Mumbai moves over 10 million people daily through its trains, buses, and metro systems—but the commute is often chaotic, with users relying on multiple disconnected apps to plan and book their journeys.
Pravasi is a unified travel app designed to simplify this experience. It brings together ticket booking, live updates, and multi-modal planning into one seamless interface—built for everyday commuters navigating the city's complex transport system.
Because millions of people in Mumbai rely on public transport every day, yet the experience is fragmented. Users need one app to check local train timings (like M-Indicator), another for metro bookings, and then maybe Google Maps to find walking directions. It's not just inconvenient, it wastes time and adds mental load.
This affects students, working professionals, travelers, and especially those new to the city.
Yes, alternatives exist, but they’re disconnected. UTS helps book local train tickets, M-Indicator shows train timings, and Google Maps gives routes, but none of them combine everything. And many people don’t even know some tools exist, or don’t trust them due to outdated info or clunky design.
How can I simplify the daily chaos of commuting in Mumbai—where millions juggle between different apps just to plan a single journey?
The goal wasn’t just to make another travel app.
It was to design a unified experience that brings together information, bookings, and navigation—while staying simple, intuitive, and context-aware for real-world commuters.
Secondary Research
Before jumping into design, I wanted to fully understand how people experience daily commuting in Mumbai — not just what they use, but how they feel about it.
To start, I turned to app stores and combed through user reviews of apps like UTS, M-Indicator, Mumbai Metro Booking Apps (like Paytm, whatsapp), and Google Maps. It became clear that while each of these apps served a purpose, none of them served all of the user’s needs in one place.
Primary Research
I conducted a survey targeting daily commuters in Mumbai, with a diverse mix of age groups, travel patterns, and tech familiarity.
The questionnaire focused on:
Daily commute details (mode of transport, number of apps used, duration)
Pain Points
After analyzing the reviews and survey data, here are the pain points that stood out most:
The research validated a clear, pressing need: Mumbai commuters want one seamless, reliable platform to plan, book, and track their entire journey — without the stress of switching apps or missing information.
This body of evidence became the foundation for how I approached the design of Pravasi.
After synthesizing all the feedback and insights from real users, I knew the existing experience wasn’t just inconvenient — it was stressful, fragmented, and untrustworthy. This gave me clarity: I wasn’t just designing another travel app. I was solving for daily anxiety, confusion, and inefficiency.
So, I stepped back and asked myself:
How Might We... (HMW)
To kick off ideation, I used the “How Might We” method to turn pain points into opportunity spaces. Here are a few key HMWs that guided the concept:
How might we..?
help users plan and book their journey in one seamless flow?
Pravasi, a Hindi/Marathi word meaning “traveler” or “commuter,” was chosen to represent the identity of the everyday Mumbaikar constantly navigating the city. The name carries deep cultural relevance, instantly connecting with locals who rely on public transport to move across the metropolis for work, education, or personal needs.
For the logo, I chose the Devanagari “प्र” as a nod to the name Pravasi, keeping the cultural identity intact. The icon combines a clean, modern wordmark with a ticket icon, symbolizing travel and accessibility.
Wireframes were created to map out the entire flow. I tested rough sketches to evaluate usability—how the map fits, where CTAs go, and how the itinerary expands or collapses. Feedback from early testers helped me refine these flows.
I faced multiple roadblocks during the design phase, but instead of slowing progress, they became valuable checkpoints that sharpened my problem-solving and improved the final design
Designing for Clarity Without Overload:
Needed to show real-time info, options & booking actions on one screen.
My solution was to simplify choice: a collapsible info panel paired with smart travel tabs (Comfort, Cheapest, Quickest) enabled users to make informed decisions without app-hopping.
I spent hours deciding: should the booking modal be on top or in-line? Should the user scroll or tap?
Eventually, I went with a layered card interface—each leg of the journey is a card you can expand, book, or navigate.
Making Complexity Feel Effortless:
Designed a collapsible layer: map stays visible above, info panel slides up from below.
Introduced smart travel tabs like:
– Comfort Mode (AC buses, metro, cabs)
– Cheapest Option (local train, walking)
– Quickest Option (fastest ETA routes)
After validating ideas through sketches, I moved to mid-fidelity wireframes to define layout, hierarchy, and interactions more clearly. This stage helped visualize how users would navigate through key features like itinerary planning, booking flows, and real-time comparisons—all without visual distractions, keeping the focus on structure and usability.
Bringing the vision to life, the final UI blends functionality with simplicity—focused on solving real commuter problems with clean, intuitive design. From onboarding to booking, every screen is designed to guide users smoothly through their journey.
The onboarding flow is designed to quickly personalize the user experience. It starts with mobile number entry, followed by three quick preference questions that help tailor commute suggestions. The final step asks for location access to show the most relevant nearby options—ensuring users get a custom, city-aware start right from the first use.
The Pravasi homepage acts as a smart control center for commuters—featuring a journey planner, quick bookings, past tickets, travel history, live news, train timings, and recent searches. Every element is placed to save time and help users get started instantly, making it the perfect starting point for daily travel.
The Smart Journey Planner helps users compare commute options—like cheapest, quickest, or most comfortable—and book tickets, check schedules, and navigate their trip, all from a single screen.
Track on the GO
While designing Pravasi, I considered real-world commuting conditions—crowded trains, noisy stations, and the rush to board. That’s why I introduced a dynamic live notification system.
This feature lets users:
Track live updates for their journey
Access QR tickets instantly
Get alerts for upcoming train/bus arrivals
View route progress without opening the app
It's a small detail with a big impact—keeping the commuter informed and stress-free, right from the lock screen.
I had the opportunity to present Pravasi at my college's portfolio showcase event, where it was reviewed by several industry professionals, including developers and designers from leading companies like Ubisoft. The response was overwhelmingly positive, validating both the need for the product and the quality of its design.
Pravasi has the potential to significantly reduce the everyday friction of public transport in Mumbai. By bringing everything—from train schedules to ticket bookings—into one app, it can save time, reduce confusion, and ease mental load. For a city where millions rely on public transport, even a few minutes saved per journey can improve quality of life.
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