Cruise Genie - Mobile APP Design

Role

Product Designer

Client

Global Ports Holding

Tools

Figma

The Product

Cruise travel presents unique operational and design challenges: travelers move between multiple ports with strictly limited shore time, fragmented schedules, and unpredictable cellular connectivity. Working closely with the Product team, we analyzed core business priorities to transform Cruise Genie from a basic search tool into a structured, personalized travel companion.

Deliverables: End-to-End iOS & Android App Redesign, Travel Design System, Algorithmic Recommendation Flow, Offline Port Guides

Key Features: Cruise & City Plans Hub, "Create Your Adventure" Custom Engine, Essential Port Info (Emergency, Currency, Weather, Local Points)

1. Context & Business Impact

Cruise travel presents unique operational and design challenges: travelers move between multiple ports with strictly limited shore time, fragmented schedules, and unpredictable cellular connectivity. Working closely with the Product team, we analyzed core business priorities to transform Cruise Genie from a basic search tool into a structured, personalized travel companion.

Core Business & Product Goals
- Dwell Time & Friction Reduction: Eliminate decision fatigue at ports by surfacing tailored local attractions and excursions instantly.
- Smart Preference-Based Curation: Leverage deterministic algorithmic filtering to deliver hyper-relevant suggestions based on user experience levels and interest categories.
- Unified Travel Planning: Consolidate cruise bookings, port itineraries, offline maps, and critical emergency/local data in a single mobile experience.

2. Core UX Innovations & Key Features

-Centralized "Plans" Hub (Your Cruises & Your Cities)

Designed a clean information architecture featuring a dual-layer dashboard:

Your Cruises: Easily track active cruise bookings, sailing dates, and vessel details (e.g., MSC Girandosa).
Your Cities: A dedicated space listing upcoming ports of call along the cruise route, providing quick access to city-specific guides, top-rated attractions, and curated tours.

-"Create Your Adventure" Algorithmic Engine

Instead of generic, static recommendations, I designed a interactive filtering overlay that shapes the user's itinerary based on two key parameters:

Familiarity Level: Distinguishes between first-time visitors ("Never - See more top attractions") and returning travelers ("Yes, I have - Feel like a local").
Interest Mapping: Categorized selection options including Top Attractions, History & Landmarks, Museums, Art, Hidden Gems, and Outdoor activities.
Result: The app executes custom rules to filter out unwanted spots and surface highly personalized routes.

-Contextual "Port Info" & Local Survival Kit

When exploring a specific port screen (e.g., Porto / Port Info), the UI prioritizes essential real-time and offline data:

Quick-Access Widgets: Local Weather (Sunny 30°), Emergency Numbers (911), Local Currency (Euro), and Local Time (09:18).
Essential Utility Hub: Dedicated action chips for Getting Around, Local Cuisine, Shopping, and Emergency Services.

3. Tech Constraints & Strategic UX Trade-offs

Rule-Based Algorithmic Engine (Pre-Generative AI Era):
- Context: Designed prior to LLM/Generative AI integration; recommendations relied on structured database tags and user-selected filters.
- UX Solution: Built a robust, predictable filtering system ("Create Your Adventure") that offered deterministic, high-accuracy recommendations without latency or hallucination risks.
Offline Connectivity at Sea & International Ports:
- Constraint: High international roaming fees and low cellular connectivity while docked or at sea.
- UX Solution: Implemented an "Offline-First" Data Architecture. Key city information, offline maps, emergency contacts, and booked tour vouchers automatically cache locally when connected to ship Wi-Fi.

4. Scalable Mobile Design System & UI

High-Contrast Outdoor Readability: Since users view the app under bright daylight while touring ports, the UI utilizes bold typography, high-contrast visual tokens, and distinct card elevations.
Multi-Brand & Platform Adaptability: Created a flexible Figma component library compliant with iOS and Android native guidelines, featuring clean bottom tab navigation (Plans, Tours & Tickets, Information, Account).
Motion UX & Micro-Interactions: Designed smooth bottom-sheet transitions for the adventure filter modal and subtle visual feedback on action buttons.

5. Key Outcomes

📈 +40% Increase in App Engagement: The streamlined UI architecture, paired with contextual in-app promotions and banner placements, drove a 40% increase in overall app usage throughout cruise journeys.
🎟️ +22% Higher Excursion Conversions: Redesigned booking flows and optimized checkout steps significantly reduced friction, resulting in a 22% increase in shore tour and ticket purchases.
⚡ Sub-30s Port Discovery: The "Create Your Adventure" filter and consolidated port guides enabled travelers to find relevant, persona-aligned shore activities in under 30 seconds.
🛡️ Enhanced On-Ground Confidence: Centralizing essential offline port data (emergency numbers, local weather, currency, and transportation) significantly lowered user anxiety and support inquiries in unfamiliar foreign ports.

Download the APP on the App Store