CONCEPT
LIVE THE ADVENTURE
SHARE THE STORY
TWO PART PROJECT
RESPONSIVE DESIGN & NATIVE APP
Creation of the website came first as the concept was born to design a platform with the goal of connecting women united by the love of adventure and storytelling.
After designing the responsive website and speaking to many prospective users I realized that the addition of a native app would provide a strong opportunity to further accommodate specific user needs. Encouraging maximum flexibility with ease of use, an app would enable users to fully participate within the platform while traveling light and on the go.
The separately managed website, shares primary features with the native app and provides additional information about the Wanderess community with the goal of cultivating the brand’s omni-channel experience.
To check out the app, please click here.
This presentation focuses upon the Wanderess website
INTENTION
WHO:
The platform is designed to appeal to women who are on a quest to discover more about themselves through both solo travel and building connections with other women following the same passion. It is intended for women with healthy active lifestyles and a keen willingness to try new things. These women are inspired by a strong sense of adventure and the desire to share their stories.
WHAT:
Create a supportive community for female travelers to share travel stories and the knowledge of authentic travel experiences. The platform will accomplish this by combining travel journaling with a social network.
WHY:
The philosophy guiding the app is solidly grounded in the belief that exceptional and unique adventures inspire the rejuvenation of the mind, spirit and body. Travel is one of the most influential experiences we have for understanding different cultures. When we truly connect with others, we have the opportunity to better understand ourselves. Sharing these stories will bring joy, confidence and connection to those who use the platform.
RESPONSIVE DESIGN
To make sure that the website would work smoothly and consistently on all devices and sizes, I used fluid grids to align my elements. The content is organized into modules using combinations of flexible images, layouts and grids so it can easily adapt to whatever format is needed.
*Please click here to see the UI KIT
OBJECTIVE
Create an engaging solution that can easily document the unique experiences of solo female travelers and provide an easy way to share it with others through community.
ADVENTURE
Appeal to women with a passion for adventure and belief that travel experiences inspire the rejuvenation of the mind, spirit and bodySHARING TRAVEL STORIES
Celebrate and share the documentation of authentic travel experiences and memoriesCONNECTION
Build relationships between like-minded women who share a love of exploration, discovery and curiousity for fabulous destinations
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
PROCESS
SITE MAP
THREE MAIN AREAS OF CONTENT
DISCOVERY | STORY CREATION | MESSAGING CENTER
After identifying the main tasks and content I wanted to include within the platform I began working on the overall structure. Several iterations later I created a site map that I could use as a framework for wire framing.
Primary focus is upon the journaling features and the messaging center. As the main intention of the platform is to create community, some of the stories are available to non-members so they can understand the offerings, but a user profile is required in order to have access to the full archive of travel stories and in order to make contributions.
The concept of a dashboard emerged to consolidate and provide easy access to the journaling and messaging functions unique to each user.
PROCESS
WIREFRAMES
Building upon my site map, I created rough low fidelity wireframes for my screens and went through another iteration process, examining how the overall structure was beginning to take shape.
The core of the design combines two key functions, storytelling and connection. The platform presents a rich journaling capability with the ability to share these reflections within itemized tagged archives, while easily connecting with other members through public comments and private messaging.
In addition to site utilities, the website channel also provides additional information about the Wanderess organization, such as Who We Are, Giving Back and Our Values.
WEBSITE DESIGN
My intention for the platform is to create an engaging solution that can easily document the unique experiences of solo female travelers and provide an easy way to share it with others through community. I opted to use a clean minimal interface to showcase the stories and their accompanying visuals.
Emphasis on clean typographic styles and the ability to include imagery provides the writers with tools to present their stories clearly in an elegant manner while being visually enjoyable to read.
Features are easily accessed by the main navigation bar at the top of the screen. A dropdown menu under Discover directs the user to explore writers and featured stories. Use of the search feature directs the user to an atlas, enabling the ability to pinpoint stories by location. When the user is logged in, the Home button accesses her activity feed, customized by favorite writers, locations and tags.
WHO WE ARE
GIVING BACK
DISCOVER | WRITERS
DESIGN
KEY FEATURES
DISCOVER
USER PROFILE
ADD STORY
MESSAGE FRIENDS
DISCOVER STORIES
ACTIVITY FEED & SEARCH
In order to view the full archive of community travel stories and journals requires a user profile, although featured highlights may be publicly accessible to present the platform’s offerings.
Stories may be discovered by location (via map or search bar) or by the querying the name of the contributer. Stories and journals are tagged by location, author’s name and theme for easy reference. Users may also discover new stories via their personalized activity feed which may be customized with specified tags and members added as favorites.
DISCOVER | STORIES
DISCOVER | FEED
SEARCH
DISCOVER WRITERS
JOURNALS & STORIES
Contributing writers may be discovered in a similar manner as exploring travel stories, by querying the writer’s name in the search bar, or by exploring writers by location if they have specified “Where I am now” in her profile.
Each wanderess has a profile page which presents her photo, bio, travel journals and stories which she may make public or private. The user profile page presents options to private message or add to favorites.
TRAVEL JOURNALS
TRAVEL STORIES
TRAVEL STORY ENTRY
CREATE STORY
USER JOURNAL & STORIES
Dashboard design focuses on the seamless integration of two functions, a rich journaling capability and the ability to share these reflections while easily connecting with other members through public comments and private messaging.
While providing detailed features for handling written journal entries, an atlas and calendar feature are offered to help organize the travel stories and also easily chart the journeys through space and time. The app easily manages photos, location tags, weather data and syncing to other devices as well as the cloud.
USER PROFILE | TRAVEL JOURNALS
USER PROFILE | TRAVEL STORIES
USER PROFILE | TRAVEL STORY ENTRY
USER PROFILE | TRAVEL STORY ENTRY
CONNECT WITH FRIENDS
MESSAGE CENTER
Social networking is supported by a messaging platform. Accessible from the side menu, the app offers message history, a list of friends, the ability to display which friends are currently active and available for live chat, and also a group messaging feature.
USER PROFILE | WRITE MESSAGE
USER PROFILE | FRIENDS
DESIGN
UI KIT
REFLECTION
Travel to unfamiliar destinations and cultures encourages confidence, inspiration and rejuvenation of the mind and body. Sharing authentic experiences with others who are like-minded within a dedicated platform can be incredibly motivational and transformative. Strong connections and deep friendships can be built upon a foundation of shared passions and interests.
It is my hope that by providing a platform that nurtures and builds this community will encourage life changing experiences and the spirit of exploration, both within and without.
I am currently in the process of exploring funding possibilities to take Wanderess™ to the next level. I believe the concept is strong and there is both a need and desire in the market for the product. If you have suggestions, recommendations or would like to be involved please get in touch!
