TripLite · Case study
I designed a way for friends to plan trips faster and split costs fairly.
In this project, I designed TripLite, a travel and budget app that helps young travellers discover calm places, build an itinerary in minutes and share expenses fairly with their group.
Role
[UI/UX]
Duration
[__ months]
Tools
Figma, [__]
Overview
Young travellers skip trips because planning takes too long and shared costs get messy
Problem statement
Young travellers who love group trips but have no budgeting system need one app to plan trips and manage shared expenses, because planning and settling up takes too long and causes friction before and after every trip.
Hypothesis
If users can discover and plan trips to calm destinations in one app, they will spend less time on detailed planning and more time enjoying the trip, and go on to explore more places.
TripLite · Case study
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Students plan many trips but take only 1–3 a year, because nobody manages the money
Objective
Understand how young travellers plan trips, manage money and split costs with friends.
Questionnaire · User interviews · Observing behaviour · Competitive research
Key insights
Trips get planned, rarely taken
Participants plan many trips but go on only 1–3 a year, mostly because of budget.
Groups travel for budget and safety
Splitting costs makes trips affordable, but group decisions and expenses get messy.
Nobody tracks the money
Costs are split after the trip, in one app, and paid in another (Splitwise + PhonePe).
TripLite · Case study
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Both personas love group trips but have no system to track or split what they spend
Pranjali Soni
22 · UI/UX designer · Lucknow
“On-spot bookings are costlier, and I have no system to track my spending.”
Goals
- Keep group trip costs low
- Save a little every month
Frustrations
- Emergencies wipe out her savings
- Pricey on-spot hotels and impulse buys
Neetu Sharma
23 · Print designer · Delhi
“Planning group trips is fun, but managing the costs is difficult.”
Goals
- Plan cost-effective group trips
- Save up to ₹10,000 a month
Frustrations
- Splits in one app, pays in another
- Can't stick to a budget mid-trip
TripLite · Case study
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User journey · Goal: find the minimum budget for a trip
Stress peaks while booking stays and while settling the bill after the trip
Finding places
Hours on Google, YouTube and Reels
Excited
→ one place to discover and plan
Stay & travel
Hunts for safe, cheap stays; local travel isn't budgeted
Confused
→ map of top spots and nearby stays
Pre-trip budget
Everyone pays upfront for tickets; stays often paid on the spot
Relieved
→ minimum cost for local travel and food
The trip
Unclear what's necessary; closed sites waste the day
Happy, concerned
→ heads-up on unexpected events
Settling up
Slow; cash spends and small costs get missed
Overwhelmed
→ a log of places visited and spends
TripLite · Case study
05
Key insight · Needs vs wants
Budgets break on food and local travel, the costs nobody plans for
Needs · planned
Tickets, stay
Blind spot · unplanned
Food, city travel
Wants · optional
Shopping, extra cash
That overspend makes splitting at the end feel unfair and builds tension in the group. So TripLite plans for the blind spot upfront and tracks it during the trip.
TripLite · Case study
06
Ideation → features
Four of 16 ideas made v1: the ones that cut planning time and split costs fairly
Custom itinerary
Ready-made plans
Expense nudges
Nearby map
Emergency contacts
Closed-site backups
Local phrases
Packing list
Booking links
Trip photos
Local cost list
Student discounts
Free vs paid sites
Food guide
Local dishes
Weather alerts
01 · Custom trip planning
Build your own itinerary, or start from a ready-made one
02 · Split budget
Create a group, log spends as you go, share trip photos
03 · Booking
Redirects to official sites for stays and travel
04 · Safety & support
Medical and security contacts, plus customer support
TripLite · Case study · White notes made it into v1
07
Final design
Every screen shows prices upfront, so groups know the per-person cost before they go
Home puts itinerary and split expenses one tap away
Stays, activities and eats show prices upfront
Entry fee and best time answer the "is it open?" worry
My Trips totals the cost per person, then splits it
TripLite · Case study
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