Web app: Your AI Travel Advisor Tool
The Atlas Guru AI Itinerary Planner is an innovative travel planning tool designed to create personalized itineraries instantly, combining user preferences, destinations, and travel styles with the power of artificial intelligence. As a partner in Atlas Guru, I contributed to defining the core problem this product solves and designing an AI-driven interface that leverages stories from real users and an advanced AI engine.
This was my first foray into designing an AI-powered tool, and I approached the challenge with a deep passion for AI and its transformative potential. Unlike many AI-based products that rely on traditional chat interfaces, this planner stands out with a more intuitive, user-friendly design that delivers beautiful, shareable itineraries. Users can easily download their plans as PDFs, making their travel experience seamless and practical.
By focusing on creating a highly visual, approachable, and efficient interface, I helped bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and a delightful user experience, providing travelers with a tool that not only simplifies planning but also inspires their next adventure.
The Problem
Challenge: Planning a trip is often time-consuming and overwhelming. Many travelers struggle to create personalized itineraries, relying on fragmented research from various sources.
Impact: This leads to inefficient planning and less enjoyable travel experiences, especially for users who value tailored recommendations but lack the time to curate them.
Impact: This leads to inefficient planning and less enjoyable travel experiences, especially for users who value tailored recommendations but lack the time to curate them.
The Audience
AtlasGuru Itinerary AI caters to two key groups:
1. Individual Travelers: People who want to create personalized and visually engaging travel plans quickly, tailored to their interests, locations, and travel styles.
2. Travel Advisors: Professionals who need to deliver polished planning options to their clients in a fraction of the time, providing a competitive edge in their services.
The Solution
AtlasGuru Itinerary AI transforms trip planning into an effortless, enjoyable experience:
1. AI-Powered Personalization: Leveraging AI, the tool tailors itineraries based on user input like destinations, interests, and travel styles.
2. Visual & Intuitive Interface: Unlike traditional AI tools that rely on chat interfaces, this planner offers a clean, user-friendly design with simple inputs and instant results.
3. Inspiring Outputs: Generates beautiful, shareable itineraries enriched with curated recommendations, local insights, and real user stories.
4. Practical Features: Users can tweak plans, download itineraries as PDFs, and easily share them with others.
1. AI-Powered Personalization: Leveraging AI, the tool tailors itineraries based on user input like destinations, interests, and travel styles.
2. Visual & Intuitive Interface: Unlike traditional AI tools that rely on chat interfaces, this planner offers a clean, user-friendly design with simple inputs and instant results.
3. Inspiring Outputs: Generates beautiful, shareable itineraries enriched with curated recommendations, local insights, and real user stories.
4. Practical Features: Users can tweak plans, download itineraries as PDFs, and easily share them with others.
My Role
As the Design Lead, I:
• Conducted extensive research to understand user behaviors and market opportunities.
• Designed the AI-driven interface, focusing on usability and accessibility for both travelers and travel advisors.
• Created high-fidelity prototypes and iterated based on user testing feedback.
• Collaborated with stakeholders to align the product vision with user needs and business goals.
• Focused on creating a result-oriented design that turned raw AI outputs into polished, shareable itineraries.
• Designed the AI-driven interface, focusing on usability and accessibility for both travelers and travel advisors.
• Created high-fidelity prototypes and iterated based on user testing feedback.
• Collaborated with stakeholders to align the product vision with user needs and business goals.
• Focused on creating a result-oriented design that turned raw AI outputs into polished, shareable itineraries.
The Process
1. Research & Insights
• Conducted competitive analysis of the market to identify gaps and opportunities in existing AI and travel planning tools.
• Interviewed travel advisors to understand their workflow and what they value in a planning tool.
• Engaged with Facebook travel planning groups to gather firsthand insights into the challenges and needs of individual travelers.
2. Design & Prototyping
• Created high-fidelity prototypes for a form-based interface that guides users through selecting trip details like destinations, interests, and special requests.
• Designed visually compelling outputs that highlight itinerary stops, must-see landmarks, and local dining recommendations.
3. Testing & Iteration
• Ran usability tests with travelers and travel advisors to refine the interface and ensure it met their needs.
• Incorporated feedback from beta testers to improve both functionality and the overall user experience.
Results & Impact
• Enhanced User Experience: Simplified a traditionally complex process into a seamless, guided experience.
• Positive Feedback: Travel advisors praised the tool for saving time, while travelers loved the clean design and actionable insights.
• Investor Interest: Several investors expressed interest in joining as advisors and exploring the investment potential, recognizing the startup’s innovative approach and market opportunity.
• Differentiation: Positioned AtlasGuru Itinerary AI as a standout product in the AI travel planning space, breaking away from the typical chat-based approach.
Reflection
Designing AtlasGuru Itinerary AI allowed me to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and user-centered design. By incorporating insights from competitive analysis, travel advisors, and Facebook group participants, I created a tool that caters to diverse audiences. This project reinforced the importance of research, simplicity, and collaboration in building products that empower both individual users and professionals.
Future work includes adding an AI-powered edit feature, enabling users to refine their itineraries dynamically, and integrating an AI assistant to book trips, streamlining the process from planning to execution. These enhancements aim to make the tool even more robust and indispensable for modern travelers.
