A global online travel platform connecting millions of travelers with hostel accommodations and social experiences worldwide.
Hostelworld
Brief
Redesign the iOS and Android app experience, introducing social features and new booking flows to increase engagement and usability.
Impact
67 % of all bookers (1.4 M users) within 18 months of launch joined the new social experiences.
Apps channel grew from 40% to 60% of bookings since launch.
Contributed to a 50% YoY booking growth in 2023.
Improved store ratings from 3.8 to 4.5+ stars.
Methods
Led end-to-end UX/UI for iOS and Android, including a full audit.
Refined social features and booking conversion through A/B testing.
Partnered with Product and Tech to iterate on post-launch performance.
Sitemap and Structure
My first task at Hostelworld was to audit the structure and user flows of the mobile apps.
I created a visual map of the app’s architecture to show how sections and journeys were organized.
This helped identify pain points and opportunities for improvement.
Developing Social Features
After the evaluation, I worked with a product manager and user researcher on new social features: Chats and Events.
Using the mapping approach, I defined their structure with detailed sitemaps, UX mockups, and early prototypes to guide development and testing.
Prototypes and Usability Tests
We focused on Chats for Cities, Hostels, and Individuals.
We tested multiple prototypes and ran usability studies to see how travelers engaged with these features.
This iterative process helped us improve the UX to support real interactions and meaningful connections.
App Release
Once we had built confidence through testing and validation, we shipped the Chat feature to our user base.
From there, the process became one of continuous iteration, supported by regular interviews, surveys, and feedback analysis.
These helped us identify bugs, surface usability issues, and spot new opportunities as the feature evolved in the real world.
Events
We used the same user-centered design for the Events feature, later called Linkups. It helps travelers find activities nearby and connect with others.
The goal was to make social discovery as easy as booking a stay, encouraging in-person connections and shared experiences.
Social Profiles
As a natural next step we reworked the user profile experience, redesigning the layout to better showcase personal details, travel preferences, and interests.
This update supported the social features by helping users find common ground and decide who they might want to connect with during their travels.
Apps Redesign and Iterations
Beyond the new social features, we used this opportunity to modernize and simplify the overall app experience.
We redesigned key areas like Booking, Trips, and Account screens to make them cleaner and easier to navigate.
We also introduced a dark mode to improve usability and comfort, especially in low-light settings, and to ensure consistency across platforms.
