Travel app UI design is evolving in accordance with travelers’ needs and expectations, and you should know what sort of changes it brings if you want to keep up. Let’s explore how travel companies aim to make their designs more functional, inclusive, and sustainable this year.
Accessibility
Travel companies interact with a diverse global audience daily, which is why it is so important to ensure that their products can be used by any traveler. That includes people from different countries, people with disabilities, and the owners of lower-end devices.
Accessibility and inclusivity in travel UI/UX design have become one of the latest trends due to several reasons — from growing social awareness to the implementation of legal requirements in many regions. Nowadays, it is something that cannot be ignored or put at the end of the priorities list.
Well, what makes UI/UX design more inclusive? If you want to follow this trend, you should start by ensuring that your software meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, but generally, there’s a lot of room for making a certain app accessible.
Some of the solutions include creating simple and easy-to-navigate interfaces, making interactive elements bigger, ensuring readability, and optimizing software to improve its performance on lower-end devices.
Simplified booking and payment
It goes without saying that the simpler it is to book and pay for services, the better the user experience is, which, in return, provides more finished bookings. That is why travel companies today are so focused on making these processes as convenient as possible.
Modern travelers are already accustomed to a hassle-free and secure experience when booking their trips, and with so many options to choose from, they won’t settle for anything short of perfectly smooth.
Travel businesses are doing their best to streamline the booking flow — from reducing the number of steps required and minimizing form fields to providing autofill options and social media login capabilities.
Another trend is the integration of multiple payment options, catering to as many travelers as possible and making it easier and quicker for them to finish their booking. Credit cards, digital wallets, Apple/Google Pay integrations, multiple currencies — the more the better!
If you want to follow the trend, you can check if your app follows the best practices, from one-click bookings for registered users and smart recommendations to saved preferences, social media logins, and integrated payment gateways.
Mobile-first approach
Smartphones are an extremely popular tool for browsing and booking travel options. In fact, they are so popular that companies started implementing the mobile-first design approach, prioritizing mobile experience over anything else to meet user expectations.
What that means is that companies create a seamless and intuitive experience on smaller screens before scaling up to larger ones, ensuring that all features and functionalities are easily accessible on mobile devices. The key elements here are responsive layouts, touch-friendly interfaces, and fast loading times.
A crucial aspect of the mobile-first design is the emphasis on geolocation services, which is something that is mostly utilized by smartphone users. Modern travel apps provide personalized recommendations for local attractions, real-time weather updates, and various services based on the traveler’s location.
Hopping up on the trend may seem difficult at first since it requires you to reimagine the way you build your software and change the priorities, but it seems to be the right call, considering how even industry giants like Booking.com choose it over other options.
Interactive and real-time content
Today’s travelers look for engaging and dynamic experiences, and static information just doesn’t cut it anymore. They want to interact with content, receive instant updates, and make informed decisions based on real-time information. This makes personalization, interactive overviews, and real-time and location-based features not just trendy, but key for success.
First of all, real-time content keeps travelers engaged — they are more likely to use your app more often if they know that the information you provide is reliably updated. Live chat support and real-time notifications help them plan their trips and reduce the stress that comes with unexpected changes.
Another one of the key trends is the use of interactive maps that allow users to explore destinations and get directions in an exciting and convenient way.
Enabling travelers to click or tap on landmarks to learn more, view photos, and read reviews is invaluable when it comes to retaining customers and keeping them engaged with your product.
Although we get into a bit more expensive territory, augmented reality and virtual reality are becoming popular as well.
There is nothing quite as cool and futuristic as overlaying information on the real world through a smartphone camera, and although the best uses for the technology are still being discovered, it has already become a selling point for some startups.
Sustainable UI/UX design
Sustainability only gets more and more important in the travel industry, and it is no longer just a buzzword — lots of travelers expect real visible commitment from travel companies, and businesses show it through design as well.
Creating sustainable UI/UX design means being energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, which can be achieved through optimizing code to reduce data consumption, minimizing server requests, and minimizing any types of interactions that would demand too many resources.
User interfaces can educate travelers about their environmental impact. For example, apps can display the carbon footprint of different travel options, suggest alternative routes that are more eco-friendly, or provide tips for reducing waste while traveling.
Not only do these features do their part to help with environmental issues, but they also empower users and keep them informed, which is a double win.
Sustainable design also extends to the content. Highlighting eco-friendly travel options, like green accommodations, sustainable transportation, and responsible tourism practices, improves brand image and encourages travelers to make environmentally conscious choices.
Conclusion
Current travel UI/UX design trends show a certain shift towards inclusivity, engagement, and sustainability. If you want your design to speak to modern travelers, you should show your dedication to these values, while also improving the overall experience: from quick interactions to general convenience.
