Problem
Group travel becomes expensive and fragile when someone drops out, but joining unknown travelers can feel risky without verification, shared expectations, or clear planning tools.
Product Platform · Mobile Prototype · Social Travel
TRPN
An immersive travel discovery platform for verified travelers looking to share stays, join compatible groups, and plan better trips together.
Overview
A safer way to find your travel crew.
TRPN started with a practical travel problem: groups sometimes need a replacement traveler to split costs, while solo travelers want affordable trips with people they can trust.
The product direction centered on verified profiles, date-based discovery, shared stays, and travel-circle messaging so the experience could feel social without becoming another engagement feed.
My Role
I synthesized the research, shaped the mobile product flow, refined the visual system, and built the live React/Vite prototype for review.
Research
Users liked group travel, but trust was the blocker.
Survey and interview data pointed to the same tension: people liked the idea of traveling with others, but safety, budgeting, and planning needed to be resolved before they would commit.
- Most survey respondents preferred group travel over solo travel.
- Safety, budgeting, and planning came up repeatedly in interviews.
- Users were more comfortable letting someone join their group than joining a full group of strangers.
Audience
Two traveler types shaped the core flow.
Group Travelers
A friend group has already paid for a trip, but someone drops out. They need a verified replacement who can split the cost and fit the itinerary.
Solo Travelers
A budget-conscious traveler wants to take a bigger trip, but needs a trustworthy group, shared stay, and planning help before committing.
Wireframes
Mapping the flow before polishing the visual system.
The mid-fidelity screens focused on the basic product loop: sign in, find a trip, invite or message travelers, create a listing, and move through booking details.
Final Solution
A dark editorial app for verified travel circles.
The final prototype moved away from generic social media patterns and toward a private travel-club mood: cinematic imagery, black surfaces, off-white typography, lime accents, and electric-blue interaction moments.
The app supports onboarding, verification, editorial home content, date-based discovery, profile context, trip posting, and travel-circle inbox threads.
Prototype Screens
One visual system across discovery, profiles, and trip posting.
The final UI uses the same dark editorial shell across the core product loop, so TRPN feels like a cohesive private travel club rather than separate feature screens.
- Discovery uses magazine-like travel entries instead of engagement-heavy feed cards.
- Profiles surface verification, travel history, and trip intent before social metrics.
- The post flow turns a trip into a listing with dates, stay details, and join preferences.
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Survey responses used to identify travel behavior, safety concerns, and group-travel appetite.
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Primary traveler archetypes: groups replacing a traveler and solo travelers joining a verified group.
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Live mobile prototype built and published for review.