EBW Project Overview
This project was completed for Experience by Welk, part of the Welk Resorts brand, and served as an opportunity to apply a full UX process—from research and ideation to prototyping and user testing. The objective was to design a travel app for both iOS and Android that enhances the way users discover and plan vacation activities.
![Phone-screens-[remix].gif](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/376b42_4945b30e8ad64eb78cbf60022ee43bfa~mv2.gif)
Client: Experiences by Welk
Role: Product Designer
Duration: 9 Months
Tools Used: Adobe XD, Google Analytics, Photoshop, Illustrator
Team: Worked cross-functionally with content strategists, engineers, and marketing leads
User Interviews
As travel continues to be a regular and meaningful part of people’s lives, users are constantly seeking fresh, curated experiences to enrich their journeys. While many apps offer travel planning tools, there’s still a growing need for platforms that provide personalized recommendations and guided experiences.
To better understand traveler behaviors and preferences, I conducted unstructured user interviews, focusing on motivations, planning habits, and expectations when choosing vacation experiences.
Do you plan your trips ahead of time?
What motivates you to visit certain places?
How often do you travel?
Where do you typically search for travel information?
What types of activities do you enjoy while traveling?
Did your trip meet your expectations?
To better understand traveler behaviors and preferences, I conducted unstructured user interviews, focusing on motivations, planning habits, and expectations when choosing vacation experiences.
Interviews Results
70% of participants prefer to plan their trips in advance, often creating rough itineraries before traveling.
For travel inspiration, users typically rely on:
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Instagram
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Travel blogs
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Recommendations from friends
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Google searches based on destinations of interest
Travelers often plan their activities around geographic convenience, optimizing routes based on location proximity. There’s a strong interest in authentic local experiences over generic tourist attractions.
To save places they want to visit, users commonly take screenshots or create basic lists in Word or Pages documents, highlighting a lack of centralized, easy-to-use tools for organizing travel ideas.
Defining the Problem
Through user interviews, I uncovered common pain points shared by both spontaneous adventurers and detailed planners:
Difficulty finding unique, alternative information to personalize their trips
A lack of tools to organize all travel plans and ideas in one convenient place
Limited options to access and customize recommended routes
Problem Statement
Travelers want an easy way to find must-see sights, keep everything in one place, and tailor routes to make their trip more personal and enjoyable.
Creating the App Concept
I began with hand-drawn paper sketches and, after initial testing, transitioned to mid-fidelity wireframes. During this stage, I explored multiple variations of the article page to evaluate which layout resonated best with users.
Based on research findings, I knew that users valued engaging content paired with practical travel tips. As a result, I focused on optimizing the page and text layout with the following goals:
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Establish a clear information hierarchy
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Prioritize the most relevant content at the top
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Allow users to reveal more details on demand
Visual Design: Color & Typography
I dedicated time to carefully selecting a color palette and typography that would support both usability and the app’s travel-oriented tone.
For the primary actions, I chose a bright blue—evoking the sky and ocean—which not only aligns with travel themes but also naturally draws attention. To support readability, I incorporated a range of light and dark greys for background elements and body text, ensuring comfortable contrast for longer reading sessions.
In terms of typography, I explored several font combinations to balance readability with visual hierarchy. I ultimately selected:
PT Serif for body text, providing a comfortable reading experience for articles and tips
Fira Sans for headings and subheadings, offering a clean, modern complement that improves scannability
Developing and Testing
High-Fidelity Prototype
Testing high-fidelity I sow some confusion that users experienced while interacting with the prototype. I asked them to think out loud and describe their thoughts.
Testing
To fix that, I tried different design variations and tested them again to find out what is the user’s response.
I wanted to give them a clear understanding that the article page can lead them to the map, which shows recommended routes. To do that I gave users a small hint at the beginning of the article by displaying a suggested path sequence based on certain factors.
Conclusion
This project was a valuable opportunity to apply the full UX/UI design process—from initial user research to prototyping and visual design—while solving a real-world challenge for modern travelers. By focusing on the needs of both planners and explorers, I designed a travel experience app that helps users discover inspiring content, organize it in one place, and customize their journey with ease.
Through iterative testing and thoughtful design decisions—such as clear information hierarchy, accessible typography, and intuitive navigation—I was able to create a user-centered solution that blends functionality with a sense of adventure.
Working under the Experience by Welk brand for Welk Resorts, I not only sharpened my technical design skills but also strengthened my ability to think strategically about how to enhance the user experience within a specific brand vision.
This case study reaffirmed the importance of listening to users, designing with empathy, and ensuring every interaction supports clarity, joy, and purpose in the travel planning journey.