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WETU

Tester

Project Manager

Travel CMS: Profile Portal

Managing traveller information through an outdated CMS created inefficiencies, errors, and reliance on spreadsheets and third-party tools. Clients, travellers, and suppliers needed a modern, scalable platform that simplified profile management while supporting complex travel requirements. The challenge was to redesign both UX and UI, modernise the system, and create a single source of truth that could grow with the business.

Timeline: 2020 - 2022

Designer

Platform: Web

Role: UX/UI

Developer

Context & Constraints

Context​

  • Legacy travel CMS used to manage traveller profiles, itineraries, destinations, and supplier content.

  • Built in 2010, with workflows fragmented across spreadsheets and third-party tools.

  • Redesign aimed to modernise UX/UI and consolidate workflows into a single platform.

  • Platform needed to serve multiple stakeholders with different priorities.

Goals

  • Investigate existing CMS solutions and competitor approaches.

  • Identify opportunities to improve usability and efficiency.

  • Enable importing content from spreadsheets and third-party sites.

  • Introduce contextual help or chat-based support.

  • Support travellers, clients, suppliers, and internal business needs.

  • Explore gamification elements to encourage higher-tier adoption.

  • Integrate GDS codes and rates systems.

  • Support geo-profiles linked to destinations.

Constraints

  • Legacy system architecture limited initial flexibility.

  • Multiple user types with competing needs and workflows.

  • Third-party integrations risked adding complexity.

  • Required balance between feature richness and simplicity.

User & Insights

The platform is used by tour operators, DMCs, travel agents, and suppliers such as accommodation and activity providers. These users work across teams, manage large volumes of travel data, and are under constant time pressure. While highly experienced in the travel domain, they relied heavily on spreadsheets and workarounds due to the limitations of the existing system.

Disclaimer

The user images and personas shown are representations of the broader user group based on research insights. They are not real individuals, and any similarities to actual persons are purely coincidental.

Key User Needs

  • Import content easily from spreadsheets and third-party platforms.

  • Real-time reflection of changes on itineraries.

  • Auto-save to prevent data loss.

  • Multi-language editing with automatic translations.

  • Ability to edit content on mobile.

  • Embed videos from YouTube and Vimeo.

  • Add seasonal specials without overwriting base data.

  • Small moments of delight to make itineraries more engaging.

Key Insights

  • Fragmented tools increased errors and duplication of work.

  • Users valued flexibility more than rigid “perfect” workflows.

  • Confidence in data accuracy was critical.

  • Delightful micro-interactions improved perceived product value.

User Persona

User persona describing travel industry professionals, including their team structures, daily workflows, business goals, success metrics, pain points, target audiences, and key motivators.

Research

  • Conducted in-person interviews with:

    • Tour operators

    • Destination Management Companies (DMCs)

    • Travel agents

  • Used How Might We exercises to uncover opportunity areas

  • Ran story-writing exercises using:

    • As a {User}, I would like to {Action}, in order to {Reason}

  • Validated assumptions around content creation, editing, and publishing workflows

Accessibility Considerations

  • Added metadata to images, videos, and virtual tours for screen reader support.

  • Ensured colour contrast and typography met legibility standards.

  • Avoided placing text directly over imagery.

  • Designed layouts prioritising readability across devices and screen sizes.

Design Progress

Sketches & Wireframes

  • Early exploration of CMS structure and content relationships.

  • Validation of workflows for multiple user types.

  • Focus on reducing reliance on spreadsheets and external tools.

Image 1/8 Sticky notes and low-fidelity wireframes capturing analysis of the existing CMS, identified pain points, and user feedback gathered during research sessions.
Image 2/8 Sticky notes and low-fidelity wireframes capturing analysis of the existing CMS, identified pain points, and user feedback gathered during research sessions.
Image 3/8 Sticky notes and low-fidelity wireframes capturing analysis of the existing CMS, identified pain points, and user feedback gathered during research sessions.
Image 4/8 Sticky notes and low-fidelity wireframes capturing analysis of the existing CMS, identified pain points, and user feedback gathered during research sessions.
Image 5/8 Sticky notes and low-fidelity wireframes capturing analysis of the existing CMS, identified pain points, and user feedback gathered during research sessions.
Image 6/8 Sticky notes and low-fidelity wireframes capturing analysis of the existing CMS, identified pain points, and user feedback gathered during research sessions.
Image 7/8 Sticky notes and low-fidelity wireframes capturing analysis of the existing CMS, identified pain points, and user feedback gathered during research sessions.
Image 8/8 Sticky notes and low-fidelity wireframes capturing analysis of the existing CMS, identified pain points, and user feedback gathered during research sessions.

Final Designs

  • Clean, modern layouts designed for high-volume content creation.

  • Improved hierarchy and clarity across profile and itinerary management.

  • Consistent UI patterns to support confidence and efficiency.

Image 1/6 High-fidelity designs of the redesigned travel CMS, showing streamlined workflows, improved content management, and a modern, accessible interface.
Image 2/6 High-fidelity designs of the redesigned travel CMS, showing streamlined workflows, improved content management, and a modern, accessible interface.
Image 3/6 High-fidelity designs of the redesigned travel CMS, showing streamlined workflows, improved content management, and a modern, accessible interface.
Image 4/6 High-fidelity designs of the redesigned travel CMS, showing streamlined workflows, improved content management, and a modern, accessible interface.
Image 5/6 High-fidelity designs of the redesigned travel CMS, showing streamlined workflows, improved content management, and a modern, accessible interface.
Image 6/6 High-fidelity designs of the redesigned travel CMS, showing streamlined workflows, improved content management, and a modern, accessible interface.

Reflection

What I Learned

  • A centralised system only succeeds if it remains flexible for diverse user groups.

  • Simplified workflows build trust and reduce reliance on workarounds.

  • Small moments of delight can significantly increase engagement.

  • Accessibility in media-rich systems must be considered early, not retrofitted.

  • Balancing power and usability is critical in complex enterprise tools.

© 2025 Blueprints by René du Plooy. All rights reserved.

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