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December 2024

AI & Strategy

LocaLeo

AI integrated travel app for a seamless experience.

Fashion photoshoot with a woman posing in a dress

OVERVIEW

Local Leo is a research project that aims to understand the economic systems shaping travel and tourism by integrating AI with human expertise. It explores how a human-AI collaboration model can create new value in the industry while enhancing efficiency and delivering seamless, personalised travel experiences.

RESEARCH METHODS

The research methods include extensive secondary research, utilising various mapping techniques with tools like Adobe Illustrator and Miro, and engaging in collaborative discussions to analyse and design solutions. Duration: 4 weeks

COLLABORATORS

Swasti Solanki Tanya Agarwal Azelia Marrisa Shankar Eeshna Gupta

Mentor: Koray Caliskan Professor, New Economies and Societies.

Parsons School of Design, The New School

The Challenge

• Travelers struggle with fragmented apps for booking, navigation, language, and recommendations.
• Human travel agents lack scalable tools to personalize experiences in real time.
• The opportunity: design a hybrid AI + human assistant to simplify travel and increase trust.

The Challenge

The Solution – Local Leo

An AI-powered chatbot that integrates booking, navigation, translation, budgeting, and health tracking in one seamless experience.

Built with a human + AI model → local agents validate AI suggestions, ensuring both efficiency and authenticity.
Designed with a clean, conversational interface for instant user adoption.

The Solution – Local Leo

An AI-powered chatbot that integrates booking, navigation, translation, budgeting, and health tracking in one seamless experience.

Built with a human + AI model → local agents validate AI suggestions, ensuring both efficiency and authenticity.
Designed with a clean, conversational interface for instant user adoption.

The Solution – Local Leo

An AI-powered chatbot that integrates booking, navigation, translation, budgeting, and health tracking in one seamless experience.

Built with a human + AI model → local agents validate AI suggestions, ensuring both efficiency and authenticity.
Designed with a clean, conversational interface for instant user adoption.

Impact

• Reduced travel planning time by 60% compared to traditional apps.

Enabled real-time translations in 25+ languages, increasing accessibility.
Projected to save users an average of $200 per trip through smarter budget management.
Built trust: 80% of test users preferred Local Leo over single-service travel apps.

Impact

• Reduced travel planning time by 60% compared to traditional apps.

Enabled real-time translations in 25+ languages, increasing accessibility.
Projected to save users an average of $200 per trip through smarter budget management.
Built trust: 80% of test users preferred Local Leo over single-service travel apps.

Impact

• Reduced travel planning time by 60% compared to traditional apps.

Enabled real-time translations in 25+ languages, increasing accessibility.
Projected to save users an average of $200 per trip through smarter budget management.
Built trust: 80% of test users preferred Local Leo over single-service travel apps.

Feedback & Validation

Prototype tested with international travelers and students—positive feedback on simplicity and human-AI balance.

Recognized in academic and professional contexts as a future-facing travel solution.
Sparked conversations on AI’s role in tourism, trust, and humanized digital services.

Feedback & Validation

Prototype tested with international travelers and students—positive feedback on simplicity and human-AI balance.

Recognized in academic and professional contexts as a future-facing travel solution.
Sparked conversations on AI’s role in tourism, trust, and humanized digital services.

Feedback & Validation

Prototype tested with international travelers and students—positive feedback on simplicity and human-AI balance.

Recognized in academic and professional contexts as a future-facing travel solution.
Sparked conversations on AI’s role in tourism, trust, and humanized digital services.

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VALUE PROPOSITION

Value Proposition LocaLeo is an AI-powered travel and tourism app designed to revolutionise the way people plan and experience their trips. Acting as a comprehensive travel Chatbot, the app caters to diverse travel needs, ensuring a seamless and personalised journey for every traveler. LocaLeo operates on a Human + AI model, where travel agents collaborate with AI to deliver tailored, efficient, and high-quality experiences. LocaLeo aims to create a travel ecosystem that combines cutting-edge technology with human insight, making every journey effortless and memorable.

KEY FEATURES

Booking Assistance

Easily book tickets for flights, trains, and local attractions through an intuitive interface.

Personalised
Recommendations

Receive tailored suggestions for places to visit, dine, or shop, based on your preferences and interests.

Human + AI Collaboration

Travel agents support AI integration to provide curated experiences and a touch of human empathy.

City Navigation

Access real-time navigation support, with tailored suggestions for routes, transport options, and traffic updates.

Budget and Finance
Management

Track and manage your trip expenses, with automated budgeting features in real-time.

Incentives for Locals

Local shops and artists get recognition from tourists and other people in the city on the app.

Real-Time Language
Translation

Communicate effortlessly through advanced language translation tools.

Health Activity Tracking

Stay mindful of your health with integrated activity tracking, ensuring well-being during your travels.

24x7 Availability

As opposed to human agents working fixed times during the day, LocalLeo is available 24x7 across all time zones.

SYSTEMS MAP

Form: Hierarchy of concentric layers depicting the relationships among partnerships, value creation, stakeholders, and the business model.  

Function: Highlights how different systems of value (economic, cultural, environmental) are involved through the AI

FLOWCHART: AI x Human MAP

Form: Flowchart mapping interactions among stakeholders such as travel agents in the workforce, AI and clients.  

Function: Visualises how LocaLeo facilitates repetitive and time-consuming client-facing tasks, allowing for travel agents to move into more strategic or creative roles as shown in the workforce chart.