Trainline
As part of a 24-hour hackathon, our team was assigned to solve a problem for Trainline, a leading rail and coach technology platform. This project was a collaboration between UX designers and engineers, where we worked together to develop a viable solution within the time constraints. Our final presentation secured first place among three competing teams.
Prototype
ROLE
UX/UI Designer
User Research, Wireframing & Prototyping
TIMELINE
28 - 29 Nov 2024, Hackathon
TOOLS
Figma
Problem Space
Our challenge was framed as: How might we connect rail travelers with one another to improve their travel experience and/or find the best value?
To approach this, we first explored what "connection" truly means in this context—whether it involves social interaction, shared travel benefits, or access to relevant information.
Understanding the problem
34%
aged 18-24 - proportion using rail in the last seven days
71%
met someone on a trip who gave them a new perspective
65%
planning to travel will be doing so with friends
To gain deeper insights, I also analyzed user reviews of Trainline, as they provide valuable firsthand experiences from existing customers. Notably, a significant number of negative reviews were related to the inability to purchase seats next to friends when booking tickets. This highlighted a major gap in the user experience and reinforced the need for a more seamless way to facilitate group travel.
How Might We
Our research findings helped us refine the problem and shape our approach moving forward. We rephrased our initial question to better align with user needs:
HMW encourage rail travelers to explore and spark curiosity by fostering connections with fellow passengers to enhance their journey experience?
Understanding the user
Based on our research findings, we developed a proto-persona to ensure our design decisions align with the needs and behaviors of our target users. This helped us focus on creating solutions that enhance the travel experience while addressing key pain points.
Ideation & Solution
To align our design with user needs, we facilitated a Crazy 8’s brainstorming session with the entire team. This method allowed us to generate rapid ideas and understand different perspectives from various departments. After ideation, we conducted a dot voting session to select the most viable solutions that balanced user needs and business goals.
Our final four ideas were:
Explore Page – Destination insights to help travelers discover new places.
Friend Invitations – Enabling users to plan and book trips together.
Reward System – Incentivizing engagement and repeat use.
In-Trip Activities – Enhancing the travel experience with interactive features.
However, during development, we faced challenges in narrowing down our focus. With limited time, trying to implement all ideas risked creating a disjointed user flow. As a UX designer, I guided the team toward prioritizing a single, impactful solution that would enhance the travel experience without overwhelming the user.
Explore Destinations
Read Personal Insights
Book a Ticket
Quiz Screen
Results & Impact
Explore Destination Feature: Encouraging users to discover new routes and destinations, which can drive more ticket purchases through the app.
Share Journey with Friends: Simplifying the experience for users traveling with friends, making the app more appealing and user-friendly, leading to increased engagement.
