VISTANA
VACATION OWNERSHIP
MOBILE APP
This app is all about adapting to the three key stages of a member’s journey: planning, pre-arrival, and on-property experiences. It’s like having a personal travel concierge in your pocket (minus the tip). The prototype is packed with immersive details, showcasing my design thinking approach and giving you a sneak peek into how I tackle complex product challenges.
Feel free to check out the production version on
The App Store
Overview
For Vistana Signature Experiences, I was tasked with developing a customer-facing app experience that allowed members to explore properties and prepare for bookings made outside the app. Collaborating with senior business leaders, developers, product owners, and creative directors, I led the strategy discussions and created a customer journey map outlining the app’s three key phases.
Goal
The desired outcome was to boost member engagement by enabling property research within the app, with redirection to an external booking engine. Additional features allowed users to pre-book dining and activities. Once on-site, the app functioned as a map, concierge, and reminder tool to enhance the resort experience. This project led to a 25% increase in app downloads and on-property usage within 6 months.
Key App Experience Phases
User Flow Diagram
The user flow diagram offered a high-level overview of how our owners would interact with the app's content and features. It was instrumental in aligning all teams—business stakeholders, developers, and UX designers—by providing a clearer understanding of the information architecture and navigational strategy. The final product closely followed this blueprint, highlighting the early value of both IA and UX strategy in the project's success. The dev team was also able to create their own version of the back-end flows and and functionality which helped with early estimates.
Personas
Working with our marketing team along with our member analytics we created the following personas. Understanding who our customers are allows us to design software that genuinely solves their problems and fits seamlessly into their lives. Personas help by encapsulating user goals, frustrations, and motivations, guiding our design decisions to create intuitive and impactful experiences.
Persona 1: "The Family-Oriented Planner"
Background: Sarah is a busy mom of two pre-teens, married to her high school sweetheart, Michael. She balances her demanding career with managing her household and prioritizing family time. Vacations are a cherished way for Sarah to reconnect with her family, create lasting memories, and take a break from her busy life. She is tech-savvy, often using apps to organize schedules, and prefers tools that save her time and reduce stress.
Goals:
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Plan vacations that cater to her family’s diverse interests.
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Discover family-friendly activities and accommodations.
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Book a trip to one of the many destinations available via their Vistana membership.
Frustrations:
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Limited time to research vacation options.
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Difficulty finding activities that appeal to both kids and adults.
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Overwhelmed by too many planning tools and options.
Motivations:
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Ensuring her kids have enriching and fun experiences.
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Efficiently planning their ownership based vacation.
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Staying organized with minimal effort.
Sarah Thompson
Age: 42
Income: $120,000/year
Occupation: Marketing Director
Location: Austin, Texas
Mark Peterson
Age: 55
Income: $150,000/year
Occupation: IT Consultant (semi-retired)
Location: Denver, Colorado
Persona 2: "The Adventurous Empty Nester"
Background: Mark is recently semi-retired, with his two children now in college. He and his wife, Karen, have more free time and disposable income to explore destinations they’ve always dreamed of. Mark is drawn to adventure and enjoys planning trips that mix luxury with unique, off-the-beaten-path experiences. He values flexibility and dislikes feeling locked into rigid schedules.
Goals:
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Explore new cultures and locations with Karen.
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Find customizable itineraries that blend relaxation with adventure.
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Invest in experiences that feel meaningful and memorable.
Frustrations:
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Complicated booking processes for multi-destination trips.
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Limited options for combining adventure with upscale accommodations.
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Generic recommendations that don’t match his specific interests.
Motivations:
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Checking off bucket-list destinations.
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Creating shared memories with Karen as they embark on a new phase of life.
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Staying active and engaged with exciting activities.
Persona 3: "The Self-Made Solo Explorer"
Background: Olivia is a single professional who loves using her hard-earned income to travel the world on her terms. She thrives on independence and seeks vacations where she can relax, recharge, and indulge in self-care. Olivia enjoys exploring culinary delights, luxury spas, and cultural experiences. She often uses social media to document her trips and share recommendations with friends and followers.
Goals:
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Discover destinations that offer relaxation and luxury.
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Have seamless, solo-friendly vacation planning tools.
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Find activities that align with her personal interests (e.g., wellness, art, and fine dining).
Frustrations:
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Lack of personalized recommendations for solo travelers.
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Overly complex planning processes.
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Limited options for balancing solo travel with opportunities to meet like-minded people.
Motivations:
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Rewarding herself for her hard work.
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Experiencing personal growth through travel.
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Sharing her adventures as inspiration for others.
Olivia Rivera
Age: 37
Income: $100,000/year
Occupation: Financial Analyst
Location: San Francisco, California
Customer Experience Journey Map
The user flow diagram offered a high-level overview of how our owners would interact with the app's content and features. It was instrumental in aligning all teams—business stakeholders, developers, and UX designers—by providing a clearer understanding of the information architecture and navigational strategy. The final product closely followed this blueprint, highlighting the early value of both IA and UX strategy in the project's success. The dev team was also able to create their own version of the back-end flows and and functionality which helped with early estimates.
App Sketches
Wireframes
Using Axure RP, I transformed initial sketches into low-fidelity wireframes, serving as the foundation for designing and developing user functionality and app behaviour. This prototype became the primary reference for both the UI design team, guiding them in creating branding and visual mockups, and the iOS and Android developers, providing a clear blueprint for implementation. It includes the following content areas
My Axure prototype wasn’t just a mockup—it was a roadmap. It clarified features, layouts, and interactions, giving the team a crystal-clear vision to build a top-notch travel planning app.
Vistana App Final Mockup Screens
Looking at the final artwork with its branded colors and styles, I was very proud of the months of work that went into the product vision, strategy, and customer user experience. This app is now being white-labelled for Marriott Vacation Club, Sheraton Vacation Club, and Westin Vacation Club. It can be found and downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Learnings
I’m incredibly proud of this project because it’s a true reflection of my design process and strategic mindset in bringing a digital product to life. Not only did we successfully launch the app on budget, but it’s also been embraced by hundreds of thousands of MVW members, helping to enhance their vacation experience no matter where they are in their vacation booking journey.
Next Steps
I would have loved the opportunity to integrate the booking functionality into the app, giving members a seamless way to complete their entire vacation experience within one platform.
