Frequent travelers often encounter stress and anxiety when embarking on journeys. From navigating through TSA to safeguarding the integrity of your luggage, the entire travel process can be draining. This is especially true when traveling abroad, and immersing oneself in unfamiliar cultures. Our driving force lies in alleviating the burdens associated with travel and transforming cultural immersion into a source of delight, particularly during international travels.

Process and Contribution

Through research, comprehensive data analysis, firsthand interviews, iterative prototyping, thoughtful design, meticulous budgeting, and strategic marketing efforts, our team successfully brought Jimoto to life.

Primary Research

Our primary research was conducted via a dual approach — online surveys and in-person interviews. With 28 submissions to our online survey and 5 comprehensive rounds of in-person interviews, we were able to identify trends and patterns, enabling us to effectively pinpoint prevalent issues often faced by travelers.

To gain a deeper insight into our application and its implementation, our team created a thorough user flow for both travelers and locals, illustrating how the application is utilized from both perspectives. While the local's interaction primarily involves logging in and getting matched, we thought it would be important to include their user flow for visual clarity and ease of understanding.

value flow

To deliver a seamless and satisfying user experience, ensuring efficiency, engagement, and competitiveness in today's crowded digital landscape, our group created a value flow to delve into the financial intricacies of our application and devise strategies that maximize revenue while minimizing costs for our users.

HIGH FIDELITY design

To emphasize the essential components and functionalities of the application, our team crafted a high-fidelity design that reflects the core features of the application. We conducted extensive user testing to ensure the utmost user-friendliness and an intuitive interface in every aspect of the UI.

Account Setup

We created Variant A as a simplified version to show what our app has to offer while Variant B goes more in depth into what the actual prototype looks like and how the future user would use it.

Marketing

Our Google ad generated 4.67k interactions at a cost of 10 cents per click (CPC) and accumulating a total of 826 clicks. Moreover, our analysis of top search queries revealed valuable insights into user needs, enabling us to fine-tune our app's offerings to better serve our audience's travel-related requirements.

Visual Design

Our group dedicated tremendous effort into creating the perfect logo, color schemes, and typography for our application. Through iterations, we decided on our final theme and logo which was inspired by the subtle colors of nature.

Final product

login and sign up

Our application guarantees a smooth and hassle-free login and signup experience, catering to the needs of both travelers and local tour providers. Our login process is designed to consider user interests, enabling Jimoto to connect users with locals who align with their preferences and priorities.

Booking

Jimoto allow users to seamlessly book their flights and hotels once they've chosen their desired destination. By offering this integrated service, users can now eliminate the need for third-party platforms to purchase flight tickets and hotel stays, while Jimoto earns a commission through these transactions.

Connecting with locals

Jimoto provides users with the opportunity to communicate with their chosen local guide, allowing them to share their planned activities and preferences for a personalized travel experience.

Budgeting

In preparation for our ultimate investor pitch, we crafted a comprehensive budgeting plan to transparently outline the allocation of funds from our investors and how these resources will be distributed across every facet of the project.

Final poster

Reflection

• Jimoto was one of the most challenging projects I have ever tackled. I was extremely fortunate to be part of a great team that worked tirelessly to complete this project, allowing it to come to life. We were able to secure investment offers to bring the application to life, and we could not have been more grateful.

• The entire project process was a genuine joy, affording me the opportunity to delve into every aspect of entrepreneurship, from budgeting and marketing to pitching and beyond. This project is something I am incredibly passionate about, as it enables users to travel the world in the most efficient manner, ensuring they have the most enjoyable, safe, and locally immersive experiences possible.

User flow

A/b testing

Looking at our results from Unbounce we can infer that Variant A was more effective in catering to our target audience seeing as it had the highest conversion rate of 5.07%. There was a 26 person difference between them and 2 more conversions for variant A than variant B. Overall Variant A did better so we can cater to this type of simplified branding for Jimoto.

Our LinkedIn ad achieved a total engagement of 5,073 impressions, 74 likes, 9 comments, and 5 reposts, showcasing its effectiveness in capturing the attention of our target audience and fostering meaningful interactions within the professional community.

Destinations

After users sign up, they gain access to an endless array of destinations, allowing them to effortlessly swipe through options and add their preferred destinations to their wishlist. This way, they can easily select their ultimate favorite from among the destinations they've swiped right on.

Activities and locals

Once users book their trip, Jimoto’s unique feature comes to play. Users can effortlessly browse through a diverse array of activities available at their chosen destination and connect with a local to serve as their personal tour guide, as well as other opportunities. Furthermore, Jimoto facilitates connections among users with similar travel itineraries, fostering a community of like-minded travelers.

International travel frequently leads to culture shock, hindering travelers from fully immersing themselves in the local experience of their destination.