Timeline: August 2024 - December 2024
Role: UX/UI Design, UX Research, Visual Identity, Product Management
Software Used: Figma
Team: Team of 6, University of Michigan School of Information
Goal: Design a digital product to address the issue of over-tourism with a more sustainable and ethical touring practices, in response to the annual CHI 2025 Student Design Competition prompt.
Context
Wanderly is a collaborative travel platform that connects travelers with locals to promote authentic cultural exchange and tackle over-tourism with more conscious practices. From August to December, I filled multiple roles—UX Designer, UX Researcher, Visual Identity Designer, and Product Manager alongside my team—to turn a vision into a product roadmap and prototype for ethical travel.
We set out to answer one big question:
What if the next travel app didn’t just show you where to go—but helped you understand how to go responsibly?
The Problem
Modern travelers crave authentic experiences—but they rely on overrun recommendations from mass-market platforms. Locals, in turn, see their spaces commodified, misrepresented, or overexposed.
Challenges included:
Tourists defaulting to overcrowded destinations
A lack of tools for locals to share vetted recommendations
Travel apps failing to educate users on respectful, culturally aware behavior
Objectives
As Product Manager, I framed our strategy with clear user and business objectives:
For Users:
Simplify discovery of off-the-beaten-path, culturally sensitive experiences
Build meaningful connections between locals and travelers
Encourage responsible tourism through education and trust
For the Product:
Boost user retention and engagement by 30%
Reduce reported cases of cultural insensitivity by 25% in launch communities
Grow local business partnerships by 50% in year one
Research and Insights
We split up our research phase into different structures:
Competitive Analysis
We audited travel apps like Airbnb Experiences, Fiverr, TripAdvisor, and local tour guides to identify usability gaps, missing community features, and ethical blind spots. Most lacked:
Direct community involvement
Transparency around tourism impact
Cultural context for recommendations
️User Interviews & Affinity Mapping
We conducted 15 interviews with travelers and locals across five continents. Using affinity diagramming, we distilled major themes:
Respect towards culture: Both locals and tourists want to achieve authentic experiences while preserving culture and heritage.
Travel planning with technology: Users typically utilize different technological tools to help them prepare for vacation planning.
Common pain points and issues: Both locals and tourists are concerned that when there is a large influx of people traveling, there will be issues with safety, respecting traditions and culture, as well as overall ease of use.
Attributes shaping unique experiences: People are interested in spontaneity, meeting new people, and true immersion in their destination for a unique and memorable experience.
Personas
These insights informed 4 key personas:
John Apple
Extroverted and adventurous traveler who is experienced with online traveling tools.
Clairo Orange
Introverted local who is passionate about their hometown but is adverse to talking to strangers.
Stacy Melon
Traveler who is keen on making the most of her travel experience.
Eric Pear
Extroverted local that enjoys meeting new people and helping in any way.
Design Decisions
UX Design
As UX Designer, I created a frictionless experience around three pillars:
Explore - Location based local insights and hidden gems.
With User Memos, people can add personal memos for each place they add to a list, allowing people to share their personal experiences and memories with others.
Users can save places to lists they create by clicking the “Save” button on each place’s page. People can also save other’s lists to their profiles allowing for further discovery and additional exploration abilities.
Connect – A multilingual messaging system for locals and travelers
Users can view each others “home base” location which allows them to know whether they are locals or tourists. This gives them insight into authentic recommendations and tips for their desired travel location.
Additionally, people can follow and message each other for deeper connections and to share more tips and travel recommendations.
Learn – Embedded etiquette guides and cultural safety tips
The community board allows for users to discuss topics such as cultural expectations with travelers and locals alike. Community posts by users can give other users tips and insights on respecting a destination’s norms.
Users can view tips from other travelers and locals on etiquette, tips, etc. at specific places like restaurants and monuments.
Product Management
I translated the vision into a full Product Requirements Document (PRD), managing our timeline, feature prioritization (MoSCoW), and roadmap:
Core Features (Phase 1)
Comprehensive user profiles for locals and travelers
Real-time messaging system with translation
“Favorite Places” lists curated by locals
Future Features
Cultural etiquette toolkits
Safety tips and review system
Local expert recognition program
KPI’s:
Number of lists created per user
Completion rate of list creation process
Average time spent creating lists
Number of saved destinations per user
Feedback Mechanisms:
In-App Surveys:
Analytics Implementation:
User Research:
View My Final Project!
Results
Though still pre-launch, the MVP prototype and product pitch led to key outcomes:
Increased usability scores across all personas during playtesting
90% of users described the experience as “intentional,” “welcoming,” and “trust-building”
Positive stakeholder response during the final pitch, particularly to the product’s ethical positioning and scalability
Takeaways
What I Learned:
When designing for diverse users and sensitive content, collaboration with communities isn't optional—it's foundational.
Managing product scope while balancing empathy and feasibility was one of the most valuable growth moments for me as a PM and designer.
What I’d Do Differently:
Begin user testing earlier in the visual identity process to validate emotional resonance
Prioritize accessibility audits sooner to meet WCAG standards from day one
Final Thoughts
Wanderly isn't just a travel app. It's a mindset shift—away from mass consumption and toward conscious connection. Helping bring it to life from ideation to roadmap was one of the most meaningful experiences of my design journey so far.