Abbey: Your Travel BFF
Abbey is a companion app for the solo traveler. An Abbey has traditionally been a safe haven for women and while this Abbey has been targeted toward women, all solo adventurers are welcome.
Solo travelers are by nature adventurous, curious and have a love for global discovery. Traveling solo however, is not always easy. Language, unknown territory, inexperience with local cultural norms and feeling vulnerable can all be barriers that prevent a solo traveler from fully immersing themselves in local experiences.
Solo travelers, especially women, are highly concerned with their safety when they travel, not just during a trip, but beforehand when considering the country/city to visit. Everything from general transportation to nightlife and local explorations. They wished they had an outlet that provided them with a sense of security.
Research & Product Development
Solo adventurers are courageous and choose to travel alone because it gives them freedom over their personal schedule and flexibility to choose activities. But solo adventurers also enjoy being social and meeting people while exploring. By sharing experiences they create a confidence as they explore in a new and unfamiliar place.
MEET JAY
THE PROTOTYPE
Research interviewees expressed wishes to have an app that was more than a review or informational platform, they wanted to platform that provided local resources, AND social connections, AND a feeling of security while traveling. A holistic app travel app for the modern solo traveler.
The main takeaway from prototyping Abbey and conducting usability testing with target users was keeping the balance of user safety concerns and delight when using the app. The first iterations leaned a little too heavy on the safety issue but bring the social, fun aspect forefront really improved usable enjoyment and fun feeling, while still providing features that gave users confidence. Making the safety issue a bonus, not a concern.
Splash Page, Private Profile, Map, Local Country Card
Create "Scout" 1: Find Local Travelers
Create "Scout" 2: Found Local Travelers
Received Scouts: Filtering Scout Topics
Next For Abbey
PARTNERSHIPS! When Abbey was conceived, Airbnb had not launched it "experiences" product but I thought it would be a great partner having built-in local hosts, plenty of neighborhood information and resources. Currently looking for that key partner(s).
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