Native iOS Travel App

Team: Garance, Sadia, Nels, Jon and Mallory

Organiser: Apple fondation program

Product: Prototyping an iOS native app

Component: Filters

Duration: 4 weeks from 7 September 2020.

Sector: Tourism

Problematic: What is the major cause preventing people from travelling?

Challenge: How to stand out amongst well-established operators in the sector, render apps fully accessible, usable and meaningful to users.

App component: Active filters, budget calculator, city page, explore by country, login, user profile, search history, articles and help page.

Target user: Everybody, particularly users never travel outside their hometown.

Research by Mallory: Everyone needs free space to day dream and some time to relax. For many of us, travel is a good way to break the routine and the reset button to press. Our subject had primarily drawn us to identify the most significant factor which prevents people from travelling. Under the Covid-19 storm, the tourism sector is hard hit. As minimal human connection is advised, we have ruled out focused groups and observation as research methods. Instead, as demographically speaking, the group we were studying was large, so we have therefore decided to conduct desk research, select statistics as well as journals that are published before February 2020. As I look back now, we were wishing the global health situation would recover sooner, in the summer 2020?

After the first week of preliminary study, our initial conclusion is that lack of financial means is one of the major causes. According to studies, more than 50% of those who previously cancelled their travel plans said they could not pay for their holidays, while other reasons such as bad weather and sickness counted less than 20%. And for those who never travel outside their country accounted to 26.7% of the total population in the EU and amongst them, 50% or 190 million Europeans experienced some degree of exclusion to travel despite the single Euro currency policy as well as the lower cost to travel that had been benefited from the trade deal within the EU [1]. These figures contradict the objective of the much admired Erasmus initiative implemented since 2014, which aimed to promote greater cultural understanding within the European borders.

When look into the lens across the other side of the Atlantic; according to a survey managed by Forbes, they saw 63% of the respondents said money was the biggest issue as they simply can't afford to pay for an international trip, while 11% said that they had never travelled outside the state they were born [2] [3]. This study confirms that lack of finances doesn't only bother Europeans.

Conclusion: Being one of the most lucrative and well-loved businesses worldwide, tourism offered over 11% of employment in Europe. We have included a suggestion that a fund granted by the EU to its members' citizens would be a viable tool to stimulate the economy, when the confidence to travel is restored. With reference to 'government subsidies fitness membership in Singapore'.

Theme: Whereas the active filters on Dreamaway travel app offers a range of options to users, budget planning remains the core function to help users to organise their first trips (we have taken this very seriously indeed!). As to the information related to high-level subsidy is to be mentioned on the app, an external link will be provided to connect the applicants to the granter of funds. The spirit of this is that this increases the likelihood for all Europeans to explore beyond their hometowns. Not only does cultural understanding contribute to a holistic development, it is not difficult to regard it to be net-beneficial at a global level as unnecessary conflict can be avoided through wider understanding and respect. The creators want to see more curious people travelling soon and the new narratives would continue to tell their extraordinary stories.

Source:

[1] 190 million Europeans have never been abroad / Data news / News / Home - edjnet (europeandatajournalism.eu[) Credited from Der Spiegel | EDJNet

[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/lealane/2019/05/02/percentage-of-americans-who-never-traveled-beyond-the-state-where-they-were-born-a-surprise/

[3] https://ec.europa.eu/growth/content/eurobarometer-europeans-planning-travel-more-2015-1_en