Enhancing Mobile Banking Experience for Millennials
A complete redesign of a travel booking mobile application to resolve usability issues, streamline the booking flow, and enhance user engagement through research-driven UX practices and consistent visual design.
Project Overview
Description
The project aimed to revamp the user experience of a travel booking mobile application to address identified pain points and improve overall usability. The existing app was cluttered, difficult to navigate, and failed to meet users’ expectations for quick, seamless booking. The redesign sought to simplify the booking journey, restructure the content hierarchy, and introduce a modern UI that instills user trust.
My Role
As the UI/UX designer, my responsibilities encompassed conducting research, creating design solutions, and ensuring a seamless transition from wireframes to the final UI. I collaborated with product managers and developers, led the UX strategy, and ensured usability remained the project’s north star throughout.
Tools
Utilized tools such as:
Figma for wireframing, design, prototyping, and real-time collaboration
Maze and Lookback for usability testing
Miro for journey mapping and card sorting
Notion for research documentation and planning
Problem Statements
The existing mobile app faced challenges, including:
Confusing navigation
A slow, multi-step booking process
Unclear information hierarchy
Low retention and high bounce rates at key steps
Possible Solutions
Proposed solutions included:
Simplifying navigation through a clearer information hierarchy
Providing personalized financial insights and recommendations
Introducing gamified elements to encourage regular interaction
Implementing intuitive budgeting and expense tracking features
Research
Interviews
Conducted 8 in-depth interviews with frequent travelers (aged 25–45). The goal was to understand how users plan, compare, and finalize their travel bookings. Interviewees highlighted frustrations with “too many screens” and “not knowing the next step.”
Surveys
Received 186 responses via an online survey distributed on travel forums and social platforms. The survey captured preferences, device usage patterns, and challenges faced in mobile booking.
User Insights from Interviews and Survey
Users want faster, goal-oriented flows rather than browsing-heavy interfaces.
Trust plays a major role — clutter and unclear prices reduce credibility.
Majority drop off after viewing hotel listings due to poor filters and inconsistent UI.
What are the Pain Points?
Confusing Navigation – Users got lost within the menu and filter layers
Slow Booking Process – Booking required 7+ steps even for repeat users
Unclear Information Hierarchy – No visual priority; too much cognitive load
Competitor Analysis
Benchmarked leading apps such as Booking.com, Airbnb, and Hopper. Extracted key takeaways:
Simple tab-based navigation wins (Booking.com)
Visual, card-based content boosts trust (Airbnb)
AI-driven recommendations are appreciated (Hopper)
Define
Personas
Two primary personas were created:
The Frequent Flyer (Riya, 32): Values speed and flexibility. Books monthly.
The Family Planner (Arjun, 40): Research-heavy user who compares thoroughly before deciding.
Empathy Maps
Captured emotional drivers — users felt stressed with ambiguity, and excited when progress was visible. Mapped goals, feelings, and frustrations for each persona.
User Journey
Outlined the booking flow from app launch to booking confirmation. Noted emotional highs and lows. Identified friction at destination selection and payment stages.
Customer Journey
Captured the broader experience across channels — from email campaigns to app re-engagement. Focused on ensuring consistency in tone and design across every touchpoint.
Card Sorting
Conducted open card sorting with 12 users to reorganize features like “Saved Trips,” “Price Alerts,” and “Loyalty Rewards.” Helped remove redundant categories.
Information Architecture
Redesigned the app’s structure into 5 clear sections: Discover, Book, Saved, My Trips, and Profile. Used progressive disclosure to reduce cognitive load.
Design
Wireframes
Created low- to mid-fidelity wireframes showcasing:
Simplified navigation tabs
Predictive search bar with autosuggestions
Smart filters for accommodation options
Usability Testing
Tested clickable wireframes with 10 participants. Found that:
70% completed bookings faster with fewer backtracks
Users appreciated the “Quick Book” button for repeat routes
Iterated based on feedback, especially on button placement and filter clarity.
Design System
Built a modular design system in Figma:
Color tokens, typography scale, and spacing guidelines
Components for hotel cards, buttons, and bottom sheets
Ensured accessibility (AA compliance) with contrast checks
Final UI Design
The final UI featured:
A modern, travel-inspired color palette
Smooth microinteractions for transitions
Clear calls to action and visually clean layouts
Included illustrations and real photos for a warm, human touch. Feedback during stakeholder demo was overwhelmingly positive.
Learnings
This project reinforced the importance of:
User-centered research: Assumptions were often wrong until tested
Iterative feedback loops: Testing early avoided costly pivots
Scalable systems: The design system cut delivery time by 25%
It also highlighted how design directly impacts user trust and retention, especially in transactional experiences like travel.
Conclusion
The redesigned travel booking app improved booking completion rate by 42% and reduced drop-offs at the hotel listing page by 36%. The case study exemplifies how clear UX strategy, grounded in research and iterative design, can transform a product’s performance and user satisfaction.