Mobile-first product design system for discovering and booking authentic local food experiences. Completed as part of the Google UX Design Certificate, this project combines user research, information architecture, and interaction design to create a clear, intuitive discovery flow that improves usability and decision-making.
Solo Product & Brand Designer (UX Research, Brand Identity, UI Design)
12 Weeks
Figma, Zoom, Adobe Creative Suite
Travelers struggle to find authentic local food experiences and often settle on generic, tourist-focused options.
Key Pain Points:
How might I create a platform that feels authentic, curated, and transparent without making users feel excluded or overwhelmed?
Success Metric:
Increase booking confidence and usability from a SUS score of 78.4 to 86.2 (measured by moderated usability studies and unmoderated system usability scale assessments)
Reduce cognitive load and "scrolling fatigue" for the older demographic during the filtering process, resulting in a 27% increase in task efficiency
Reduce navigation friction and "pogo-sticking" by 40% through the implementation of the "golden data bar" on experience cards, allowing for faster decision-making
Research
Before designing anything, I needed to understand what was getting in the way. A survey with 12 active travelers gave me data fast, and the answer pointed somewhere I didn’t expect. It wasn’t the price holding people back, it was anxiety over authenticity and language. Using that data alongside food tourism market research, I identified four primary personas: Bella (budget traveler), Brooklyn (immersive traveler), Ethan (family traveler), and Leo (luxury traveler). I then mapped the journey for each, identifying key pain points and improvement opportunities at every stage.
Competitor Analysis
I analyzed four competitors – Private Chef Services, Airbnb Experiences, Local Food Tours, and EatWith – to see where the market was missing the mark. After looking at both the functional and visual gaps, the opportunity for TasteVoyage became clear: to bridge the space between exclusive private services and raw, local authenticity. My goal was to combine that accessibility of a global platform with the intimacy of community-led dining, creating a ‘boutique’ experience for explorers who want genuine cultural immersion without the tourist clichés.
Design Strategy & Brand System
Discovery revealed three core principles: curation over volume, transparency builds trust, and aspiration & accessibility. Before wireframing, I established the brand foundation to ensure every UX decision reinforced the brand promise. I wanted the platform to feel like an extension of a dinner party, warm, inviting, centered on people. Colors were pulled directly from photography of shared meals. A quiet UI with generous white space ensures the app frames the community’s content rather than competing with it. I also moved away from generic icon libraries, redesigning each icon in Figma to match the brand’s specific geometry and weight. All colors were tested to WCAG 2.2 AA standards with a minimum 48x48 touch targets on mobile.
Wireframes & Usability Testing
Following my research, I began sketching the first wireframes for TasteVoyage, focusing on the full end-to-end journey. After finalizing the sketches, I developed low-fidelity digital wireframes in Figma and then prepared an interactive prototype for the first round of user testing.
Initially, the end-to-end journey overwhelmed participants, resulting in generic feedback. Drawing on my teaching background, I scaffolded the experience by narrowing the scope to the Search & Discovery phase. This allowed for deeper, more actionable insights.
Round 1 Findings:
The lack of upfront logistics caused excessive pogo-sticking and scrolling fatigue during the discovery process.
Round 2 Findings:
Task efficiency and booking confidence increased, confirming that addressing pogo sticking and scrolling fatigue during the discovery process directly resolved the core friction points identified in Round 1.
Discovery & Smart Search
The Search and Discovery experience starts with a simple question: "Where will you taste next?" I wanted that first interaction to feel aspirational. To keep momentum, I broke the search flow into three quick, digestible steps (where, when, and who) so the user never hits a blank form. I was also very intentional with the language. Calling the discovery results "Curated for you" rather than "Search results" or nothing changes the entire vibe; it signals a thoughtful human element behind the suggestions. Finally, I addressed the scrolling fatigue and pogo-sticking issues for users identified in the usability testing.
Trust & Transparency
Research pointed to one recurring theme: travelers don't just want a great meal, they want the confidence to say "yes". The experience page layers more key logistics and a full price breakdown to remove friction before it arises. Verified badges, video host intros, direct messaging, and verified customer reviews transform a faceless booking into a connection with a real person. The goal is to turn a stranger into a trusted guide before the traveler has even committed.
Frictionless Booking
Once at the point of highest intent, the booking flow gets out of the way. Availability surfaces at a glance, a full order summary appears before payment, and the confirmation is warm and immediate. The result is a streamlined two-minute journey that replaces uncertainty with clarity.
Post-booking Connection
The experience doesn't just stop at checkout; it actually begins there. Travelers are immediately connected to their host and prompted to share their preferences, so personalization starts before arrival. The booking hub keeps everything in one place, with host messages deliberately separated from general support so the personal connection never gets buried. This post-booking layer was the gap for other competitors, and the feature most likely to turn a one-time traveler into a returning user.
Desktop Translation
While TasteVoyage was designed mobile-first, a significant portion of travel bookings happens on desktop. I explored how the experience would scale, using the expanded grid to surface more options at a glance, and bringing filter controls forward so desktop users can refine without extra navigation steps.
One of my most significant takeaways from this project was the value of narrowing the scope to deepen the impact. Pulling from my teaching background, I recognized that introducing too many concepts overwhelms the user and produces shallow understanding. Narrowing the testing to the Search and Discovery phase produced clear, actionable feedback to improve the user journey significantly.
During this project, I also explored establishing a strong visual identity early on. This was inspired by my study of Andrew Couldwell's book "Laying the Foundations". I made the intentional decision to move away from the community icon libraries and redesigned each icon in Figma to be cohesive across the brand, so the UI felt custom and intentional.
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