BACK

KLOOK

PRODUCT DESIGN

Simplifying international travel booking for U.S. users

ROLE

Product Designer

SCOPE

UI Redesign and Branding

TIMELINE

3 months

Feb - May 2024

SKILLS

User Research, Literature Review, Figma

CONTEXT

Klook is Asia’s leading travel and experiences platform with $1 billion in funding, $31 million platform views, and 32% market share. Klook offers seamless booking for attractions, tours, transportation, and other unique experiences across the globe.


This project focused on Klook’s expansion into the Western market, redesigning a platform initially designed for Asian consumer behaviors to better align with U.S. audiences, while preserving the brand’s core identity and business model.

TLDR

I redesigned the home page with a streamlined navigation system and product-based search to help users find relevant options faster and drive increased bookings.

THE PROBLEM

Too many products and little usability

With offerings spanning tours, transit, dining, and technology, the sheer volume of information presented at once made it difficult for users to quickly find relevant products.

Booking & Budgeting

Travel Preferences

Research & Recommendations

Tours & experiences

Day trips

Airport transfers

Hotels

Water sports

Cultural experiences

Booking & Budgeting

Travel Preferences

Research & Recommendations

WiFi & Sim Cards

Insurance

Car rentals

Attraction tickets

Cruises

Massages & spas

OBJECTIVES

My primary objective was to reduce friction throughout the user journey, guiding users seamlessly from discovery to booking. I focused on three points:

01

Research user preferences to surface and prioritize high-impact pain points

02

Simplify navigation to streamline the path from discovery to booking

03

Establish clear visual hierarchy to reduce cognitive overload

USER RESEARCH

I interviewed users across diverse age groups and travel experience levels to uncover key pain points in navigating Klook’s current website.

KEY INSIGHTS

Users felt overwhelmed by too many options and promotions, making it difficult to evaluate choices and trust the platform

Lack of clear, credible information prevented users from booking with confidence

Travelers favor intentional planning behaviors: booking in advance, relying on reviews, and creating itineraries

LITERATURE REVIEW

I reviewed studies on Western consumer behavior, cross-cultural UI/UX, and strategies for simplification and personalization.

KEY INSIGHTS

Western travelers prioritize simplicity, transparency, and personalized experiences when making travel decisions

Western UI reduces cognitive load through minimalism, while Eastern UI builds trust through depth, structure, and detail

Smart filters and AI-driven recommendations help users quickly narrow options and reduce decision fatigue

INITIAL IDEATION

Assessing crucial features

I focused on simplifying the home page, the primary entry point for users, to reduce visual clutter and minimize friction in both discovery and booking.

Low-fidelity wireframe

Travelers

Dates

Destination

Search

Log In

Sign up

Go to app

Your world of joy

Explore

For You

Weekly Ranking

Create Itinerary

Hotels

Transportation

1.

2.

3.

4.

Attractions

Technology

USD

01

02

03

04

05

06

Impact-feasibility matrix

04

High Impact

Low Impact

Low Feasibility

High

Feasibility

06

05

03

01

02

04

Products For You

03

Exploring Products

02

Search Bar

01

Nav Bar

05

Weekly Ranking

06

Create Itinerary

I prioritized iterating on the four key homepage features that offered the greatest balance of impact and feasibility, focusing on improvements that could meaningfully enhance user experience and without requiring extensive structural changes.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS

  1. Product-based search, organized for clarity

BEFORE

Two search bars with no structure

Despite having two search bars, users reported difficulty locating products. Because both search functions were unstructured and nearly identical in purpose, they added cognitive load instead of clarity.

ITERATIONS

I consolidated the two search bars into a single, more structured search experience. I refined the categorization and labeling of Klook’s diverse offerings to improve clarity. I experimented with visual hierarchy, such as font weight and shadow, to create a cleaner, more intuitive interface.

AFTER

In the final iteration, I introduced icons alongside each category to reinforce meaning at a glance. I intentionally removed the shadow behind the search bar to maintain Klook’s clean visual language. When a category is selected, orange and bolded text provide clear visual feedback. The search bar is also responds dynamically, updating input fields based on the selected category to guide users toward more relevant results.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS

  1. Intuitive, streamlined navigation

BEFORE

Two navigation bars

Redundant options

Vague wording

Having two navigation bars felt redundant and added unnecessary complexity. The labels Popular “Regions,” “Destinations,” and “Landmarks” were also vaguely defined, making it unclear how they differed from one another. This unclear structure made it harder for users to understand where to click and how to navigate the platform.

The dropdown menus are overcrowded with information, which makes it difficult for users to quickly find what they need.

AFTER

I chose to keep a single primary navigation bar at the top, as the secondary navigation contained too much information to be effectively organized within dropdown menus.

The previous dropdown structure limited exploration by requiring users to search through dense lists. By redesigning destinations as gallery-style cards, I created a visually driven browsing experience that encourages exploration and reduces cognitive effort.

I also redesigned the Popular Destinations section into a card-based gallery that showcases the same key destinations previously housed in the dropdown. By presenting them as weekly experiences, the design highlights the breadth of Klook’s offerings while making the content more engaging and easier to digest.

I streamlined the navigation by consolidating two nav bars into one and replacing text-heavy destination dropdowns with visual, gallery-style cards to create a clearer, exploration-driven browsing experience.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS

  1. Ensuring credibility

BEFORE

Previously, the site relied primarily on vague qualitative claims that highlighted platform features but did little to build trust or provide reassurance before purchase.

AFTER

I replaced vague claims with quantified impact metrics to build credibility and provide users with reassurance before committing to a purchase.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS

  1. Personalization

BEFORE

The homepage only highlights “Travelers’ Favorite” selections and does not offer personalized recommendations tailored to individual user preferences.

AFTER

After users complete onboarding and log in, the home page updates to show destinations tailored to their preferences. For returning users, the credibility metrics are reduced since trust has already been established.

FINAL DESIGN

From discovery to booking

The final home page integrates sections within a clear visual hierarchy and structured information architecture. Revenue-driving elements such as product offerings and deals are prioritized near the top to encourage engagement, while app and external promotions are positioned strategically to support client goals without disrupting user flow.

REFLECTION

Lessons & Next Steps

This project reinforced how strongly navigation and hierarchy influence user behavior. Designing for Western expansion required balancing trust, clarity, and discovery. It was rewarding to turn research into concrete UI changes that reduced friction in the booking journey. Moving forward, I hope to validate these decisions through usability testing and A/B experiments.

TAKE HOME POINTS

01. Hierarchy shapes decisions. Clear structure improves navigation confidence and efficiency.

02. Trust is contextual. New users need reassurance while returning users prioritize relevance.

03. Visual design supports exploration. Structured, scannable interfaces make exploration more intuitive.

Interview insights were synthesized through affinity mapping, clustering coded themes to reveal key patterns, motivations, and opportunity areas.

Our team conducted a literature review of 40+ studies on cross-cultural design, including insights from “The Culture Map” by Erin Meyer.