Wanderlust: Reducing Decision Fatigue in Travel Discovery

summary

overview

Wanderlust is a concept travel app designed to simplify destination discovery for indecisive travelers. The project explores how a streamlined, insight-driven interface can reduce decision fatigue by surfacing relevant destination suggestions, contextual information, and inspiration early in the planning process.

This was a solo, self-initiated project, from concept through rough interactive prototype in Figma.

challenge

Travel planning tools often overwhelm users with too many options, filters, and fragmented information. As an indecisive traveler myself, I identified a core problem: the friction happens before booking—when users are still trying to decide where to go.

The challenge was to design an experience that:

Helps users narrow choices without feeling constrained

Balances inspiration with practical information

Feels lightweight and exploratory rather than transactional

client

Personal / Self-Initiated Concept Project

my services

Product & UX Strategy

Brand & Visual Design

User Flow Definition

Wireframing & UI Design

Interactive Prototyping (Figma)

industry

Travel

Mobile Applications

Consumer Technology

Design process

step 1: Problem Definition

Identified decision fatigue as the primary barrier in early-stage travel planning. Framed the product around guided discovery rather than search-heavy booking workflows.

step 2: Experience Strategy

Defined core use cases and user flows focused on:

Suggestion-led exploration

Progressive disclosure of information

Minimal inputs with high-quality outputs

Established the app’s tone as curious, calm, and confidence-building.

step 3: Visual & Interface Design

Developed a clean, modern UI system that prioritizes:

Visual hierarchy over dense data

Destination imagery as an emotional hook

Simple interaction patterns to maintain momentum

Design decisions were intentionally restrained to support clarity and ease of use.

step 4: Prototyping & Iteration

Built a rough interactive prototype in Figma to test flow, pacing, and usability. Iterated on screen transitions and information density to ensure the experience felt intuitive rather than prescriptive.

impact

Although Wanderlust is a self-initiated concept project, it demonstrates my ability to identify a user problem, translate it into a structured product concept, and execute a coherent design solution from strategy through prototype.

  • Defined decision fatigue as the core user barrier in early-stage travel planning, guiding all UX and design decisions.

  • Designed a suggestion-led discovery model that prioritizes inspiration and clarity over exhaustive search and filtering.

  • Delivered a complete concept—from product vision and user flows to visual design and interactive prototyping—independently.

  • Established patterns and principles applicable to real-world travel, lifestyle, and content-driven products.