Travel apps (Windows)

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The travel app idea book describes a fictional travel app for Windows 8. You can gain inspiration for the design of your own travel app by reviewing the scenarios in this topic and seeing how the Windows 8 Microsoft design language is utilized in the app.

Travel app scenarios

The travel app described in this topic uses Microsoft design features to create an engaging travel experience for users.

Inspire	Booking	Check-In

Inspire users and draw them in

You can use live tiles to draw users into your app and the Share contract makes it easy to spread your content to others. Follow along with this scenario to see how you can make your travel app engaging.

large image of a live tiles and browsing

Ben has opted in to the Wigtip Destinations app live tile and the offer of a beach vacation catches his eye.

image of start menu with live tiles

After launching the app, Ben clicks on the beach deals offer.

image of a travel app with offers

Ben selects the Contoso Beaches offer for a closer look.

image of travel offers

Ben likes the look of the offer, so he decides to share it with his friend.

image of a travel offer and the share charm

Summary of live tiles and sharing

In the first scenario, we see that...

Live tiles draw users back into your app by displaying information that is relevant to the user including the ability to opt-in to an offer.
You can make your content a Share source and Windows 8 connects you to other apps, email, and social networks.

For information on live tiles and Share, see the following:

Booking travel

You can use the AppBar and semantic zoom to let your content shine while giving users a consistent way to navigate through your app.

image of booking travel

Ben launches the Wingtip Destinations app and types in the city that he is traveling to. The app already knows his current location.

image of a map with destinations

The calendar is easy to use with both touch and a mouse.

image of a calendar page

The app bar gives Ben different ways to view, filter, and sort his flight options.

image of the app bar and flight options

Ben is concerned about the cost, so he decides to view the results by price.

image of travel options and prices

Ben uses semantic zoom to get a different view of the data.

image of zoomed out flight option prices

Ben views his itinerary, enters passenger information, chooses seats, and enters his payment details all in one step. From here, he can either save this trip until later or book his ticket.

image of a travel app trip dashboard

Ben decides to book the trip and completes his purchase.

image of a travel app itinerary page

Summary of booking travel

In the second scenario, we see that...

Your content is in the forefront as command and navigation are placed in the app bar.
Semantic zoom allows users to view data in different ways.
You can make your app location-aware using Geolocation.

For information on the app bar, semantic zoom, and location-aware apps, see the following:

Notifications and printing

You can use the Windows 8 ecosystem to communicate with users.

image of a toast notification

Ben is hard at work when a toast notification from Wingtip Destinations lets him know it's time to check in.

image of a toast notification

Ben clicks the toast notification, which deep-links him to the check-in page. He checks in and prints his boarding pass.

image of a travel app check in page

Summary of notifications and printing

In the third scenario, we see that...

Toast notifications deep link into your app and give the user an opportunity to re-engage with your content.
You can take advantage of the entire Windows ecosystem in your app, including devices such as printers.

For information on toast notifications and printing, see the following:

Explore the possibilities

Windows 8 is full of new features that can make your app shine. For more information, see the Windows 8 Product Guide for Developers.

For example, adding the Search contract to your app enables you to search in your app from any other app. For more information, see Search sample and Search guidance.

image of how search works

Travel apps