during travel and self-expression for creating and sharing. Through Travel Imp, users are given different ways to document travel. They also have the opportunity to make more in-depth and interesting explorations of travel destinations, and achieve unique travel experiences.