Project Overview
Explore Chongqing with Li is a boutique tour service specializing in highly personalized travel experiences. The business model is centered entirely on converting curious website visitors into qualified leads by encouraging them to book a one-on-one consultation with the founder, Li.
While the original self-built website had rich content, it failed to act as a professional sales tool. As the sole UX/UI Designer, my role was to overhaul the site to establish credibility and streamline the path to this single, crucial conversion goal. Both desktop and mobile phone.
DESIGN PROCESS
Research & Anaysis
Concept Design
Prototyping & Testing
RESEARCH & ANALYSIS
Research Summary
The original site suffered from critical UX issues that eroded user trust and created a confusing experience:
Problem A: Eroded Credibility: Inconsistent visual design, mixed typography, and poor mobile adaptation made the site look unprofessional, undermining trust in the premium service offered.
Problem B: Cognitive Overload: Tour options, pricing, and key logistics were hidden within dense, unstructured text paragraphs (see old site video clip). Users could not easily compare options, leading to frustration and bounce.
Problem C: Conversion Ambiguity: The site featured multiple, inconsistent, and confusing calls-to-action (CTAs) across its pages (e.g., "Chat," "Book consultation," "Let's CHAT"). This lack of a clear, primary path paralyzed users and killed conversion momentum.
The Goal
Redesign the website to enhance clarity, build user trust, and achieve a minimum 20% increase in qualified consultation bookings.
Concept Design
My approach was a streamlined application of the Double Diamond process, focusing heavily on research and definition to ensure the final design directly addressed validated pain points.
Discovery & Empathy
Stakeholder Interview & Business Goal Alignment: I conducted an in-depth interview with the founder, Li, to fully understand the service's unique value proposition and align the design direction with business outcomes. This confirmed that the primary goal was to get qualified users into a consultation call.
Content Audit & Heuristic Analysis: An analysis of the existing site content confirmed that the lack of a clear Information Architecture (IA) was the primary cause of user friction. The information was valuable, but inaccessible.
Competitive Analysis: I benchmarked against 10+ premium travel operators. The analysis revealed that industry leaders universally provide clear price transparency and prominent trust-building sections (e.g., expert guide bios, detailed policies) to mitigate risk before a user commits to a conversation.
Based on research, I developed two core user personas to guide my design decisions:
"Adventure Alex" (Decisive Traveler): Needs quick, scannable facts (price, duration, key highlights) to make a fast, informed decision and book a call.
"Planning Chloe" (Cautious Planner): Requires deep validation regarding logistics, policies, and the guide's professional credentials before feeling secure enough to schedule a high-commitment call.
Synthesized Strategy: Clarity is the Currency of Trust
The research proved that the user journey was not about finding information, but about processing it easily and trusting the source. The entire website was redefined as a single, high-trust funnel aimed at validating the user's choice and guiding them toward the primary CTA: The Consultation.
Prototyping & Testing
Result & Impack
Quantitative Results
Qualitative Impact
Stakeholder Feedback: The founder reported, "The booking process is much smoother, and clients now arrive on the call better informed and more excited. I spend less time on basic explanations and more time personalizing the itinerary."
User Feedback: Users consistently cited the clear tour cards, the professional guide bio, and client testimonials as key elements that gave them the confidence to book a consultation.
