December 2024
AI & Strategy
LocaLeo
AI integrated travel app for a seamless experience.
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 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.
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.
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.
JOURNEY MAP
Form: Linear timeline showing how travellers engage with LocaLeo (from planning to experiencing and reflecting).
Function: Demonstrates economic impacts at each touchpoint, such as spending on local services or eco-tours.
PHASE III
CONCEPT VISUALISATION
