A Case study On Maya
A Case study On Maya
Overview
Explore Maya is a travel platform that curates guided tours, local experiences, and cultural activities across India. While the platform offered great content, its website struggled to engage visitors and convert them into customers due to outdated design, unclear navigation, and a lack of emotional connection with the audience.
My goal was to redesign the website to improve visual appeal, usability, and conversion rate, creating an engaging experience that inspires users to book their next adventure.
Problem Statement
The original Explore Maya website had:
A cluttered layout that overwhelmed first-time visitors.
Poor visual hierarchy — important CTAs like “Book Now” and “Explore Tours” were buried in the content.
Low engagement metrics — users left within seconds without exploring tours.
Inconsistent branding that failed to reflect the platform’s vibrant and cultural essence.
Objectives
Increase user engagement by making the site visually appealing and easy to navigate.
Improve conversion flow from homepage → tour selection → booking.
Create a modern, responsive design that works across devices.
Establish a cohesive brand identity aligned with the cultural and travel theme.
Design Process
1. Research
Competitive Analysis of similar travel websites (e.g., Klook, GetYourGuide).
Reviewed Google Analytics data to identify drop-off points.
Conducted a content audit to organize tours into clear categories.
2. Defining User Personas
Example Persona:
Name: Ananya, 28, Corporate Professional, lives in Bangalore.
Goal: Wants to find unique weekend trips with minimal planning effort.
Pain Point: Gets overwhelmed by too many choices and unclear pricing.
3. Wireframing
Simplified navigation with 3 core categories: Destinations, Experiences, About.
Added a prominent hero section with a search bar for quick exploration.
Designed a featured experiences carousel to promote popular tours.
4. Visual Design
Color Palette: Warm earthy tones with vibrant accents to reflect India’s culture.
Typography: Clear sans-serif for body text, paired with decorative headings.
Imagery: High-quality destination photos to inspire travel.
Before vs. After
Before:
Generic stock photos.
Overloaded homepage with no clear user path.
Unresponsive design that broke on mobile.
After:
Immersive hero section with a clear CTA: "Plan Your Next Cultural Journey".
Consistent visual hierarchy guiding users toward booking.
Fully responsive design for seamless browsing on mobile/tablet.
Key Features in the New Design
Interactive Destination Map to explore tours by location.
Quick Filters for experience types (adventure, cultural, food, etc.).
Customer Testimonials to build trust.
Optimized Booking Flow reduced from 5 steps to 3.
Impact
After the redesign (projected based on design goals):
Expected increase in engagement with 30% more clicks on tour details.
Shorter time-to-booking through simplified flow.
Stronger brand recall due to cohesive visual identity.
Reflection
This project reinforced the importance of aligning visual design with business goals. By focusing on user journeys and storytelling, we transformed Explore Maya into not just a booking site, but a travel inspiration hub.
Overview
Explore Maya is a travel platform that curates guided tours, local experiences, and cultural activities across India. While the platform offered great content, its website struggled to engage visitors and convert them into customers due to outdated design, unclear navigation, and a lack of emotional connection with the audience.
My goal was to redesign the website to improve visual appeal, usability, and conversion rate, creating an engaging experience that inspires users to book their next adventure.
Problem Statement
The original Explore Maya website had:
A cluttered layout that overwhelmed first-time visitors.
Poor visual hierarchy — important CTAs like “Book Now” and “Explore Tours” were buried in the content.
Low engagement metrics — users left within seconds without exploring tours.
Inconsistent branding that failed to reflect the platform’s vibrant and cultural essence.
Objectives
Increase user engagement by making the site visually appealing and easy to navigate.
Improve conversion flow from homepage → tour selection → booking.
Create a modern, responsive design that works across devices.
Establish a cohesive brand identity aligned with the cultural and travel theme.
Design Process
1. Research
Competitive Analysis of similar travel websites (e.g., Klook, GetYourGuide).
Reviewed Google Analytics data to identify drop-off points.
Conducted a content audit to organize tours into clear categories.
2. Defining User Personas
Example Persona:
Name: Ananya, 28, Corporate Professional, lives in Bangalore.
Goal: Wants to find unique weekend trips with minimal planning effort.
Pain Point: Gets overwhelmed by too many choices and unclear pricing.
3. Wireframing
Simplified navigation with 3 core categories: Destinations, Experiences, About.
Added a prominent hero section with a search bar for quick exploration.
Designed a featured experiences carousel to promote popular tours.
4. Visual Design
Color Palette: Warm earthy tones with vibrant accents to reflect India’s culture.
Typography: Clear sans-serif for body text, paired with decorative headings.
Imagery: High-quality destination photos to inspire travel.
Before vs. After
Before:
Generic stock photos.
Overloaded homepage with no clear user path.
Unresponsive design that broke on mobile.
After:
Immersive hero section with a clear CTA: "Plan Your Next Cultural Journey".
Consistent visual hierarchy guiding users toward booking.
Fully responsive design for seamless browsing on mobile/tablet.
Key Features in the New Design
Interactive Destination Map to explore tours by location.
Quick Filters for experience types (adventure, cultural, food, etc.).
Customer Testimonials to build trust.
Optimized Booking Flow reduced from 5 steps to 3.
Impact
After the redesign (projected based on design goals):
Expected increase in engagement with 30% more clicks on tour details.
Shorter time-to-booking through simplified flow.
Stronger brand recall due to cohesive visual identity.
Reflection
This project reinforced the importance of aligning visual design with business goals. By focusing on user journeys and storytelling, we transformed Explore Maya into not just a booking site, but a travel inspiration hub.