INTRODUCTION
UltraLight
UltraLight is a packing list and luggage weight management app that helps streamline the pre-flight packing process.
Team: Individual Project
Timeline: 5 weeks
Roles: Concept, Research, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Visual Design
Tools used: InVision, Adobe Illustrator
PROBLEM SPACE
Problem Statement
Packing with a specific weight limit in mind is a challenge for many flyers. Not knowing how much your bag weighs can affect the research, packing, and check-in process for your trip.
Problem Scenarios
Packing
Imagine you're packing for a trip. You pack everything you can think of. Once you're done, you zip up, throw your luggage on the scale and... it's over the airline's baggage weight limit.
You lift your bag off the scale, re-open it and begin re-evaluating and removing items before you zip up and weigh again. Repeat until your bag is no longer overweight.
Airline Research
Or, imagine you'll be taking multiple airlines on your trip. You're trying to figure out what the different airline baggage size and weight limits are so you can pack accordingly and you're stuck on multiple airline websites trying to piece together this information.
Check-In
Then imagine you’re at the airport, waiting to check your bag. You have no idea how much your luggage weighs. You put it on the airline counter’s scale and... it’s over the limit.
Unless you want to pay an enormous fee, you are now humiliatingly tasked with getting on your hands and knees, opening your luggage on the ground in front of the whole airport and re-distributing the weight into different bags or even throwing some precious stuff away.
DESIGN OVERVIEW
Key Features
Ultralight is an app that provides a comprehensive packing list, luggage weight management tool, and an airline luggage directory for air travelers.
Custom Packing List for Every Trip
Choose a destination, travel dates, and activities, and the app will generate a custom packing list for each trip using destination, weather, and activity-based information.
Estimate Baggage Weight
Charts show the estimated weight breakdown of the entire bag based on the packing list. Individual item weights are based on aggregated online averages. Users are able to manually change the weights of items if greater accuracy is desired.
Compare Baggage Weight to Airline Limits
Check airlines’ baggage requirements and compare your baggage weight to the airline imposed limits.
IDENTIFYING THE USERS
Personas
I created personas based on my problem scenarios, interviews, as well as people I have met while traveling. They are very different individuals traveling for different reasons who seek a solution to streamline their packing process.
Design Process
RESEARCH & IDEATION
Contextual Interviews
I observed one person walk me through their pre-flight packing process and spoke to 5 people altogether regarding how they typically pack for trips.
Each had their own specific way of packing; some use packing apps, some use printed lists, and some just pack off the top of their heads. But each one of them has at some point encountered at least one of the scenarios I highlighted where they were unsure of their bag weight or airline limits and it caused annoyance or frustration.
Competitive Analysis
Packing Apps
I researched packing apps and looked at the ways they designed their packing lists.
Gear List Calculators
I also began thinking about gear list calculators, typically used by outdoor backpackers where calculating the exact weight on their backs is of the utmost importance. All of these apps require manually inputting your item and knowing exactly what it weighs.
What I Learned
1. Most packing apps focus on the list as their only feature. Some also include weather.
2. Gear list calculators require individually adding and weighing your items. Quite tedious!
3. To my knowledge, there exists no consolidated airline luggage weight directory.
PROTOTYPING
User Flow
Sketches
Wireframing
I created simple initial wireframes to further visualize the screens and interaction flow.
USABILITY TESTING
Points of Interest
I printed my wireframes out and conducted testing on 3 different people using paper prototyping. I was particularly interested in a few things:
1. How users responded to the process of creating a trip
2. How they were able to utilize the packing list and all its features
3. Whether they understood the weight graphs
Insights & Design Changes
Simplifying "Add a Trip"
Airline Baggage Limits
Navigating Packing Stats
Packing List Check-Off
VISUAL DESIGN
Style Guide
My goal was to keep the visual design simple and graphic with a "clean and airy" feeling.
PROTOTYPE
InVision Prototype