Aeris

Designed Aeris, a travel-focused app offering real-time, curated recommendations for travelers, simplifying decision-making and providing personalized, on-the-go insights.

Brief
Secondary Research

User Interviews
Insights
HMW Statement

Discover:

Strategize

Discover:

Prototyping
User Testing
User Feedback

Create

Discover:

Ideation
Final Design
Final Presentation
Reflection

Deliver

For my Engineering Design Innovation master’s thesis project, I identified a gap in travel planning and developed a platform to simplify decision-making and improve the user experience.

I conducted 15+ user interviews to identify common travel challenges and analyzed existing tools to uncover underlying issues in travel planning.

I then conducted secondary research on existing travel planning tools, categorizing them into three app types and analyzing travelers' feedback.

After conducting secondary research, I identified 2 key insights into the challenges travelers face abroad with existing tools and how they apply them in real-world travel contexts.

Not a tap away

When faced with last-minute changes, travelers seek online support but often get overwhelmed, leading them to dismiss helpful resources and settle for the easiest option with poor results.

The silent struggle

From our key insights, it became clear that most travel planning tools prioritize logistics management over simplifying the traveler experience, leaving users overwhelmed by manually managing trip details instead of receiving intuitive,
in-the-moment support.

"

In Korea, I got delayed in traffic, which completely threw off my plans. I was so stressed that I was left scrambling to find the nearest food place - Jane

When unexpected issues arise during a trip, many travelers choose to struggle alone and face defeat, convinced that help is inaccessible.

"

I missed my tour guide in Thailand and had no backup plan. I considered asking for help or look up alternatives, but it felt too complicated, so I went to the hotel. - Lauren

"

By identifying the key underlying issue, I recognized the opportunity to create an application that eliminates clutter, providing real-time, curated recommendations that adapt on the go, along with the necessary design requirements.

design requirements

After defining the design requirements, I developed 3 prototypes that explore different approaches to addressing travel planning challenges while meeting those requirements.

Concept 1: A travel app that offers real-time, curated, and personalized recommendations, making finding places and planning quicker, simpler, and just one tap away.

Based on traveler feedback, Concept 1 was chosen as the best fit for their needs, enabling me to iterate and test various features before finalizing the version.

Onboarding: Travelers favored more image options, with 3 rows of app-related and general images to reduce decision fatigue.

Explore: Travelers preferred a simple, clean, minimal explore page with a Pinterest-like layout.

Your Likes: Travelers expressed a desire to categorize their likes by activity type and view event previews.

Build Your Day: Travelers preferred a single-page layout with questions organized by time of day in a vertical row for simplicity.

Through design iteration, I finalized Aeris, a travel platform offering real-time, personalized recommendations that simplify planning and provide seamless, stress-free travel experiences.

editing your day

Elegant Beige Launching Soon Instagram Reel.gif

building your day

Elegant Beige Launching Soon Instagram Reel (1).gif

planning your day

planning your day

EDI Thesis Show 2025_Justin Barbin-72.jpg

presenting aeris

👩🏻‍🎨 Presenting my work

Presented my thesis to the program, faculty, and families, preparing a slide deck that helped me refine my communication skills and present my design process effectively

🔨 Working solo

Gained hands-on experience in UI/UX design, implementing animations, branding, and engaging with travelers to inform design decisions and guide my process

🤝 Learning from my mentors

Benefited from my mentor’s guidance, deepening my understanding of design principles and improving my ability to communicate my work clearly and concisely

Let's get in touch!

samipick101@gmail.com

For my Engineering Design Innovation master’s thesis project, I identified a gap in travel planning and developed a platform to simplify decision-making and improve the user experience.

I conducted 15+ user interviews to identify common travel challenges and analyzed existing tools to uncover underlying issues in travel planning.

I then conducted secondary research on existing travel planning tools, categorizing them into three app types and analyzing travelers' feedback.

After conducting secondary research, I identified 2 key insights into the challenges travelers face abroad with existing tools and how they apply them in real-world travel contexts.

When faced with last-minute changes, travelers seek online support but often get overwhelmed, leading them to dismiss helpful resources and settle for the easiest option with poor results.

From our key insights, it became clear that most travel planning tools prioritize logistics management over simplifying the traveler experience, leaving users overwhelmed by manually managing trip details instead of receiving intuitive, in-the-moment support.

"

"

In Korea, I got delayed in traffic, which completely threw off my plans. I was so stressed that I was left scrambling to find the nearest food place - Jane

When unexpected issues arise during a trip, many travelers choose to struggle alone and face defeat, convinced that help is inaccessible.

"

I missed my tour guide in Thailand and had no backup plan. I considered asking for help or look up alternatives, but it felt too complicated, so I went to the hotel. - Lauren

"

By identifying the key underlying issue, I recognized the opportunity to create an application that eliminates clutter, providing real-time, curated recommendations that adapt on the go, along with the necessary design requirements.

After defining the design requirements, I developed 3 prototypes that explore different approaches to addressing travel planning challenges while meeting those requirements.

Concept 1: A travel app that offers real-time, curated, and personalized recommendations, making finding places and planning quicker, simpler, and just one tap away.

Based on traveler feedback, Concept 1 was chosen as the best fit for their needs, enabling me to iterate and test various features before finalizing the version.

Onboarding: Travelers favored more image options, with 3 rows of app-related and general images to reduce decision fatigue.

Explore: Travelers preferred a simple, clean, minimal explore page with a Pinterest-like layout.

Your Likes: Travelers expressed a desire to categorize their likes by activity type and view event previews.

Build Your Day: Travelers preferred a single-page layout with questions organized by time of day in a vertical row for simplicity.

Through design iteration, I finalized Aeris, a travel platform offering real-time, personalized recommendations that simplify planning and provide seamless, stress-free travel experiences.

Let's get in touch!

From our key insights, it became clear that most travel planning tools prioritize logistics management over simplifying the traveler experience, leaving users overwhelmed by manually managing trip details instead of receiving intuitive,
in-the-moment support.