Designing the Ember Escapes Travel App Interface
Deepak Saini
Ember Escapes
Ember Escapes is a hotel booking app that lets travellers manage their entire trip from one place — book hotels, pre-order meals, arrange transport, and discover local experiences with ease.
4 min read
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Jun 18, 2025
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Ember Escapes — Your journey begins here
Introduction
Ember Escapes is a mobile-first travel app designed for people who seek more than just city tours and resort vacations. It’s a platform that helps users discover hidden nature escapes, plan trips, and reconnect with the outdoors — all in a seamless and visually immersive interface.
Role: Solo UI/UX Designer
Tools: Figma, Notion, Photoshop
Timeline: 3 weeks
The Problem
In today’s hyperconnected world, planning a peaceful escape into nature is ironically a chaotic digital process. Between digging through blogs, asking friends, switching between maps and booking sites, and not knowing what’s truly “hidden” anymore, the modern adventurer has a tough time escaping efficiently.
Design Process
Target Audience
1. Casual Travelers People who occasionally plan vacations and prefer an easy, all-in-one app to manage bookings and travel logistics.
2. Young Professionals Busy individuals looking for quick, seamless getaways with minimal planning effort.
3. Families & Small Groups Users traveling with others who need to coordinate hotel stays, meals, and transport efficiently.
User Research
To understand the travel planning journey, I conducted surveys and informal interviews with 12 users aged 20–40. Most users expressed frustration with using multiple apps for different needs like hotel booking, food, and transport. Key insights included:
Users wanted a centralised platform for all travel-related tasks. Pre-ordering meals and arranging transport to hotels were seen as valuable but often overlooked features. A clean, easy-to-use interface was highly preferred, especially for last-minute planners. Many travellers wanted to explore local attractions easily without digging through multiple websites. These insights directly informed the features and flow of Ember Escapes.
Competitive Analysis
To position Ember Escapes effectively, I analyzed three popular travel apps: MakeMyTrip, Booking.com, and Airbnb. While all of them offer hotel bookings and some extra services, none of them bring all travel essentials — like pre-ordering meals, arranging local transport, and discovering attractions — into a single unified experience.
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Unique Features
Pre-order Meals Users can choose and schedule meals before arriving at the hotel — reducing wait times and enhancing convenience.
Integrated Local Transport Booking Arrange airport pickups or local cabs directly from the app, synced with hotel check-in and travel plans.
Explore Nearby Attractions with Ease Personalized recommendations for must-visit spots around the booked hotel, curated by location and traveler type.
All-in-One Trip Planner Unlike other platforms, Ember Escapes merges. hotel booking, meals, transport, and experiences into one streamlined journey.
Seamless UI Experience A minimal, modern interface designed for both new and experienced travelers to navigate with ease.
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User Pain Points for Ember Escapes
Overwhelmed by Research Users spend too much time browsing multiple sites, reels, and blogs just to find one decent weekend plan. There’s no single, trusted source for curated, nature-focused trips. Too Many Options, Not Enough Relevance Generic travel platforms offer city tours, luxury resorts, or over-commercialised packages — not the serene, offbeat nature experiences the user actually wants. Lack of Local Discovery Tools Users want to explore hidden gems near their city but struggle to find reliable, up-to-date information on how to reach them or what to expect there. Unclear or Confusing Booking Experience The trip planning process often feels like a puzzle — separate bookings for stays, transport, and activities lead to drop-offs or missed opportunities. Social Planning Is Draining Coordinating with friends, handling different preferences, and managing shared bookings adds a layer of stress to what’s supposed to be a relaxing escape. Safety & Trust Concerns Nature trips often involve remote areas. Users are unsure about phone connectivity, emergency support, or how trustworthy the place is. No Personalization Most platforms don’t adapt to users’ past preferences, budgets, or natural interests (like forest camping vs. stargazing). Lack of Visual Context Users crave visual-first exploration (maps, reels, galleries), but most booking apps are text-heavy and uninspiring.
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User Journey Map
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Wireframes
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Design System
Booling Screens
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Posted May 14, 2026
Designed a travel app interface for streamlined trip planning and local discovery.
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