Company:
DarkLime
Year:
2020
Duration:
1 Month
Overview
Travel booking that works for both "let's go somewhere!" browsers and "I need exactly this" planners. The category system (Earth, Wind, Water, Family) turned vague wanderlust into actionable options - no more staring at empty search bars wondering what to type.
The real challenge was keeping booking flows simple when they're inherently complicated: multiple packages, date pickers, pricing tiers, time slots. Had to make it feel effortless even when there were six decisions to make. Inspiration drives the interface, practicality closes the deal.
Brand Identity
Location pin integrated into spiral design representing journey and exploration. The swirling form suggests movement and discovery, while the pin grounds it in practical navigation. Color palette evolved from concept sketches to final multi-tone version, combining travel associations (blue for sky/water, green for earth, yellow for sun/adventure).
Design System Foundation
Typography pairs Montserrat for headers with Open Sans for body text - balancing personality with readability across small mobile screens. Color system uses turquoise as primary action color, navy for structure, golden yellow for highlights and ratings, with neutral gray supporting hierarchy without competing for attention.
Information Architecture
Mapped complete user journey prioritizing category-based browsing over search. Flow recognizes that travel users often want inspiration before specifics. Key decision: keeping quick booking path short (3 taps to booking screen) while providing deep filtering when needed. Multiple entry points to booking ensure both spontaneous and deliberate users can navigate efficiently.
Low-Fidelity Structure
Wireframes established information hierarchy and interaction patterns before visual design. Tested 20+ screens to validate navigation logic, modal flows, and content priority. Early testing at this stage identified issues with filter accessibility and booking sequence clarity - problems easier to fix in wireframes than in high-fidelity mockups.
Reusable Design System
Built component library for consistency and development handoff. Icons designed specifically for travel categories (Earth, Wind, Water, Family, Corporate, Romantic, Fun) with unified visual language. Navigation components work in both active and inactive states. Cards, buttons, and booking elements designed as modular pieces that combine across different screens.
First Impressions
Onboarding screens balance inspiration with account setup. Full-screen imagery shows travel categories (booking, travel, feedback) while keeping social login accessible. Progressive disclosure approach - show value before asking for information. Three screens establish brand aesthetic and core functionality without overwhelming new users.
Entry Point
Launch screen provides multiple authentication options - social networks, phone, or email. Clean interface prioritizes action over decoration. Social login integration reduces friction for new users while maintaining email/phone options for privacy-conscious users.
Discovery Hub
Home screen combines user location awareness with multiple discovery paths. Top proposal carousel highlights current deals, category icons enable browsing by experience type, and top-rated section provides social proof. Search bar remains accessible but doesn't dominate - recognizing that many users browse before searching.
Finding Specifics
Search combines recent searches, trending tags, and expandable filters. Filter modal covers essentials (tags, location, budget, time) without overwhelming users with options. Results display as cards showing key information at a glance. Balance between powerful functionality and interface simplicity.
Personal Space
Profile screen provides account management and settings access with clear logout option. Favorites screen uses tabs to organize saved items, displaying results in familiar card format from search. Enables comparison and planning for users who research extensively before booking.
Service Details & Conversion
Service card provides comprehensive information in scrollable format - gallery, description, tags, location map, and reviews. Booking modal uses progressive disclosure to handle complexity: package selection, date picker, time slots, and pricing all in digestible steps. Multiple packages and pricing tiers managed through clear UI patterns that guide users without confusing them.
Design Process Timeline
21-day design sprint from research to high-fidelity screens. First third focused on UX foundation (research, strategy, flows, wireframes), middle third on prototyping and testing concepts, final third on visual design and component building. Timeline shows overlap between UX and UI phases - testing concepts early while building visual system in parallel.
What Stayed Behind
Our first completed project in the new office during COVID. The app didn't survive long in the App Store, but those days working together in a half-empty space - solving mobile UX puzzles, debating category systems, refining booking flows - taught us more about design collaboration than any successful launch could have. The timing was strange, the outcome wasn't what we hoped for, but the experience stuck. Sometimes that's worth more than an App Store listing.