Serendipity
Is a project for the course UX design for Generative AI. So the challenge was to think about an use case where we could enhance the user experience by adding GenAI to the product.
Research
The challenge of planning travel for tourists in other countries shows us that we need to be able to plan routes that are efficient and personalised, taking into account things like scenic spots, budget and cultural interests. At the moment, the solutions out there often result in information overload, lack of personalisation and challenges with planning multimodal transportation.
Research shows that there is a growing trend towards sustainable, independent travel, and that there is a need for tools that provide flexible, culturally aware suggestions. From the interviews conducted, it was found that travellers often use various local apps and rely on last-minute bookings, which shows that there are gaps in existing travel planning tools. This highlights the opportunity for AI to simplify complex travel logistics and enhance the overall experience.
„I need a different app for everything and it is always a struggle to find the most convenient route.“
– a travel enthusiast
Concept
The GenAI-Enhanced Travel Planning Solution offers a personalized, efficient travel experience by using natural language processing (NLP) to filter and summarize vast amounts of information based on user preferences. It builds adaptive profiles, integrates multi-modal transportation, and provides real-time updates. Additionally, the system offers culturally tailored advice, enhancing the overall travel experience by accounting for both the user’s and the destination’s cultural context.
AI patterns
Purple was chosen to highlight AI features, which is common to use for AI and also complementing the app’s blue color scheme and therefore ensuring clear visibility. The familiar sparkles icon represents AI, making it easy for users to recognize. Subtle nudges, like AI-colored buttons, guide users toward AI-enhanced features. Templates streamline trip planning with structured prompts, while filters allow personalization based on user preferences. Users provide feedback by accepting, discarding, or rating AI suggestions to improve the experience. Additionally, AI footprints offer transparency by showing sources through a context menu, ensuring accountability.
Prototyping
As this concept is supposed to live and work within the google maps app, my main challenge with the prototype was to make everything look & feel cohesive. But as I did not have any original design files I also had to rebuild some existing screens as realistic as possible.
Note
After finishing my project in June of 2024 Google announced GenAI updates for the Maps Platform in October 2024, including features like AI-generated summaries of places, which are launching soon. I’m excited to try out this concept and looking forward to seeing how GenAI will continue transforming the platform.
Learning
I challenged myself to incorporate AI-enhanced solutions throughout the process, but quickly found that identifying the right tools and apps was more difficult than expected. Even when I did, many suitable options were either challenging to find or not available for free trials, limiting their accessibility during the project work.
Supervision
Matthias Ferstel
1st master semester – 4 months
Tools
Miro, Figma, Perplexity, ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, DeepL, Figjam, Wireframe Designer Plugin for Figma, ai.boardofinnovation.com, Codia AI Design, Firefly