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Case study

A retreat app that makes booking easier and invites people to discover new experiences

Travel UP is an app for people who love to explore new places, people and activities. It brings everything about a retreat into one place, so finding and booking the right one feels easy and friendly, and invites people to discover kinds of retreats they hadn’t considered. I took it from concept and UX research to UI design and a prototype.

Mobile app
Wellness
Concept

Year: 2023
Role: Concept, UX research, UI design, prototyping
Tools

01 — Context

Where this project started

Travel UP started with people who love to explore new places, people and activities. I wanted to encourage them and help them choose a vacation that adds real value. So I designed an app that keeps every detail of a retreat in one place, makes booking easier and friendlier, and invites people to explore new kinds of retreats.

02 — Problem

Too much information, too little time

People today want a vacation with value, but looking for one online means facing an overwhelming amount of information. Planning a trip takes a lot of research: comparing prices, reading reviews and checking availability. It takes time and gets frustrating, especially for people with busy schedules.

03 — Research

How I studied the problem

Part 1 Competitive research

Learning from the leading marketplace apps

I started with the leading marketplace apps for vacations and experiences: Airbnb, Selina, Booking and Tripadvisor. I looked at how each of them presents what it offers, and used that to offer retreats that give people real value. A usability research plan showed me which features and calls to action engage people most, and lead to the highest conversion.

Part 2 User research

Meet Ofra

To understand what people need and want, I interviewed potential users about what gets in their way when they search for retreats and vacations with added value. From these insights, I built a persona that represents the people I was designing for.

Ofra A.

Age: 33
Occupation: Digital marketing manager
Location: Tel Aviv

Bio

Ofra was born and raised on a kibbutz in the north of Israel and moved to Tel Aviv 10 years ago. She has practiced yoga and pilates for the last few years.

Personality

Friendly and emotional.
Design and aesthetics matter to her.
Very comfortable with technology.
Loves to travel and spend time in nature.

Pain points

No time to research the specific retreat she wants.
She doesn’t trust every instructor she finds online, and wants to know more about them.
The information isn’t in one place.

What she expects from the app

Find the right retreat for her in less time.
Well-organized information, with every detail she wants in one place.
Reviews of both retreats and instructors.
One place that presents all the information effortlessly.

In her words

“Great idea! If there was such an app, I would be happy to use it.”

04 — Insights & approach

Turning research into a UX

The research made the direction clear: one app where every detail of a retreat opens in one place, from the description and instructors to accommodation, reviews and dates. Less time searching, more time exploring, and room to discover retreats people hadn’t thought of.

Prices, reviews and availability each sit somewhere else. Planning a trip means jumping between them, and the research takes time Ofra doesn’t have.

Instructors

Stay

Reviews

Dates

Travel UP

With Travel UP

Every detail of a retreat in one place

Description, instructors, accommodation and reviews open on the same retreat page, with the dates and booking one tap away.

05 — User flow

From first screen to your next retreat

Splash screen Welcome

Home screen

Start exploring – general mapSearch by category – map

Categories retreats – mapChoosing an item

Search barSearch by retreat type

Item page Calendar Booking Thank you page

06 — Design system

One UI style guide for every screen

Colors

#FF4B4B / #F84B75
#FF4B4B
#F24986
#FCE3E3
#F0F4FF
#FFFFFF

Grey scale

#111C35
#3C4657
#8B939E
#B0B9C7
#E2E8F0
#ECEEF1

Typography – Poppins

Poppins

Regular · Medium · SemiBold · Bold · ExtraBold

Type scale
Style	Size	Line	Weight
Desktop header 1	52px	100%	Bold · Regular
Desktop header 2	40px	50px	Bold · Regular
Headline 1	32px	44px	Bold · SemiBold
Headline 2	25px	34px · 30px	ExtraBold · SemiBold
Headline 3	20px	100%	Bold · Medium
Title	18px	100%	Bold · Medium
Subtitle	16px	20px	Bold · Regular
Body	14px	100%	SemiBold · Regular
Caption	12px	100%	SemiBold · Regular
Button	14px · 12px	100%	Bold
Legal caption	10px	100%	Bold · Regular

Components

01 Atoms

Buttons

Create your account button in two states

Check and wishlist

Category label

View all

Price label

02 Molecules

Search bar

Reviews

03 Organisms

Retreat cards

Ashtanga yoga retreat card in two states

Calendar

Card anatomy

Each retreat card shows the main information in a simple, organized way.

Wishlist Rating & reviews Location Category label

07 — Wireframes

Hover the screensTap the screens to see the final UI

The wireframes went through many drafts before reaching this stage. Each option grew out of the app’s concept, the usability study and new features I added along the way, and supports the app’s values.

08 — UI design

Pleasant, modern and easy to trust

For the final UI, I wanted a pleasant, modern look that still feels professional and reliable. The design is clear and inviting, with gradient buttons and rounded shapes, so moving through the app feels clear and satisfying.

Screens From wireframes to design

01 · Splash and welcome

An invitation to explore from the first screen

The splash screen shows the logo and colors and gives a first taste of the app’s tone of voice. It welcomes people, shares the vibe and energy of the app, and invites them to explore.

The welcome page then takes them deeper into the retreats, so they can quickly find what they’re looking for, or discover a retreat they hadn’t thought of that might be just right for them.

02 · Home page

Three simple ways into the retreats

A large image banner sits at the top, with a search bar and a call to action on top of it. From here, people can start exploring in three ways: by a retreat card, by retreat type, which opens the map, or by search.

Each retreat card shows the main information in a simple, organized way. Tapping a card opens the item page. The search bar, the call to action and View all open the map.

03 · Map

A clean map that’s fun to explore

The map shows retreat pins based on each person’s choices, in an interactive, engaging view. Tapping a pin shows the retreat’s type, price, location and rating, and category labels let people see more than one category at a time.

The goal was a clean, minimal and beautiful map that shows the key information about each retreat.

04 · Item page

Everything needed to book with confidence

On top of what the cards show, the item page holds the description, instructors, accommodation, reviews and transactions, plus a calendar button.

The goal of this screen is trust. People can get to know who leads the retreat, find all the information they need, and see clearly everything the retreat includes.

05 · Calendar and booking

Choosing dates around the retreat

The calendar shows the next retreat events, with the retreat dates marked on top. People can choose to arrive before the retreat begins or stay after it.

If the dates already fit, they can skip the calendar and book straight away.