Place2Place
Helping travelers discover cheaper, faster routes by comparing nearby airports and ground transportation.
Helping travelers discover cheaper, faster routes by comparing nearby airports and ground transportation.
My Process
Research, wire framing, prototyping, user testing, brand identity
Research, wire framing, prototyping, user testing, brand identity
Category
Startup, desktop, mobile
Startup, desktop, mobile
Timeline
2 weeks
2 weeks
Founding team
Daniel Greenberg (CEO)
Nina Chang (CPO/UX)
Jason Silva (CTO)
Daniel Greenberg (CEO)
Nina Chang (CPO/UX)
Jason Silva (CTO)
My role
My role
I am the UX designer on this team, collaborating closely with our CEO and two developers to build and refine the product.
I am the UX designer on this team, collaborating closely with our CEO and two developers to build and refine the product.
What does 'best flight' really mean?
What does 'best flight' really mean?
When you're searching for flights, most tools define "best" as a mix of price, time, and number of stops…but only for the airport you searched.
When you're searching for flights, most tools define "best" as a mix of price, time, and number of stops…but only for the airport you searched.
When you're searching for flights, most tools define "best" as a mix of price, time, and number of stops…but only for the airport or city you searched.
That’s a problem, because in many cities with multiple nearby airports, the best option might not appear at all if results are limited to just one airport.
That’s a problem, because in many cities with multiple nearby airports, the best option might not appear at all if results are limited to just one airport.
That’s a problem, because in many cities with multiple nearby airports, the best option might not appear at all if results are limited to just one airport.
*Image from google flights
*Image from google flights
Place2Place is a flight search engine that finds smarter routes by factoring in alternate airports AND rideshare costs.
Place2Place is a flight search engine that finds smarter routes by factoring in alternate airports AND rideshare costs.
Jump to final product
Analyzing the impact of your default airport choice.
Take this example:
Take this example:
I’m searching for a flight from Dartmouth, Massachusetts - a small town located between Providence and Boston - to Atlanta. Since Dartmouth is slightly closer to Providence, most flight tools default to searching from Providence Airport, showing the top round-trip option as for $361 with over 4 hours of travel time.
I’m searching for a flight from Dartmouth, Massachusetts - a small town located between Providence and Boston - to Atlanta. Since Dartmouth is slightly closer to Providence, most flight tools default to searching from Providence Airport, showing the top round-trip option as for $361 with over 4 hours of travel time.
But if I’m willing to get a ride for just 20 minutes farther to Boston Logan Airport, I can get a round-trip flight for $182 and under 3 hours of travel time.
But if I’m willing to get a ride for just 20 minutes farther to Boston Logan Airport, I can get a round-trip flight for $182 and under 3 hours of travel time.
So how can we help travelers find the most cost-effective and time-efficient routes by automatically comparing nearby airports and factoring in ground transportation?
So how can we help travelers find the most cost-effective and time-efficient routes by automatically comparing nearby airports and factoring in ground transportation?
Research
Research
What existing tools get wrong
What existing tools get wrong
Popular platforms like Google Flights only search the specific airport pairs you input. If you want to check surrounding airports, you have to:
Popular platforms like Google Flights only search the specific airport pairs you input. If you want to check surrounding airports, you have to:
Manually rerun your search with new airport codes.
Use separate tools to calculate Uber/Lyft estimates.
Do your own comparison to figure out the “true best” option.
Manually rerun your search with new airport codes.
Use separate tools to calculate Uber/Lyft estimates.
Do your own comparison to figure out the “true best” option.
What do travelors think?
What do travelors think?
I talked to frequent flyers, asking them about their process in choosing flights, and how they find the best deals.
I talked to frequent flyers, asking them about their process in choosing flights, and how they find the best deals.
Hannah
Hannah
Student who flies for trips and family visits
Student who flies for trips and family visits
“I don’t mind driving a bit farther if it means saving money or time, but I'm not going to spend an hour figuring that out.”
“I don’t mind driving a bit farther if it means saving money or time, but I'm not going to spend an hour figuring that out.”
“I don’t mind driving a bit farther if it means saving money or time, but I'm not going to spend an hour figuring that out.”
Emma
Emma
Freelancer who flies to meet clients
Freelancer who flies to meet clients
“I did not know that I can get cheaper flights by searching alternate airports. I always assumed that Google flights really showed the ‘best’.”
“I did not know that I can get cheaper flights by searching alternate airports. I always assumed that Google flights really showed the ‘best’.”
“I did not know that I can get cheaper flights by searching alternate airports. I always assumed that Google flights really showed the ‘best’.”
Henry
Henry
Freelancer who flies to meet clients
Freelancer who flies to meet clients
“I honestly don't care where I fly in and out of as long I get where I need to get.”
“I honestly don't care where I fly in and out of as long I get where I need to get.”
“I honestly don't care where I fly in and out of as long I get where I need to get.”
Cheaper flight options often exist beyond your default search, but finding them is time-consuming and unintuitive.
Cheaper flight options often exist beyond your default search, but finding them is time-consuming and unintuitive.
Insights
Insights
The pain points
The pain points
Decision fatigue
Decision fatigue
Comparing flights and airport options requires multiple tabs of flight engines and maps, making the process slow and frustrating.
Comparing flights and airport options requires multiple tabs of flight engines and maps, making the process slow and frustrating.
Limited Airport Awareness
Limited Airport Awareness
Many travelers only search from their closest airport, unaware that nearby alternatives might offer better prices or shorter travel times.
Many travelers only search from their closest airport, unaware that nearby alternatives might offer better prices or shorter travel times.
No estimate on total trip cost
No estimate on total trip cost
Current tools focus only on airfare. They don’t show the true cost or duration when ground travel is involved, making it hard to make informed tradeoffs.
Current tools focus only on airfare. They don’t show the true cost or duration when ground travel is involved, making it hard to make informed tradeoffs.
User personas
User personas
Daniel
A college student who loves finding smarter, cheaper ways to travel.
Frustrations
He spends too much time manually checking nearby airports and calculating transportation costs. He wishes that there were a tool that would do it for him.
Wants
To find the most affordable routes by comparing flights and factoring in rideshare costs
A college student who loves finding smarter, cheaper ways to travel.
Frustrations
He spends too much time manually checking nearby airports and calculating transportation costs. He wishes that there were a tool that would do it for him.
Wants
To find the most affordable routes by comparing flights and factoring in rideshare costs
Debra
A retired teacher who sticks with what she knows when booking flights
Frustration
She only searches flights from her nearest airport, assuming it’s the best choice and not realizing that a slightly farther airport could offer better prices and shorter travel times.
Wants
To book stress-free, affordable flights to visit her family a few times a year.
A retired teacher who sticks with what she knows when booking flights
Frustration
She only searches flights from her nearest airport, assuming it’s the best choice and not realizing that a slightly farther airport could offer better prices and shorter travel times.
Wants
To book stress-free, affordable flights to visit her family a few times a year.
A retired teacher who sticks with what she knows when booking flights
Frustration
She only searches flights from her nearest airport, assuming it’s the best choice and not realizing that a slightly farther airport could offer better prices and shorter travel times.
Wants
To book stress-free, affordable flights to visit her family a few times a year.
Wire-framing
Wire-framing
User flow
User flow
Given our two-week timeline, our team focused on launching a minimum viable product centered around the core feature: flight search and generating an itinerary. To meet the deadline, we prioritized essential functionalities outlined below and set aside more complex features such as account features for later development.
Given our two-week timeline, our team focused on launching a minimum viable product centered around the core feature: flight search and generating an itinerary. To meet the deadline, we prioritized essential functionalities outlined below and set aside more complex features such as account features for later development.
Planning
Planning
I sketched out designs in Figma to explore potential layouts, UI styles, and clear, intuitive ways of displaying information.
I sketched out designs in Figma to explore potential layouts, UI styles, and clear, intuitive ways of displaying information.
User testing
User testing
Gathering real world feedback
Gathering real world feedback
The method
The method
After launching Place2Place, we used Statsig, a product experimentation and analytics platform, to review hundreds of live session replays and identify areas for improvement.
After launching Place2Place, we used Statsig, a product experimentation and analytics platform, to review hundreds of live session replays and identify areas for improvement.
*live session replays on both desktop and mobile for the initial version of the product
*live session replays on both desktop and mobile for the initial version of the product
Problem 1
Unclear next step:
Most users didn’t realize they needed to select flights to generate a travel itinerary, since the “Generate Itinerary” button was hidden at the bottom of the page.
Most users didn’t realize they needed to select flights to generate a travel itinerary, since the “Generate Itinerary” button was hidden at the bottom of the page.
Solution:
I added a fixed bar at the bottom with a progress indicator, instructions, and a visible “Generate Itinerary” button to better guide users.
I added a fixed bar at the bottom with a progress indicator, instructions, and a visible “Generate Itinerary” button to better guide users.
Problem 2
Unclear next step:
Many users entered only a city or airport instead of their full starting address, which limited our ability to provide the best flight options, as the disclaimer at the bottom was often overlooked.
Many users entered only a city or airport instead of their full starting address, which limited our ability to provide the best flight options, as the disclaimer at the bottom was often overlooked.
Solution:
A popup appears when an incomplete address is entered, informing users that the tool works best with a full address. After implementing this change, most users corrected their input, allowing the tool to provide more accurate 'best flight' options.
A popup appears when an incomplete address is entered, informing users that the tool works best with a full address. After implementing this change, most users corrected their input, allowing the tool to provide more accurate 'best flight' options.
Visual Identity
Visual Identity
Color palette
Color palette
Typography
Typography
Header 1
Font: Ubuntu Sans, Bold, 30px
Font: Ubuntu Sans, Bold, 30px
Header 2
Font: Ubuntu Sans, Bold, 24px
Font: Ubuntu Sans, Bold, 24px
Header 3
Font: Ubuntu Sans, Bold, 20px
Font: Ubuntu Sans, Bold, 20px
Body
Font: Ubuntu Sans, Bold, 18px
Font: Ubuntu Sans, Bold, 18px
Label
Font: Ubuntu Sans, Bold, 16px
Font: Ubuntu Sans, Bold, 16px
Logo
Logo
Final Design
Find the best flight for you and generate your itinerary
Find the best flight for you and generate your itinerary
What's next?
What's next?
We're currently refining P2P's user experience along with developing our subscription model. Check it out at place2place.ai
