Behind The Scenes : Embarking on the Journey with TATA Neu

What is TATA Neu?

In 2023, Tata Group conceived the ambitious idea of TATA Neu, a super app designed to provide seamless access to their extensive ecosystem of brands. In a fiercely competitive landscape, marked by the entry of numerous major players, time was of the essence. To realize this vision, Tata Digital underwent a transformational journey, bolstering its ranks with fresh design teams, visionary leaders, and dedicated researchers.  GDD's team was enlisted to craft the Travel section, encompassing flights, hotels, and holiday packages. In the heart of this digital realm, nestled within the Travel section, lay an enchanting adventure waiting to unfold—the Flight journey.

‍Discovering Indian Wanderlust

Guided by the spirit of exploration and fueled by the desire to redefine travel, a team of designers embarked on a quest to craft an experience like no other. As they gathered around the drawing board, a question echoed through the room: "What does Travel mean in the Indian context?"

We were asked to "reimagine travel" and the task to find solutions for three key challenges:

1. How can we seamlessly integrate Neu Pass into the flight journey experience?

2. In what ways can we design the Travel Category to be contextualized for the TATA Neu App?

3. How do we enhance the Travel offerings to cater specifically to the diverse needs and preferences of travelers in India?

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Persona Portraits: Tales of Travelers

Drawing from our experience with travel platforms, we came prepared with a set of initial inquiries when engaging with the TATA Digital team. Through extensive conversations, workshops, and exercises, we explored various facets of travel. Our design approach typically leans towards logic, we were encouraged to embrace a more creative mindset in tackling this question!

While in many projects, we rely on a logical approach of designing, we are encouraged to also take a more creative approach. We divided the users into 3 categories based on research:
  Mr & Mrs Das (Couple Travelers)
, Ria Khanna (The Luxury Travelers)
 and Sharma’s Family (The Family Travelers)

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Crafting the Journey: Aligning with Travel Vision and Long-Term Goals

Additionally, we convened with the TATA Digital team to grasp the brand's long-term aspirations. We delved into their initial vision for the evolving design system, explored brand guidelines, and reviewed various research documents to align our efforts accordingly!

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In addition to conducting a comprehensive competitor analysis and delving into secondary research to shape our strategy, we harnessed insights garnered from past endeavors to craft user journeys that formed the bedrock of our approach. Throughout this process, our primary focus was twofold: pinpointing avenues where we could enhance value for our customers and refining the user flow to ensure swiftness and simplicity. Navigating through diverse perspectives and reconciling conflicting opinions emerged as a significant challenge during this phase.

However, we embraced this diversity as an opportunity for growth and innovation. Through collaborative workshops and brainstorming sessions, both internal and external teams came together as a unified force. Ideas were shared, debated, and refined, with the best ones rising to the surface through a democratic voting process. These sessions not only fostered a sense of cohesion among team members but also laid the groundwork for our design themes. Themes such as Travel Gullak, Travel Calendar, and Group Planning emerged as the result of this collective effort.

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After finalizing the wireframes, we drew upon the previously established design themes to create moodboards. These moodboards served as visual inspiration, incorporating elements that resonated with the essence of travel. 

Through further refinement, we translated the finalized moodboards into initial concepts for the UI moodboard. Our aim was to infuse the design with cues that were contextually relevant to travel, capturing the spirit of exploration and adventure. Following discussions and iterations, we ultimately achieved the perfect balance, ensuring the UI design reflected the unique charm of the travel experience.

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Crafting the Gateway: The Landing Page

The homepage held a huge significance for us, serving as the initial impression for customers venturing into the travel section. It stood as the culmination of our creative ideas and served three essential purposes:

1. Seamless Flight Search: Ensuring users could effortlessly search for flights was our foremost priority.
2. Highlighting the NeuPass Loyalty Program: We aimed to prominently showcase the NeuPass loyalty program to incentivize and reward users.

3. Displaying Flight Offers: It was imperative to present flight and other offers in a user-friendly manner to enhance engagement.

In addition to these objectives, we needed to adhere to the TATA Neu design system for UI consistency. The panda-style design system offered an intriguing approach, allowing us to distinguish between different sections effectively. Through numerous iterations, we strived to strike the perfect balance, enhancing the user experience while introducing innovative elements without causing confusion.

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‍Initial Idea: The Flight Search Expedition

An initial idea we considered, but ultimately abandoned, was a 'Map approach' during flight search, displaying the user's location and desired destination. Despite its appeal, we opted for a more streamlined approach to maintain simplicity and ease of use for our users.

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But the true magic lay in the flight search experience—a journey of discovery in its own right. With each click and keystroke, travelers were transported to distant lands, guided by the gentle currents of the digital stream. And as they navigated the search results, they discovered hidden treasures—chips of wisdom like 'Fastest' and 'Cheapest', guiding them towards their ultimate destination.

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Enhancing Flight Search Results

In our quest to optimize the flight search experience, we introduced some helpful features, additionally introducing the innovative Neucoin Switch, designed to reduce the ticket price based on the user's accumulated coins earned through previous purchases. These enhancements not only streamline the flight search process but also offer users valuable incentives for their loyalty and engagement.

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Continuing the Voyage: Streamlining Flight Booking with Neucoin and NeuPass

As our journey progressed, we remained committed to simplifying the flight booking process while emphasizing the unique selling propositions of Neucoin and NeuPass. Our focus was on highlighting their advantages, such as discounted prices compared to other operators in the travel space. With this in mind, we meticulously crafted the flow to ensure ease of use and clarity. We paid careful attention to every detail, ensuring that consumable screens like flight summaries and reviews were concise and visually organized. By maintaining a clear hierarchy of information, we aimed to prevent users from missing any crucial details. Additionally, we steered clear of dark UX patterns, prioritizing a user-friendly experience that instills trust and confidence throughout the booking journey!

Here's to celebrating creativity, adaptability, and the endless potential that design unlocks within TATA Neu and beyond! Cheers to a future brimming with boundless possibilities! 

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