CoTripper — Client Project /Desktop and iOS Mobile / B2C / Digital Media
Redesigning a digital media company to help single moms navigate through single motherhood with ease
Client: CoTripper CEO Krystin Hargrove
Role: Researched in a team of 3, ideated and created solo project under consultation from a senior designer
Timeline: Sep. 2023-Nov.2023 (10 weeks)
Background
CoTripper is a lifestyle and parenting community for single moms. They aim to deliver travel destinations, products, and community information that will inspire single moms to travel more with kids. CoTripper’s current product includes a bi-monthly newsletter to single mom subscribers, covering all manner of travel related to support and empower single moms. They wants to explore product development opportunities exist to further grow their subscriber base.
After conducting research with 2 UX design colleagues,my role was to identify current user problems and opportunities to create an online community for single moms. I defined key personas, user journey, and then created high-fidelity prototypes for both web and mobile users.
The Problem
CoTripper has been struggling to attract new subscribers. The current user experience for subscriber growth includes a single landing page with a call to action to subscribe.
Current website
The Goals
Business goals
Create a community for single mom and disrupt how society views single moms
Build connections between single moms in the community
Create more digital footprint (ie. More users volunteer to write blogs)
Drive stronger word of mouth and increase subscribers from 400 to target of 10,000
User goals
Looks for an online single mom community that they can trust and get useful information regarding traveling and resources for singe moms
Wants to find communication channels to connect with other single moms on CoTripper
Looks for a representation of the lifestyle and experience of single motherhood
The Solution
Offer a platform that provides useful resources for single moms to navigate their day to day life, and connect with other single moms through a safe online community and family trips.
The website prioritizes six main pages: blogs, resources, trips, get involved, about us, and contact us. In addition, there is also login/profile management pages to show exclusive features for the community members.
The homepage
A hero banner with attention-grabbing image, tagline and mission statement to show the website's purpose and target audience.
A clear call-to-action follows, inviting users to join the community.
Show users what CoTripper offers ,which including featured blogs, signature trip and community events.
The community
3 different types of single mom lifestyles and their needs when they are looking for online community.
The personal account profile allows user to access personalized information and perks.
Uses can connect with other single moms on the platform by sending inbox message or joining annual trips
The resources
Users find helpful information including life hacks, recommendations from experts and tips for travel planning on resource page.
The get involved page allows single mom's to get to know each other in real life, and also encourages them to share their own experience by writing blogs or hosting community events.
The Process
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Competitors offer resourceful community and allow uses to connect with each other, but not through trips
I conducted a competitive analysis to find out what features the competitors are offering and the opportunities for CoTripper to stand out in the single mom community. Because CoTripper is both an online community and a travel site, I looked into other travel sites, mom blogs and single mom community groups.
Competitive analysis
PRIMARY RESEARCH
Every single mom has different needs and preferences when it comes to family traveling and online single mom community.
To better understand single moms’ perspectives and behaviors, we conducted 1:1 user interviews with potential users who may use this product or have had experience with similar products. Our team interviewed a total of 8 single moms to learn their thoughts on single motherhood, their needs to build a sustainable single mom community, and their preference for family trips.
User interview affinity map
I defined 3 user archetypes based on the interviews. The archetypes informed our user needs, leading to user stories and feature design ideas.
single moms who are only looking for travel information from other experienced single moms
single moms who are open to travel with other similar minded single moms
single moms who are looking for companionship with other single moms during a trip
Hesitant mom
Passionate mom
Insecure mom
Uses are looking for an inclusive, safe and resourceful community
Key insights from the user interviews
People are looking for a safe single mom community where they can find information that help them to navigate day to day life
People want to hear from experienced single moms who share their personal lives and growth in the community
People want to connect with other like-minded single moms online and in person before signing up for a trip
People are looking for safe and well-planned family trip
How might we
Build a trusting community that helps single moms navigating their day to day life?
Create a platform where like-minded single moms can connect with each other and share insights either online or in person?
Provide single moms with the unique resources that are tailored to single moms and kids?
PAPER WIREFRAMES
Focus more on building a community to meet users’ needs rather than planning a perfect trip
Our client emphasized that the priority is to build a community, not planning a perfect trip. I tried to focus on building a platform that users can find resources easily, personalize contents, and interact with other users online or in person before they sign up for a trip.
PROTOTYPE & TEST
To determine the level of efficiency of design and usability within the user interface of the interactive prototype, both moderated and unmoderated usability testings were conducted.
USABILITY TEST INSIGHTS
What worked:
5/5 users were able to successfully subscribe to the newsletters, create an account, and log into the account
The “join the community “ button on the home page gives the user an overview of what CoTripper offers
3 different types of single mom life style makes them feel included and help them to decide if they want to spend more time exploring the website
The drop down menu is very helpful to filter different categories on resources and trips page
What can be improved :
Add more detailed sections on the homepage to showcase what CoTripper provides
Add more detailed description of what single mom community offers after the user clicked “join the community” CTA, so the user knows what to expect and can decide if they want to just subscribe to the newsletter or create an account to get more benefits
Adjust text size and color contrast of CTA, so it’s easier for user to read
The Final Design
1. Explain what CoTripper offers and the benefits of joining the community upfront
Place “join the community” CTA at the top and center of homepage to invite users to take action to join the community
list out 3 different categories with detailed description of what’s included in each category, so that users can get involved in CoTripper community based on their needs and preference
2.Showcase blogs written by other single moms, and the resources that are curated for single moms
The blogs are written by other single moms who want to share their single motherhood experience
The resource page features mom hacks, advice from experts, and videos regarding traveling to help single moms navigate through their day to day life with ease
3.Offer opportunities for users to connect with other single moms by attending local events or joining annual trips
The get involved page features the upcoming and past in person meet up events, as well as links for users to host events and contribute to blogs to connect with other single moms in the community
The trip page features the well-planned annual trip by the founder, and other family trip ideas for users who are not ready to sign up for a trip with other single moms yet.
Results& Reflection
Impact
A potential user said that she will prioritize CoTripper because she prefers being in a community for single mom only rather than getting involved in different online groups for moms in general.
Another potential user said that she loves the “get involved” section and the opportunity to give back to the community.
A few potential users really appreciate CoTripper giving single moms the opportunity to join a unique community that can move them somewhere
What I learned
There are many opportunities identified in research, and I want to focus on essential information that allows user to make an easy transition from the minimalist website to a more comprehensive website
It’s not easy to build an online single community that meets everyone’s needs, but going through each step of the design process and aligning with specific user needs helped me come up with solution that meets majority’s needs
Most single moms are very busy. They usually get information on their phones, therefore the mobile first design is more ideal for the target users
Next step
Build the interface for direct message and group chat message feature within the community
Interview current CoTripper users to get more insights on how to further improve the website once it’s launched
Explore other UX opportunities for the next stage development, such as adding links for audiobooks and podcasts, creating community fundraising events, and organizing online meetup events to expand the community.
View mobile prototype
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