We achieved profitability at Tourlane by scaling design maturity, reducing booking times, and improving conversion rates.

1.

Project
Overview

1.1

Context

  • Tourlane is a Berlin-based online travel agency offering bespoke, multi-stop trips to destinations like South Africa, Iceland, and Costa Rica.

  • As Head of Design, I led the product and brand design efforts across customer-facing platforms, internal tools, and marketing.

  • To elevate UX maturity, improve conversion rates, and reduce internal inefficiencies—all aligned with the company’s strategic goal of profitability.

1.2

Responsibilities

  • Managing a team of 9 Designers and scaling with strategic hires.

  • Launched a service blueprint, introduced user testing, transitioned the design system to Material Design 3, and led a full rebrand initiative.

  • Collaborated cross-functionally across squads and departments, embedding user-centered design into agile rituals and quarterly/annual planning.

1.3

Collaboration & Planning

  • Worked daily with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Sales, and Operations to align Customer Experience (CX) and Employee Experience (EX) journeys.

  • Led the design team’s transition from Sketch and Zeplin to Figma; supported company-wide collaboration using Miro, Jira, and Confluence.

  • 2-week sprints, quarterly OKR planning, fortnightly Town Halls, and participation in annual strategic roadmap planning.

2.

Challenges
& Constraints

2.1

External Challenges

  • The user journey ended prematurely after collecting email and phone numbers, failing to meet expectations and causing steep drop-offs.

  • Complex trips were planned manually using spreadsheets and emails, contributing to long booking cycles and high internal costs.

  • Tourlane lacked strong visual differentiation or a unified brand voice to build user trust.

2.2

Internal Challenges

  • No consistent user testing or research practices; stakeholders viewed UX as “UI polish” rather than a strategic partner.

  • Multiple internal component libraries, lacking accessibility and visual coherence, caused significant engineering overhead.

  • Marketing had limited design support, leading to burnout and inconsistent visual output.

2.3

Constraints

  • The CPTO and Head of Product both left within six months of my arrival, shifting strategy mid-stream.

  • Decisions were often reactive and data was interpreted prematurely; UX timelines were compressed to fit a performance marketing mindset.

  • Addressed legacy hiring decisions, including a difficult probation review and subsequent offboarding.

3.

Strategy
& Process

3.1

Strategic Foundations

  • Initiated and maintained a blueprint mapping both the customer and employee journeys, which was used as a strategic anchor across the business.

  • Introduced Lead roles for Customer and Employee Experience design, aligning teams to journey logic rather than functional silos.

  • Regularly presented research at Town Halls and executive strategy meetings, positioning design as a business-critical function.

3.2

Operational Improvements

  • Migrated the team to Figma and Material Design 3, standardising UI while reducing engineering maintenance burdens.

  • Created an open request process for testing via Slack; centralised research documentation on Confluence; gained adoption across Marketing, Finance, and beyond.

  • Introduced “Marketing Fridays” where product designers supported marketing initiatives, fostering a culture of teamwork and shared responsibility.

3.3

Product & Brand Evolution

  • User recordings and A/B testing were used to validate changes in signup logic, reducing drop-off and increasing user clarity.

  • Designed and validated itinerary customisation tools that increased engagement and purchase intent before users spoke to agents.

  • Reimagined Tourlane’s visual identity using accessible colour systems and a nod to its heritage green, laying the foundation for a full rebrand.

4.

Solution
& Implementation

4.1

Customer Experience (CX) Improvements

  • Enhanced the conversion funnel with tested call-to-actions, preview itineraries, and call-scheduling features.

  • Built and tested prototypes for user-driven itinerary customisation—prioritised as a top business OKR.

  • Created multiple customer journey archetypes to address diverse needs, expanding the product's reach and relevance.

4.2

Employee Experience (EX) & Operational Enhancements

  • Designed booking tools around supplier APIs to replace manual workflows—cutting booking time from 18 days to 4 days.

  • Mapped agent workflows to identify time loss and prioritise automation, informing OKRs and reducing cost per booking.

  • Mentored and promoted a Lead Designer in EX who deeply embedded design into operations and tools.

4.3

Organisational & Cultural Shifts

  • Shifted the company from NN/g maturity stage 2 to 4 through blueprinting, testing, and shared UX processes.

  • Finance and Marketing used testing to shape offerings (e.g., cancellation policy pricing), leading to new revenue streams.

  • Built a self-sustaining, high-trust design culture through structured feedback rituals, async collaboration, and peer mentorship.

5.

Outcomes
& Impact

5.1

Business Outcomes

Profitability

EBITA -positive

Tourlane reached full profitability in Q1 2024.

Lead Growth

600%

Monthly increase from 7,000 to 50,000.

Revenue Growth

50%

From €6.2M in Feb 2022 to €12.2M in Feb 2024.

5.2

Efficiency Gains

Time-to-Booking

78%

Booking time reduced from 18 days to 4 days within one month of launch.

Conversion Lift

3%

Reduced booking drop-off increased conversion by 3 percentage points.

New Revenue

€69k

Flexible cancellation policy tested and launched, earning €69k in two months.

5.3

Lasting Impact

  • This became core to planning across departments, including Finance.

  • User testing and journey mapping became expected, not exceptional.

  • Design became a trusted, collaborative partner, valued for clarity, consistency, and care.

6.

Project
Evidence

  • First Impact Results 

    Booking Time dropped from 18 to 4 days (–78%) with a 4% gain in Conversion Rate (CR4) proving the impact of faster, clearer workflows.

  • Improved Conversion Rate

    +17% conversation rate improvement after launch. Early data helped drive buy-in and confidence.

  • Booking Workflow Blueprint

    Mapped the legacy end-to-end booking process to surface handover delays, bottlenecks, and content gaps.

  • Payments & Comms Blueprint 

    Detailed flow of internal ops—from flight booking to finance—to identify automation and clarity opportunities.

  • Accommodation Booking

    Improved UX of room selection and pricing logic to minimise booking errors and reduce back-and-forth.

  • OKR Snapshot

    Exceeded multiple goals in Jan: agent cost-per-booking down, conversion rates up.

  • Pilot App Insights

    High engagement across platforms. Most users rated the app above 4.5, and interacted with chat and Customer Service features.

  • Customer Services Task Split

    71% of Customer Service time was pre-trip. This data helped prioritise features to reduce pre-departure inquiries and changes.

  • Funnel Drop-off View

    Drop-off analysis from Enquiry Experience helped target high-friction points like loading animations and unclear CTAs.

  • Budget Card A/B Tests

    Iterated multiple pricing card concepts—tested social proof, value anchors, and microcopy to improve confidence.

  • Wireframe Concepts

    Sketches explored trip customisation, edit flows, and map-first navigation—helping shape MVP structure.

  • Discovery Whiteboard

    Early whiteboard session unpacking flow variants, MVP ideas, and shared mental models across product and design.

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