Design Process

1.Problem Statement

The surge in student mobility, remote work opportunities, and global travel has created a growing demand for affordable and social accommodation options. Hostels cater to this need, offering budget-friendly stays and opportunities to connect with fellow travelers.

2.Background Research

This research aims to:
Understand user pain points: Identify the specific challenges faced by students, professionals, and travelers when searching for hostels (e.g., time consumption, information overload, lack of reliable reviews).
Analyze existing solutions: Evaluate current hostel booking platforms and identify their strengths and weaknesses (e.g., search functionalities, filtering options, user reviews, social aspects).
Explore emerging trends: Investigate new technologies and social media trends that could enhance the hostel booking experience (e.g., AI-powered recommendations, virtual tours, integration with social travel platforms).

3.Findings

Research suggests that finding suitable hostels is a pain point for many. Students, professionals, and travelers struggle with a time-consuming search process overloaded with information. Unreliable reviews and difficulty finding desired features like female dorms or social events further complicate the decision-making process. While existing platforms offer hostel bookings and reviews, their functionalities often feel clunky and lack features that foster community among travelers. This highlights the need for a user-friendly platform that streamlines the search, provides reliable information, and leverages technology to create a more social hostel booking experience.

4.Feature Priority

The hostel booking platform will prioritize a user-friendly search interface with robust filtering options, including map-based searches for easy location discovery. Reliable user reviews will be ensured through a verification system, and comprehensive hostel information will be provided. Additionally, the platform will explore features like AI-powered recommendations, social functionalities for interaction among travelers, and a mobile app for on-the-go convenience. Potential integrations with travel services will be considered for future expansion.

5.Conclusion

This case study has explored the challenges faced by travelers seeking suitable hostels and the limitations of existing booking platforms. Through research, we identified key user pain points: a time-consuming search process, information overload, unreliable reviews, and difficulty finding desired features.