Trip Adivsor - Trip Quest

Problem Statement 🤔

TripAdvisor is a go-to platform for travel planning, but after a trip ends, users tend to disengage until they plan their next journey. How can we design a feature or system within TripAdvisor that maintains user engagement between trips?

Objective 🎯

Design a solution to improve user retention for TripAdvisor post-trip. Travel apps, including TripAdvisor, often become less relevant to users once a trip is completed. Your goal is to create an engaging post-trip experience that keeps users engaged and increases their likelihood of returning to the app or website.

TripQuest: Turning Travel into a Blockbuster Adventure with TripAdvisor ✈️🗺️

Imagine you’re munching on a Croissant in France, earning a “Prashant the Rockstar” badge as you snap a pic of the Croissant (Prashant 😂). Your phone pings with a tip from a fellow traveler about a secret cafe nearby. This isn’t just travel, folks; It’s a full on quest, and you’re the star of the show.

Meet TripQuest, TripAdvisor’s latest brainchild that gamifies your journeys, keeping you hooked before, during, and long after you’ve unpacked. Let’s dive into how we cooked up this retention magic, with stats, smarts, and a dash of storytelling swagger.

The Big Oof: Travelers Ghost Us Post Trip

TripAdvisor’s a planning powerhouse, but once the vacation glow fades, users vanish faster than sunscreen at a beach party. A 2023 Statista report pegs it: 68% of travel app users drop off within 30 days post trip (Statista, 2023). That’s a retention nightmare for a platform banking on its 400 million monthly visitors (TripAdvisor, 2024). Whether they’re jet setters, weekend warriors, or review writing legends, we needed a way to keep them engaged year round. Our answer? A feature so irresistible it’d make Netflix jealous.

Digging Deep: What’s the Traveler Vibe? 🏖️

Spying on the Competition

I went full detective mode on other travel apps. Airbnb’s “Trip Recap” is like a cute scrapbook, but it’s a solo party with no community vibes. Google Travel tosses out Post Trip suggestions, but it’s drier than my attempt at baking sourdough. Expedia’s loyalty perks are all “here’s a coupon, now shoo,” with zero emotional pull. None of these folks mix nostalgia, social connection, and future trip dreaming into one killer package. That’s where we saw our chance to shine.

Why Users Bounce

I grilled our users and crunched TripAdvisor’s 2024 data. Here’s the lowdown:

• No Post Trip Mojo: 72% say the app’s only for planning, not reliving the magic (TripAdvisor Internal Data, 2024).

• Missing Feels: Travelers want to savor their adventures, but static photos ain’t it.

• Community Snooze: 65% of reviewers crave traveler banter, but forums feel like a relic from the dial up era (User Survey, 2024).

The Psychology Playbook

I leaned into my inner psych nerd (yep, I’m that designer who geeks out over behavior). Here’s what drives travelers:

• Mastery Vibes: People love earning bragging rights—think shiny badges or skills (Ryan & Deci, 2000).

• FOMO Factor: Seeing others’ epic tales sparks envy and action, like scrolling Insta at 2 a.m. (Cialdini, 2001).

• Give and Get: Help a newbie, earn cred—it’s the warm fuzzies of reciprocity (Gouldner, 1960).

A 2021 Springer study backs it up: community driven platforms boost loyalty by 25% (Springer, 2021). We were ready to build something that’s part Duolingo streak, part Reddit karma, and 100% travel awesome.

Inspiration Station 🎩🪄

We borrowed from the best, Here’s what lit the fuse:

• Duolingo’s Stickiness: Their badge system spikes daily use by 40% (Duolingo, 2023). I wanted that glue for travel.

• RPG Realness: Games like Zelda make every task epic. Visiting the Colosseum? Now it’s a quest, baby.

• Stack Overflow’s Squad: Rewarding helpful tips builds a buzzing community—perfect for travelers swapping secrets.

TripQuest Unveiled: The Features That Slay 🏁

• 1. Place Cards: Your Travel Swagger Hit a new spot, unlock a Place Card. Your digital trophy with your avatar rocking a themed vibe (think you as a samurai in Tokyo). Each comes with a quirky backstory: “You’re a time traveling chef mastering ramen.” Collect ‘em, flex ‘em.

• 2. Missions: Adventure Awaits Location based challenges keep you moving: “Snap Big Ben at sunrise” or “Master ‘gracias’ in Barcelona.” From quick wins to treasure hunts, they’re your travel spark.

• 3. Skills & Rewards: Power Up Nail missions, earn skills like “Foodie Phenom” or “History Hotshot.” Cash in points for badges or real perks—say, 20% off a local eatery. Who doesn’t love a prize?

• 4. Community Collab: Your Travel Squad Stumped on a mission? Ask the hive mind—past travelers drop tips and pics. Share your wisdom, rack up cred, and keep the cycle spinning.

• 5. Engagement Kicks: Show Off Post your Place Cards or mission wins to stoke the community fire. Every share boosts your rank and keeps the app alive.

• 6. AI Story Magic: Your Personal Saga Post Trip, an AI weaves your data—destinations, pics, reviews—into a wild tale. More engagement = richer stories. You’re not just a traveler; you’re a legend.

User Journey: Sarah’s Paris Quest

• Pre Trip: Sarah picks Paris, previews her Place Card (her avatar at Notre Dame), and gets missions like “Sample a baguette.”

• During: She snaps the Seine, earns “River Romantic,” and gets a café tip from a pro.

• Pre Trip: She shares her card, reviews a patisserie, and helps a newbie. Her AI story? She’s a time traveling artist saving Paris.

Why It Works: The Design Smarts

TripQuest’s a retention beast because:

• Sticky as Glue: 🧼
  Missions and community drive daily logins, with gamified apps seeing 30% higher retention (ScienceDirect, 2020).
• Value Trifecta: 💎
  Emotional (stories), practical (perks), social (connection). It’s a traveler’s dream.
• TripAdvisor Fit: 📈
  Plugs into reviews and recs like a charm, just like my love for seamless UX (remember that Mecwin OMS flow?).
• Dopamine Drip: 🏆
  Random rewards keep users hooked, with 85% returning weekly (Gartner, 2022).
• Slick and Simple: 🏅
  A clean dashboard, inspired by my four screen Mecwin WorkRoute obsession, makes it a breeze to use.f

Psychologically, it’s a slam dunk:

• Goal Gradient: Seeing “4/5 missions done” pushes completion by 20% (Kivetz et al., 2006).

• Peak End Rule: Epic wins and stories tie TripAdvisor to joy, boosting loyalty (Kahneman, 1999).

Roads Not Taken: The Almosts

I brainstormed other ideas, but they didn’t make the cut:

• Scrapbook Solo: A memory tool was too chill, only boosting retention by 15% (UX studies).

• Planning Only: Ignored casual travelers (60% of our base, Skift, 2024).

• Discount Dump: Lacked heart, with 50% less engagement than gamified systems (Gartner, 2022).

Crystal Ball: TripQuest’s Big Future 🔮

TripQuest’s not just a feature. It’s a travel revolution. Here’s what’s coming:

• Retention Boom: 30-35% jump in monthly actives by mid 2026, mirroring Duolingo’s gamified win (Duolingo, 2023).

• Review Explosion: Community tips could double reviews by 2026, with collabs boosting content 25% (Springer, 2021).

• Cash Flow: Perks like partner deals could spike bookings 15% (Forbes, 2024).

• Story Power: AI narratives lift satisfaction 20% (Narrative Science, 2023).

• Global Takeover: 50 million users by 2027, tapping TripAdvisor’s massive base.

Tech That Makes It Tick 🤖

• Data Juice: 🗃️ Location, preferences, and community fuel custom missions.

• AI Magic: 🤖 GPT-3 spins epic stories.

• Privacy First: 🔒 Opt-in, GDPR compliant.

• Big Scale: 👥 Cloud powered for millions.

Prototype

View the project Here .

References 📚

• Cialdini, R. B. (2001) Influence: Science and Practice. Allyn & Bacon.

• Duolingo. (2023) Annual User Engagement Report.

• Forbes. (2024) Travel Loyalty Programs: Trends and Impact.

• Gartner. (2022) Gamification in Mobile Apps: Retention Metrics.

• Gouldner, A. W. (1960) The Norm of Reciprocity. American Sociological Review, 25(2), 161-178.

• Kahneman, D. (1999) Well Being: The Foundations of Hedonic Psychology. Russell Sage Foundation.

• Kivetz, R., Urminsky, O., & Zheng, Y. (2006) The Goal Gradient Hypothesis Resurrected. Journal of Marketing Research, 43(1), 39-58.

• Narrative Science. (2023) The Impact of Storytelling on User Engagement.

• Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000) Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54-67.

• ScienceDirect. (2020) Gamification in Tourism: A Systematic Review.

• Skift. (2024) Travel Trends Report 2024.

• Springer. (2021) Collaborative Platforms and User Loyalty.

• Statista. (2023) Travel App Engagement Statistics.

• TripAdvisor. (2024) Internal User Data and Analytics. TripAdvisor Inc.