Timeline:

August 2024 - December 2024

Software Used:

Figma

Team:

Team of 6, University of Michigan School of Information

Role:

UX/UI Design, UX Research, Visual Identity, Product Management

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:

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What if the next travel app didn’t just show you where to go—but helped you understand how to go responsibly?

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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