🧭 Wanderly

From Research to Launch: UX/UI Design of a User-Centric Travel Experience

Wanderly is a responsive travel discovery platform built to help busy urban professionals plan and book rejuvenating travel experiences with clarity and confidence.


Wanderly is a responsive travel discovery platform built to help busy urban professionals plan and book rejuvenating travel experiences with clarity and confidence.


Wanderly is a responsive travel discovery platform built to help busy urban professionals plan and book rejuvenating travel experiences with clarity and confidence.


✍️ Summary

✍️ Summary

✍️ Summary


This project challenged me to design for simplicity without sacrificing substance. By leading the full cycle—research, ideation, testing, and delivery—I gained stronger confidence in connecting business goals with user-centered thinking.


✅ Type: Full-Cycle UX/UI Design Project


📱 Platform: Responsive Web


🔍 Focus: Simplicity, Trust, Mobile Experience, Personalization Potential


🧩 Under NDA: Yes – branding anonymized, all UX work authentic


⏱ Duration

⏱ Duration

9 weeks, Q4 2023

👤 Role

👤 Role

Lead UX/UI Designer

🧰 Tools

🧰 Tools

Figma, Maze, Notion, Google Forms, Google Meet

Figma, Maze, Notion, Google Forms, Google Meet

Figma, Maze, Notion,

Google Forms

1️⃣ Project Overview

1️⃣ Project Overview

1️⃣ Project Overview


As the lead UX/UI designer, I was responsible for the full end-to-end design process, including user research, information architecture, wireframes, visual UI, responsive layout design, and usability testing. The project spanned 8 weeks and aimed to deliver an intuitive, mobile-first experience optimized for quick decision-making and user trust.


Note: Due to a confidentiality agreement, the original client name and branding cannot be disclosed. “Wanderly” is a placeholder name used throughout this case study. All research, strategy, and design work presented here was carried out by me as part of a real product engagement under NDA.



As the lead UX/UI designer, I was responsible for the full end-to-end design process, including user research, information architecture, wireframes, visual UI, responsive layout design, and usability testing. The project spanned 8 weeks and aimed to deliver an intuitive, mobile-first experience optimized for quick decision-making and user trust.


Note: Due to a confidentiality agreement, the original client name and branding cannot be disclosed. “Wanderly” is a placeholder name used throughout this case study. All research, strategy, and design work presented here was carried out by me as part of a real product engagement under NDA.



As the lead UX/UI designer, I was responsible for the full end-to-end design process, including user research, information architecture, wireframes, visual UI, responsive layout design, and usability testing. The project spanned 8 weeks and aimed to deliver an intuitive, mobile-first experience optimized for quick decision-making and user trust.


Note: Due to a confidentiality agreement, the original client name and branding cannot be disclosed. “Wanderly” is a placeholder name used throughout this case study. All research, strategy, and design work presented here was carried out by me as part of a real product engagement under NDA.


2️⃣ The Problem

2️⃣ The Problem

2️⃣ The Problem


Despite a crowded travel tech landscape, many users—especially busy professionals—feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, options, and unverified providers when planning short getaways.


Problem Statement


"How might we help overwhelmed urban travelers confidently discover and book meaningful travel experiences without feeling lost in the noise?"

3️⃣ Research & Discovery

3️⃣ Research & Discovery

3️⃣ Research & Discovery


🎯 Objectives


Uncover user pain points in current travel planning platforms


Identify trust and decision-making behavior patterns


Test assumptions about platform fatigue and mobile usage

🔍 Research Methods

🔍 Research Methods

🔍 Research Methods


Surveys – 30 responses via Google Forms


User Interviews – 5 remote, semi-structured sessions


Competitive Audit – Airbnb, GetYourGuide, Journee, Booking.com


User Surveys: 40 responses from fitness communities


Interviews: 5 users (ages 20–35), beginner to


intermediate fitness levels


App Audit: Nike Training Club, FitOn, 7M Workout


Surveys – 30 responses via Google Forms


User Interviews – 5 remote, semi-structured sessions


Competitive Audit – Airbnb, GetYourGuide, Journee, Booking.com


User Surveys: 40 responses from fitness communities


Interviews: 5 users (ages 20–35), beginner to


intermediate fitness levels


App Audit: Nike Training Club, FitOn, 7M Workout


Surveys – 30 responses via Google Forms


User Interviews – 5 remote, semi-structured sessions


Competitive Audit – Airbnb, GetYourGuide, Journee, Booking.com


User Surveys: 40 responses from fitness communities


Interviews: 5 users (ages 20–35), beginner to


intermediate fitness levels


App Audit: Nike Training Club, FitOn, 7M Workout

💡 Key Insights

💡 Key Insights

💡 Key Insights

4️⃣ User Persona

4️⃣ User Persona

4️⃣ User Persona

5️⃣ Project Goals

5️⃣ Project Goals

5️⃣ Project Goals


From our research, four key design goals emerged:


Reduce overwhelm Curated trip types and clean content hierarchy


Increase trust Testimonials, transparency, and focused CTAs


Speed up decisions Smart filters, theme-based browsing


Prioritize mobile Designed fully responsive with mobile-first approach

6️⃣ Wireframing & User Testing


Our early wireframes focused on clarity and emotional direction.

  • A centered search form with minimal distractions prioritized task initiation.

  • Side-by-side destination cards enabled fast comparison and visual engagement.

  • The bottom navigation bar followed mobile usability best practices,

    ensuring thumb-friendly access to core flows.


8️⃣ Visual Design & UI System

8️⃣ Visual Design & UI System

8️⃣ Visual Design & UI System

We applied a cohesive design system to ensure visual harmony and speed up scalability.

  • A cool, trust-building color palette with vibrant accents guided

    attention and emotion.

  • Typography and spacing were carefully chosen for clarity, calmness,

    and readability.

  • Components followed a modular logic for consistency and smooth handoff

    to development.

Every UI element was crafted to reinforce trust, calm, and decision confidence.

  • Immersive imagery built emotional connection while supporting scannability

    with overlay text.

  • A clear hero message and call-to-action aligned the interface with the user’s

    emotional journey.

  • Suggested trips provided inspiration and built credibility through social proof.

Every UI element was crafted to reinforce trust, calm, and decision confidence.

  • Immersive imagery built emotional connection while supporting scannability

    with overlay text.

  • A clear hero message and call-to-action aligned the interface with the user’s

    emotional journey.

  • Suggested trips provided inspiration and built credibility through social proof.


📱 Responsive Design

📱 Responsive Design

📱 Responsive Design



All layouts were designed mobile-first, then adapted for tablet and desktop.

UI components were tested across breakpoints for visual and functional integrity.

9️⃣ High-Fidelity Design Delivery

9️⃣ High-Fidelity Design Delivery

9️⃣ High-Fidelity Design Delivery


✅ Final Outcome


✅ Final Outcome


✅ Final Outcome


Wanderly is a clean, emotionally thoughtful, mobile-first travel platform that gives users clarity and control while reducing fatigue and friction.

It was created end-to-end using a research-driven process and optimized through multiple design and testing cycles.

User Quote:

“This actually feels like someone filtered the chaos for me.”

🧠 What I Learned

🧠 What I Learned

🧠 What I Learned


Trust isn’t just a brand problem — it’s a design problem

“Less is more” isn’t a cliché — it’s a user need

Mobile-first isn’t optional for travel platforms — it’s the default expectation



Trust isn’t just a brand problem — it’s a design problem

“Less is more” isn’t a cliché — it’s a user need

Mobile-first isn’t optional for travel platforms — it’s the default expectation



Trust isn’t just a brand problem — it’s a design problem

“Less is more” isn’t a cliché — it’s a user need

Mobile-first isn’t optional for travel platforms — it’s the default expectation