Travel Booking UI

A mid-sized travel agency with a global footprint wanted to compete with the giants of the industry. Their existing website was functional but clunky, failing to capture the excitement of travel. They needed a mobile-first booking experience that was as inspiring as the destinations they sold.

The Challenge

The travel industry is notoriously complex. Users have to juggle dates, flights, hotels, and budgets, often across multiple tabs. The client's existing site exacerbated this stress with a dense, text-heavy interface and a rigid search function that required exact dates and locations.

Mobile performance was a major issue. With over 60% of traffic coming from smartphones, the non-responsive design was driving potential customers away. The checkout process was particularly painful on small screens, leading to a 75% abandonment rate.

Furthermore, the site lacked "inspiration." It treated travel like a transaction rather than an experience. Users who weren't sure where they wanted to go found no guidance or suggestions.

Research & Discovery

We conducted diary studies with 20 travelers, asking them to record their planning process for an upcoming trip. We found that the "dreaming" phase—browsing destinations without a set plan—was a huge missed opportunity.

Users also expressed frustration with hidden fees. They wanted "what you see is what you pay" pricing from the start of the search process.

Our technical audit revealed that the legacy backend was slow to retrieve availability, causing long loading spinners that killed the user's momentum.

Solution Strategy

We pivoted the strategy from "Search" to "Discover." We built a homepage that featured curated collections (e.g., "Weekend Getaways," "Tropical Escapes") based on the user's location and past behavior.

For the booking flow, we implemented a "One-Thumb" design philosophy for mobile. All key actions were placed within the thumb's natural reach zone. We also introduced a "Flexible Dates" search option, allowing users to see prices for a whole month at a glance.

To address trust, we displayed the total price including taxes upfront. No surprises at checkout.

Design Process

We used high-quality, immersive imagery as the centerpiece of the design. The UI chrome was kept minimal and translucent to let the photos shine.

We prototyped complex interactions, such as the date picker, to ensure they were intuitive on touch screens. We tested three different versions of the search bar before landing on a natural language input (e.g., "I want to go to [Paris] in [May]").

Motion design played a key role. Transitions between pages were animated to feel like a continuous journey, maintaining the user's sense of place.

Implementation

The frontend was built with Vue.js for its lightweight footprint and reactivity. We used a Progressive Web App (PWA) architecture to allow for offline access to itineraries—a crucial feature for travelers without data roaming.

We integrated with multiple Global Distribution Systems (GDS) via a unified API layer to fetch real-time pricing and availability. This backend aggregation reduced search times from 8 seconds to under 2 seconds.

Payment integration included Apple Pay and Google Pay to streamline the checkout process on mobile devices, removing the friction of entering credit card details.

Results & Impact

The mobile-first redesign paid off handsomely. Mobile bookings increased by 150%, and the overall conversion rate doubled. The "Discover" feature became the most visited section of the site, driving a 20% increase in average order value as users booked more premium packages.

The client successfully repositioned themselves as a modern, tech-forward travel brand, attracting a younger demographic while retaining their loyal customer base.

Testimonials