Innovative Design
For my application, called TravelBuddy, I decided to create a new service for solo travelers that are looking to meet with other solo travelers. Essentially, an app where you can match and be pushed into groups of solo travelers who are interested in similar trips as you so you can all travel together. Many times, there have been instances where I’ve wanted to make a solo trip but be able to bond with people from all across the world. With this application, that’s exactly what you can do! The app will be created where you can select a variety of filters (age, gender, travel dates, location, etc…) and match with similar travelers with the same interests. This will essentially be a combination of Facebook and also Tinder. It’s similar to Facebook because you can add friends and have a page dedicated to travel, but it’s also similar to Tinder because you can match with other people in order to build any type of connection. A safety feature to this application service would be verification purposes and background checks.
Upgraded Criteria
A major category that this app/service would fall under, would be social reasoning and also group dynamics. Social reasoning is defined as “enable to connect more safely and authentically with others” according to the Human Tech Design Guide. This relates to my new application because it gives anyone the tool to be able to connect with strangers prior to meeting them, in order to understand who they are and what their intentions are. With this app, strangers are all able to truly connect with each other through a similar interest in traveling. As mentioned prior, a safety feature of this service is the provided background checks and verification that need to be done prior to completing a profile. In relation to group dynamics, group dynamics is “How we navigate larger groups, status, and shared understanding. Enable to develop a sense of belonging and cooperation” which is also defined through the Human Tech Design Guide. This is also related to the application because the app helps groups of people effectively communicate with each other through the messenger aspect of the application. Larger groups are able to communicate with each other to plan trips and potentially delegate tasks to one another. For example, if three people create a group chat within the app, one of them can be a leader and delegate tasks to the other two individuals… These tasks could be booking tickets to ensure they all have a checklist of things to do. A non-digital way to support this would be a traveling convention where you are able to meet other travel buddies that are interested in trips. Although this is a great option, it also can be potentially dangerous in terms of social reasoning. Instead of being behind the app and getting to know someone prior to meeting them, traveling conventions make you meet people face to face before knowing anything about them. A digital internet innovation would be TravelBuddy. It efficiently helps you meet other travel fanatics.
Supportive Context
The main target group for this application would be an individual that wants to travel and connect with others. Specifically, it’s geared towards people who are alone, but it can be for anyone who wants a traveling connection. In terms of social, economic, and political– this application does not have any negative impacts. Instead, this application actually has benefits. Socially, it helps bring people together and connect with one another in an adventurous way whilst still maintaining safety. This is a huge concern to people, especially for minorities that do not feel safe traveling alone to potentially dangerous countries or areas. Economically, this is also beneficial because it helps all of the lost revenue from shy lone travelers. Instead of someone bailing out of a trip because they’re too scared to go alone, they’re now pushed towards experiencing things and building connections. This benefits the economy because they’re putting money towards goods and services such as hotel rooms, planes, and tourist attractions.
Weigh Costs
The application is free to use, although there are subscriptions within the app that enhance the user’s experience. For example, there would be a service within TravelBuddy called TravelBuddyGOLD or TravelBuddyPLATINUM. These monthly subscriptions would be up to $20 which gives users a full experience such as being able to match with unlimited people or customize filters more. This application is accessible to anyone that has access to the internet. This app also brings benefits to people not using it, because it pushes people to travel and spend money at small businesses.
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