An AI travel planner that builds a whole trip inside one budget, and lets a group plan it and split it together.
Role
UI/UX Designer, Researcher
Timeline
5 months, June to October 2025
Type
Academic capstone project
Scope
Research, card sorting, IA, personas, end-to-end product design
TRIPWISE, LIVE
FROM
Tempe, AZ
TO
Los Angeles, CA
Trip budget
$2,300 of $2,600
12% left for stays and activities
BUDGET PLAN
$2,300
7 days · 3 stays
PREMIUM PLAN
$7,630
7 days · 5 stays
SJ
MC
EW
+1
Split 4 ways
$575 each
Generate plan
Invite friends
CHAPTERS
01 — OVERVIEW
TripWise is an AI-powered travel planning platform that helps users plan trips within a set budget by combining itineraries, bookings, and group collaboration into one experience. Designed as an academic capstone project, it focuses on reducing planning overwhelm and replacing multiple travel tools with a single, intelligent platform.
02 — THE PROBLEM
Travel planning tools promise convenience but force users to juggle multiple apps, turning planning into a stressful, fragmented experience.
Despite advances in AI, travel planning has remained largely unchanged. Most platforms optimize for bookings, not for decision-making. TripWise challenges this status quo by using AI to act as a travel concierge—planning complete trips around a user’s budget, preferences, and travel style, all in one cohesive platform.
HOW MIGHT WE
How might we help travelers seamlessly plan and manage entire trips, from idea to booking, while staying within budget and reducing planning stress?
The Problem is real and quantified
30.43%
Travelers cite staying within budget as their biggest trip-planning challenge—the most reported pain point in the survey.
83%
Users rate an all-in-one travel platform as important or very important, highlighting frustration with fragmented tools.
69.57%
Users actively rely on AI tools for travel inspiration, but still need manual effort to turn ideas into real bookings.
03 — THE PROCESS
We set out to understand what today’s Travelers truly need
User Interviews
Literature Review
User Personas
Competitor Analysis
04 — WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE TRAVELERS
I synthesized the findings through affinity mapping, identified that there were a lot of overlaps between what they wanted and what precisely fell under one of the 6 key findings mentioned below.
Survey
We ran a tightly scoped survey with 23 travelers, mostly students and young professionals, to validate key frustrations around budget control, planning overload, and trust in existing travel tools.
Interview
Interviews with frequent travelers revealed planning workflows spread across multiple tools, late-stage budget surprises, and friction in group coordination—validating the need for a unified, budget-first platform.
Competitive Analysis
We evaluated 8 major travel planning tools to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities. Most platforms solve individual parts of the journey but fail to support budget-first planning and group collaboration, shaping TripWise’s differentiated approach.
05 — CARD SORTING
We conducted a card-sorting exercise to understand how users mentally organize travel tasks. Insights revealed clear groupings around budgeting, booking, discovery, and collaboration, shaping our final navigation structure.
06 — INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
07 — PERSONAS
We created two research-driven personas—Jack, a solo traveler, and Lisa, a group traveler—to represent our primary user types. These personas helped guide decisions around budgeting, flexibility, and collaboration.
08 — DESIGN
Our designs focused on reducing planning overwhelm through a budget-first, AI-assisted experience. We prioritized clear information hierarchy, real-time cost visibility, and seamless transitions between planning, booking, and collaboration to support both solo and group travelers.
VISUAL STYLE
PRIMARY TYPOGRAPHY
Aa
Arial
Medium, Bold
SECONDARY TYPOGRAPHY
Aa
Roboto
Regular, Bold
BRAND COLORS
#E87E7E
#FCEAEA
#F5C4C4
#ECA5A5
#E47878
#FFFFFF
Wireframes
09 — FINAL SOLUTIONS
After multiple rounds of wireframing and testing, we refined high-fidelity designs to support core trip-planning workflows.
Trip Planning
Create trips with destinations, dates, budget, and travelers.
Budget Management
Track estimated and actual expenses in one place.
Transport & Stay
Explore and manage transport and accommodation options.
Collaboration
Share itineraries and manage group expenses.
These components work together to reduce planning fragmentation while supporting both solo and group travel needs.
Login/Signup
traveler can login / Signup by creating accounts manually or by Google/Apple/Facebook
Landing Page
Initially traveler visits landing page and enters trip details like start point, stopovers, destination, currency, budget, dates.
We also have AI at bottom corner if traveler have some questions.
Homepage
The homepage communicates the product promise up front and highlights the trip-creation entry point, emphasizing budget-first planning, AI suggestions, and clear next steps for users.
AI Feature
The AI feature helps users create and update their trip plan based on inputs like destination, dates, budget, and preferences, allowing adjustments as needs change.
Transport
The Transport section supports users in reviewing and managing travel options as part of their overall trip. It brings different transport modes into a single flow, helping users compare options and understand how each choice fits into their itinerary.
Accomodation
The Accommodation section allows users to browse and compare stay options while keeping them aligned with their trip plan, supporting easier decision-making during planning.
Stopovers
The Stopover feature helps users identify and manage intermediate stops along their travel route. It supports trip discovery by allowing users to consider additional locations without disrupting the overall itinerary.
Packing Essentials
The Packing section helps users prepare for their trip by organizing essential items in one place. It supports better readiness by aligning packing needs with the trip context and duration.
Insurance
The Insurance section introduces coverage options as part of the trip planning flow, allowing users to consider insurance needs alongside other travel decisions. This helps users account for risk planning without leaving the platform.
Collaboration
The Collaboration section supports shared trip planning by allowing group members to view trip details, coordinate decisions, and manage shared information in one place. It reduces reliance on external tools and helps keep everyone aligned throughout the planning process.
Profile
The Profile section allows users to view and manage their personal information and trip history. It serves as a centralized place for account-related details and access to past and ongoing trips.
10 — FEEDBACK
User testing helped us identify both usability issues and additional features users needed to improve the experience.
11 — FUTURE PROSPECTS
1. Expand AI capabilities for deeper personalization and natural language trip planning
2. Introduce real-time price tracking and budget alerts
3. Enhance group collaboration with automated expense settlements
4. Improve offline access to itineraries and trip details
5. Integrate airline and hotel loyalty programs
6. Conduct accessibility and performance optimizations
Behance
Copyright @2026 Manish Durgude