ArmTrailsTour
Responsive platform for booking tours and transportation in Armenia.
Bringing Armtrailstour booking into the digital age
Armenia is rich in cultural landmarks, mountain trails, and unforgettable landscapes. Tourism is growing rapidly, attracting both local and international travelers.
Yet while the destinations inspire confidence, the booking experience often does not. Travelers frequently rely on phone calls, social media messages, or outdated websites to arrange tours and transportation separately. The process is fragmented, unclear, and inconvenient — especially for visitors unfamiliar with the local system.
There is currently no responsive, centralized platform in Armenia that allows users to search tours, combine transportation, book in one seamless flow, check in online, and receive real-time updates.
Role: UX/UI Designer (End-to-End)
Project Duration: 4 weeks (UX Academy project)
Task: Add a feature — Design a mobile-first booking experience that allows users to search tours, combine transportation, book seamlessly, and track trip status
Tools: Figma, FigJam, Maze
My Process
I followed the Design Thinking process, which includes five key stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test ensuring each design decision was grounded in user needs and feedback.
Research
Why users browse… but don't book
ArmTrailsTour offered a wide range of tours and complementary services, including transportation and logistical support. On the surface, the platform seemed complete.
Yet online booking rates were low.
Users explored tours and checked prices — but instead of completing bookings online, they chose to call the company directly.
This raised important questions:
Was the responsive experience smooth enough?
Did users trust the online booking process?
Did the flow and information structure meet their expectations?
Before redesigning anything, we needed to understand one key thing:
Why do users browse — but hesitate to book?
Research methods
To understand why users were browsing but not booking, I approached the research from three angles:
Heuristic evaluation
I reviewed the existing platform against usability principles to identify friction in navigation, booking flow, information clarity, and responsive behavior.
Competitive analysis: I analyzed local and international tour platforms to understand how they structure search, pricing, trust elements, and booking flows.
User interviews: I spoke with local travelers and group organizers to uncover real behaviors, expectations, and trust factors behind their booking decisions.
Affinity mapping: After collecting insights, I synthesized interview findings using affinity mapping to identify recurring patterns, pain points, and opportunity areas that would directly inform design decisions.
Key findings
• Users discover tours mainly through Instagram, Facebook ads, and word of mouth.
• Most prefer calling or messaging organizers instead of booking online.
• Detailed information (distance, safety, accommodation, weather) strongly influences decisions.
• Booking feels manual and slow, often requiring payment proof and waiting for confirmation.
• Poor filtering and unclear availability reduce trust.
• Mobile browsing is common, but online booking completion is low.
User persona
To ensure the platform addressed real behavioral patterns, I created personas based on interview findings and affinity mapping.
The persona reflects users who:
• Frequently organize trips for groups (schools, families, teams)
• Value safety, structure, and clear planning
• Prefer detailed and transparent trip information
• Often browse online but switch to phone calls for confirmation
• Need combined services (tour + transportation) in one place
• Feel hesitant when availability or booking confirmation is unclear
Define
Identifying why users chose to call instead
To move from research to solution, I synthesized findings into a clear problem definition, aligned business and user goals (Venn diagram), and translated them into actionable features using MoSCoW prioritization.
User Flow
Mapping the booking journey
To reduce drop-offs and simplify the experience, I mapped the end-to-end booking flow from landing to confirmation.
The goal was to identify friction points, decision moments, and alternative paths — especially around filtering, availability, and payment.
The flow focuses on:
• Tour discovery and filtering
• Tour detail review
• Booking form completion
• Payment selection (full or installment)
• Confirmation and status update
Wireframe
Structuring the booking experience
Based on the user flow, I created low- and mid-fidelity wireframes to validate layout structure, content hierarchy, and booking logic before moving to high-fidelity design.
The wireframes focused on:
• Clear tour discovery with filters
• Structured tour detail page with essential logistics
• Simple, step-by-step booking form
• Transparent payment summary
• Clear confirmation screen
Special attention was given to reducing cognitive load and keeping pricing, availability, and next steps visible throughout the process.
Before moving to high-fidelity design, I tested the low-fidelity wireframes to validate clarity, navigation, and booking logic.
Branding
Building a trustworthy and adventurous brand
To bring the brand values into the interface, I translated Transparency, Security, Stability, and Achievement into a concrete visual system.
To support the booking experience, I defined clear brand values and translated them into a visual style system.
The brand needed to communicate:
• Trust → Reliability, safety, transparency
• Freshness → Nature, renewal, positivity
• Adventure → Exploration and discovery
• Warmth → Welcoming and human tone
The green tones reinforce nature and trust, while the yellow accent adds warmth and energy without overwhelming the interface.
High-Fidelity Wireframe
Based on validated wireframes and brand guidelines, I developed high-fidelity designs that reflect trust, clarity, and ease of booking.
The focus was on:
Clear visual hierarchy for tour comparison
Transparent pricing and availability
Step-by-step booking with visible progress
Persistent summary during checkout
Confident confirmation state
Validating the high-fidelity prototype
Participants: 5 users
Method: Remote moderated sessions
Duration: 15–20 minutes
Tools: Figma prototype + Zoom
I conducted moderated usability interviews with 5 participants to evaluate the mobile booking flow. Most users were able to complete the main tasks, but some hesitated around pickup/drop-off details and wanted more transparency about the vehicle and tour guide. Overall, users found the experience clear and visually appealing, but requested better booking status visibility for group trips.
Iterating Based on Feedback
After usability testing, I refined the booking flow to address areas of hesitation and improve clarity. I enhanced pickup/drop-off explanations, added space for vehicle and guide information, and introduced a clearer booking status/history section to strengthen trust and reduce uncertainty in group bookings.
I designed a fully responsive mobile version to ensure consistency across devices. The mobile layout prioritizes clear hierarchy, simplified filtering, and thumb-friendly interactions, making the booking flow intuitive and efficient on smaller screens.
