For most travel apps, the big problem is retention. Users plan their trip, book their flights, maybe reserve a hotel and then they’re gone until the next vacation.
Traveln.ai was no exception. Despite offering smooth planning flows, there was no reason for users to return in between trips. That meant:
Drop-offs after trip booking.
Missed monetization opportunities.
Weak retention, even among happy customers.
In our early workshops with the Traveln.ai founders, one thing became clear: their ambition was never just to help users plan trips, it was to become the go-to travel companion.
But the reality was, without ongoing engagement, even satisfied users would vanish until their next vacation. The team admitted they wanted Traveln.ai to feel more like Duolingo or Strava, apps that people open every day, even if they’re not actively buying something.
From early strategy sessions, three themes stood out:
Habit Formation Was Key: The app needed reasons for users to return daily.
Social Layer Was Missing: Users wanted to share trips and achievements, not just plan alone.
Engagement Drives Monetization: More frequent usage would open doors for partnerships and ad-based revenue.
Habit Formation Builds Loyalty
Traveln.ai needed reasons for users to return every day. Creating routines through streaks and rewards was key to better engagement.
Travel Is Social by Nature
Trip planning is rarely a solo activity. Without a social hub we were missing the chance to turn planning into a shared experience.
Engagement Fuels Growth
More frequent logins meant more opportunities for us, engagement wasn’t just retention, it was a growth strategy.
The gamification prototype instantly showed us what we were missing. UX Shine proved that a design partner can generate more value if you find the right partners
Imad Afyouni
CEO & Co-founder of Traveln.ai
We studied leaders in gamification Nike Run Club, Duolingo, Grab and distilled their mechanics into something meaningful for travel:
Achievements & Badges: Travelers earn rewards for completing challenges.
Streaks & Levels: Motivation to keep coming back every day.
Social Hub: A community feed where users share completed trips and badges.
Engagement Loops: Daily prompts and celebratory pop-ups tied to rewards.
This wasn’t about copying; it was about translating proven techniques into the context of trip planning.
We reframed the problem: “How might we make users open the app even when they’re not traveling?”
Polished UI screens emerged with bright badges, streak counters, and animated pop-ups. This transformed progress into an emotional win.
We also designed a feed where users could post trip highlights and share unlocked badges. Suddenly, Traveln.ai wasn’t just a planner, it was a community.
Rapid testing revealed the difference:
Users with the gamified prototype logged in 3× more per week than control users
Daily Active users increase from 12% to 20% a 65% change
Avg session duration went from 3.5min to 6.2min a 77% increase
From concept to launch, let's create intuitive, high-converting AI experiences that not only look exceptional but drive measurable growth, adoption, and market authority.
