Wandr.

Wandr makes road trips more spontaneous, exciting, and memorable.

Year: 2023
Categories: UI, UX
My role: Visual/UI Designer, UX Researcher
Mentor: McLean Donnelly

Problem

The best part of a road trip is discovering unexpected, local roadside attractions. While most travel apps focus on logistics—like gas stations and traffic—they overlook the emotional side of the journey, often making trips efficient but forgettable.

HMW Statement

How might we enhance the emotional experience of road trips while preserving spontaneity?

Solution

An app that finds nearby roadside attractions, lets groups vote on stops, and fosters connection through in-car games and shared memory collections.

Design System

Segmentation research showed our audience values visual formats and ease of use. We prioritized negative space, clear hierarchy, and accessibility to reflect these preferences.

Key Screens and Flows

We designed a high-fidelity prototype in Figma, and used After Effects to imagine how motion can to amplify those key moments.

Accessible Design

Our design system was crafted to meet accessibility standards, ensuring inclusivity.

Custom Icon Suite

A bespoke set of icons brings cohesion and character to the design.

Brand Expression

We imagined how Wandr could be marketed by connecting the tangible UI to the intangible magic of road trips—camaraderie, memories, and local culture. Playful UI elements and destination-specific icons highlight unique stops, making every interaction feel immersive and authentic.

Gathering Insights

We conducted 6 user interviews, secondary research, segmentation analysis, and a customer journey map to inform design decisions.

MAIN INSIGHT 1
“50-foot junkyard sculptures”

People loved road trips for their spontaneous, unplanned stops.

MAIN INSIGHT 2
“The driving part sucks”

Our interviewees despised the boredom that is involved during those extended driving times.

MAIN INSIGHT 3
“Visual & easy to use”

Our target audience prefers visual formats, functionality, and easy navigation.

Lo-Fi to High-Fi

We moved from rough sketches to high-fidelity prototypes through user-flow mapping, usability tests, and iterative sketching exercises.