Case Study

Designing an All-in-One Travel Platform for Digital Nomads

Digital nomads don’t just book flights—they book a lifestyle. Reliable Wi-Fi, legal clarity, community, and cost all matter. Yet finding a “nomad-friendly” destination means hours of hopping between NomadList, Reddit threads, Facebook groups, flight sites, and booking platforms. To solve this problem, I designed a single platform where digital nomads can research and book flights, coliving, and coworking—without the chaos.

Type

Company

Tools

Travel booking website

Student project

Sketch

What are "Digital Nomads"?

Digital Nomads are people who are location-independent and use technology to perform their work while traveling. Beyond finding flights and accommodation, they also seek “nomad-friendly” destinations—places with reliable Wi-Fi, supportive communities, and good work-life balance. However, discovering these destinations can be time-consuming, often requiring digital nomads to piece together information from multiple websites, forums, and word-of-mouth recommendations.
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From better understanding user painpoints. I wanted to design an all-in-one booking website to help digital nomads research and book their next destination.

Following Nomads Where They Already Are

To understand how nomads actually plan travel, I researched in the same places they do.

‍Methods
- Surveyed 13 digital nomads & aspiring nomads
- Analyzed booking platforms and nomad tools
- Gathered insights from Facebook groups and Reddit
- Conducted 3 interviews across Malaysia, the UK, and the U.S..

What I Learned
- Nomads spend 4–6 hours researching each trip
- They visit 6–10 destinations per year, staying 1–2 months
- Booking requires juggling 5+ platforms
- Clear pricing and strong Wi-Fi are non-negotiable

Key Insight: Nomads Don’t Want More Options—They Want Clarity

Digital nomads weren’t overwhelmed by travel—they were overwhelmed by fragmentation.
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Core Needs
- Search and book flights, coliving, and coworking in one flow
- Explore destinations by price, not just location
- Transparent info on Wi-Fi, SIM cards, laws, and neighborhoods
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Opportunity
Wi-Fi anxiety came up repeatedly. Nomads wanted a clear Wi-Fi strength indicator and real-world performance data for places they’d work from.

Defining the User: The New Nomad

New digital nomads feel excited—but lost.
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Enter my persona Kara. A first-time digital nomad who wants guidance, reassurance, and a clear path from “Where should I go?” to “I’m booked and ready.”
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This shaped the product to feel supportive, not overwhelming.

The Solution: One Flow, From Research to Booking

I designed Nomadic around a single “master flow” that adapts to where users are in their journey.
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Core Features
Find (Highest Priority)
Book flights directly if the destination is known
Explore destinations by price and lifestyle
Dedicated finders for coliving and coworking
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Destination Pages
Visa & legal info
SIM cards and carriers
Neighborhood guidance
Accommodations with pricing
Cafes, coworking spaces, and Wi-Fi strength + reviews

Design Execusion

After building out the flow, I:
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- Created low-fidelity wireframes in Sketch
- Developed an adventurous, community-first brand identity
- Designed high-fidelity screens aligned with trust and clarity
- Built a 28-screen interactive prototype covering the full booking journey

Validation: Can Nomads Book Without Getting Lost?

I tested the prototype with 5 users (ages 25–37).
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Results
- 100% successfully booked flights, housing, and coworking
- Some confusion around homepage tabs and icons
- Users who followed the step-by-step flow completed tasks with ease

Iterations and Next Steps

Immediate Improvements
- Add a persistent progress banner to orient users
- Refine icon clarity and booking UI expectations
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Future Expansion
- Community hub for connecting with other nomads
- Resource center for new digital nomads
- Mobile-first designs for travel-on-the-go use

Takeaways

This project immersed me in the same fragmented journey digital nomads face every day. Designing Nomadic reinforced a key UX lesson: great experiences don’t add features—they remove friction.
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By centralizing research, booking, and trust signals into one clear flow, Nomadic helps users spend less time planning—and more time living the life they’re traveling for.