The Spark of an Idea

Picture this: You're scrolling through Instagram, seeing friends post stunning photos from their latest adventures, and you think, "I want to travel more." But then reality hits—the endless tabs of airline websites, the constant price checking, the overwhelming options. Sound familiar?

This exact frustration became the foundation for my capstone project through Chegg Skills. I was tasked with creating "Away You Go," a flight booking app designed to solve the very problems that keep budget-conscious travelers grounded—not by choice, but by complexity.

Hearing Real Stories from Real Travelers

Before diving into design, I needed to understand the pain behind the problem. I sat down (virtually) with four passionate travelers who shared a common struggle: they loved exploring new places but felt overwhelmed by the booking process.

Through remote interviews, a clear pattern emerged. These weren't people who avoided travel—they were eager adventurers held back by the exhausting hunt for affordable flights. They described jumping between multiple websites, losing track of deals, and spending hours trying to coordinate group trips with friends.

Their stories painted a picture of travelers who wanted to focus on the excitement of planning adventures, not the tedious mechanics of booking them.

Defining the Core Challenge

After listening to their experiences, the problem crystallized: People who love to travel on a budget struggle with finding cheap tickets when planning trips with friends. They spend too much time searching multiple websites instead of actually planning their adventures.

This wasn't just about price comparison—it was about creating space for the joy of travel planning while removing the friction of deal hunting.

From Problem to Possibility

With the challenge defined, I began brainstorming using word association techniques. Words like "freedom," "discovery," "simplicity," and "together" guided my thinking as I mapped out what this app could become.

I created a sitemap that prioritized the user's primary goal: booking affordable flights quickly. But I also wanted to capture the excitement of travel—the "what if we went here instead?" moments that make trip planning fun.

Building with Users at the Center

My design process was anchored in a simple truth: if budget-conscious travelers were going to trust this app with their precious vacation dollars, every interaction had to feel effortless and transparent.

The Homepage Strategy: I made the "book a flight" feature the hero of the homepage. No buried menus, no unnecessary steps—just immediate access to what users came for.

Visual Clarity: I used color coding to highlight critical elements like "max price per person" fields, making budget constraints visible and manageable rather than stressful.

Planning Together: Recognizing that many trips involve friends, I created a dedicated "plan with friends" section that encouraged collaborative exploration of destinations.

Learning from Real Users

The magic happened during usability testing. I presented five participants with a scenario we've all been in: helping a friend plan a birthday trip to somewhere beachy within a $600 budget.

Watching people navigate my design in real-time was both thrilling and humbling.

The Success Stories: Three participants breezed through the task in under five minutes, with one commenting, "This feels just like the apps I already use, but better organized." Their speed and confidence told me the core experience was working.

The Learning Moments: One participant took 13 minutes but asked, "Can I book hotels through this too?"—revealing an opportunity to expand the app's value. Another spent 20 minutes and wished for "destinations similar to what I'm considering," highlighting the need for smarter recommendations.

The Surprise Discovery: None of the participants used the 'explore' feature I'd built to help them discover beach destinations. This wasn't user error—it was a design opportunity. The feature existed, but it wasn't compelling enough to capture attention in a task-focused mindset.