TraveList
TraveList is a mobile App featuring a checklist of vital documents to pack and tasks to complete for a smoother relocation experience.
Product Experience
Problem Space
Problem Statement
How can new immigrants make the preparations and processes of travelling to Canada more organized and reduce the stress of relocation?
Problem Background
Relocation has always been common and particularly in recent years, people are moving for various reasons, including employment, education, marriage etc. According to Statista, Canada presently welcomes approximately 500,000 new immigrants each year, which is one of the highest immigration rates relative to its population among all countries globally. As of 2022, the number of individuals with permanent resident status residing in Canada exceeded 8 million, constituting roughly 20 percent of the entire Canadian population. This means that an increasing number of individuals go through all the stressful relocation processes before embarking on their journey to Canada.
Based on user research, 58.3% of new immigrants undergo stress while gathering crucial travel documents, affected by overwhelming internet information. Packing decisions pose challenges, leading to overlooking essential tasks and documents before their journey.
Research Insights
User Pain Points
Through our user interview and online survey, we identified that 58.6% of respondents were highly stressed due to information overload, packing challenges, organization and clarity before their journey to canada.
Supporting Data
Based on an online survey 62.5% of first time travellers resorted to various means of gathering information like using government websites and social media apps. a
Feedback
Our preliminary user research to validate this problem with new immigrants found that users would like to have a checklist of essential tasks to complete and things to pack before their journey to Canada, to ensure they do not miss any crucial steps.
Landing on the Solution
Addressing the pain points of our target users —information overload, packing struggles, and the need for organization and clarity before their journey to Canada—our solution, TraveList, is designed to simplify the entire process.
The App would not only assist in a stress-free move to Canada, it would also help you get personalized travel tips and be your travel guide.
TraveList would provide personalized travel tips tailored to individual preferences, enhancing the overall travel experience and ensuring users are well-prepared for their journey.
Explanation of Solution
Our app features a comprehensive checklist which includes documentation, accommodation, travel arrangements, legal formalities, and essential pre-arrival procedures.
Users can effortlessly track progress with customizable status updates—mark tasks as "completed," "in progress," or "not started," and even add personal tasks. Additionally, users can be well prepared for their journey with our proactive reminder system, receiving timely notifications for crucial deadlines and pre-departure health check-ups. Users would be able to personalize notification frequency and timing.
User Flows/Mockups
Future Steps
From speaking to customers, one more interesting feature that would be addressed in future is the ability for users to have access to a support network of other travellers using the App.
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Ellen Ekuful
As a product manager, it is vital to focus on solving one problem at a time. When choosing a problem space, a key lesson is to select a challenge that you personally experience. This creates a deeper connection with users, as you understand their pain points, motivations, and behaviors firsthand. While it's beneficial to explore solutions with the team, it's equally important to have a clear plan for implementing these solutions.
Developing personas is crucial for our product strategy. Creating these personas helps us visualize how people will use our product, enhancing its user-friendliness.
I've also learned the importance of using quantitative metrics and milestones when building the first version of a product (MVP). These numbers help us prove and track how our product is making a difference for users. Connecting these metrics with insights from users and market research helps us determine if the product is successful and how we can improve it.
My time at Co.Lab proved to be incredibly interesting and engaging. I'm happy to have acquired foundational knowledge in product management, covering key aspects like exploring problem spaces, crafting research synthesis, writing specifications, and selecting an MVP. The hackathon experience was particularly enjoyable, offering opportunities for networking and building in public. Extending my connections has been rewarding, and I'm excited to carry this valuable experience forward wherever my journey takes me.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.