Case Study — 2025
Case Study

Orbit
group travel,
finally together.

Orbit replaces scattered group chats, spreadsheets, and split apps with one collaborative planning system that adapts to everyone's level of involvement.

Role
Product Designer
Timeline
10 weeks · 2025
Platform
iOS · Mobile App
Tools
Figma · Research · Prototyping
Scroll
67%
of vacationers report stress from information overload when planning — paralyzed by too many choices (Wyndham Hotels, 2017)
89%
of leisure travelers worldwide experience frustration when planning a trip online (Amadeus & Microsoft, 2023)
67%
of travelers have argued with a companion due to stress caused by trip planning (Wyndham Hotels, 2017)
76%
of global travelers want apps that reduce the friction and stress of travel (Hilton, 2024)
Problem & Research

Why group travel
breaks down

Groups bounce between WhatsApp, Google Docs, Splitwise, and Notes — losing context at every handoff. Orbit was designed to collapse all of that into one adaptive system.

📱

Fragmented tools

Groups bounce between WhatsApp, Google Docs, Splitwise, Pinterest, and Notes — context is constantly lost and no single person has the full picture.

🎯

Participation imbalance

1–2 "Type A" planners carry all the cognitive load while the rest of the group stays passive — contributing nothing but also complaining about everything.

🌀

Decision paralysis

Every group has an endless "where should we eat?" thread. Without structured decision-making, simple choices consume hours of back-and-forth.

💸

Money awkwardness

Tracking who owes who requires a separate app and a separate conversation. Expenses that aren't logged immediately are often forgotten or disputed.

48%

of travelers say a ready-made vacation itinerary would meaningfully reduce their stress. The problem isn't desire — it's coordination overhead. Orbit addresses this directly by reducing planning friction for every role in the group. (Wyndham Hotels, 2017)

Personas & UX Strategy

Not all travelers
plan the same way

Orbit doesn't treat all users the same. The system dynamically adapts its UI depth and task surface to three distinct engagement modes — without requiring anyone to configure their role.

🗂️

The Planner

Organizer · High engagement

Loves control and organization. Already uses spreadsheets, Google Docs, and multiple apps simultaneously. Frustrated that no one else contributes in a meaningful way.

"I end up doing everything myself, and somehow I'm still the bad guy when something goes wrong."
🌊

The Passive Friend

Viewer · Low engagement

Doesn't want to plan — just wants updates and the ability to vote on key decisions. Gets overwhelmed by walls of information and disappears from group chats.

"I trust everyone's judgment, just tell me where to be and when."
🌀

The Chaotic Contributor

Contributor · Burst engagement

Sends TikTok videos, random restaurant links, and spontaneous ideas at all hours. Enthusiastic but disorganized — their contributions get lost in the noise.

"I found this amazing place and now nobody can find where I posted it."

Role-adaptive UI strategy

Organizer sees
  • Full itinerary controls
  • Task assignment panel
  • Group completion status
  • Expense management
Viewer sees
  • Trip summary card
  • Active polls to vote
  • My tasks only
  • My expense balance
Contributor sees
  • Idea board (primary CTA)
  • Convert idea → poll
  • Voting access
  • Comment on items
User Journey Map

Following Maya
through the chaos

Mapped through the eyes of Maya, The Planner — organizing a 5-day group trip to Mexico City with 6 friends.

Stage Actions Thoughts Emotions Pain points Orbit opportunity
🌱 Ideation Creates group chat, shares links, collects date availability "This is exciting! Maybe we can actually do this."
Excited → optimistic
Links get buriedNo when2meet Trip creation flowDate polling
🗳️ Decision making Proposes hotel options, waits for group input, makes unilateral choices "Why am I the only one responding? Just pick something!"
Frustrated → resigned
No structureSilent group Voting deadlinesPush nudges
📋 Planning Builds Google Sheet itinerary, creates Splitwise group, sends doc link "I need to do this across 4 apps. There has to be a better way."
Overwhelmed → determined
4 separate appsNo one updates Itinerary builderTask delegation
✈️ During trip Referencing notes, settling payments, sharing photos "Where did I save that restaurant? Was it the spreadsheet or the chat?"
Happy but distracted
Info scatteredSlow expense log Quick-add expenseShared album
🏡 Post-trip Calculates expenses, sends Venmo requests, exports photos "I'm still settling money two weeks later. Classic."
Drained → relieved
Manual mathAwkward asks Settlement summaryMemory hub
Interactive Prototype

Try it yourself

Click through the five core screens of Orbit. Each represents a distinct UX surface solving a specific planning pain point.

9:41
📶🔋

Home

+
🌆
✈️ Trip
Summer in Barcelona
Jul 9 – Jul 15
Barcelona, Spain
M
J
R
🌴
✈️ Trip
Bali Retreat
Sep 4 – Sep 11
Bali, Indonesia
A
S
K
🗳️
Poll Due Soon!
Confirm Hotel Booking
Due Tomorrow
💲
Expense Alert!
You owe $30
Due Mar 03
9:41
📶🔋
Mexico City · Mar 14–19

Itinerary

+
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Friday, March 14

5 activities planned
☀️
☕ Food
Breakfast at Mercado de Medellín
Colonia Roma Norte · 5 min walk
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
🏛 Culture
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Historic Centre · Booked ✓
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
🌮 Lunch
El Hidalguense
Barbacoa · Group favorite · Voted ✓
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
🖼 Art
Museo Frida Kahlo
Coyoacán · Tickets pending
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
🍹 Night
Bar El Centenario
Mezcal bar · Rosa's pick
8:00 PM onwards
9:41
📶🔋

Vote

3 open
Where should we eat on Day 2?
Deadline: Tonight 11:59 PM · 4 of 6 voted
🌮

Contramar

Seafood · Roma Norte · $$$
65%
🥩

El Cardenal

Traditional Mexican · Historic Centre · $$
22%
🍜

Sud 777

Modern Mexican · Pedregal · $$$$
13%

Tap a card or vote below:

9:41
📶🔋

Ideas

+
All (12)
🍽 Food
🎯 Activities
🏨 Stay
🌙 Nightlife
🍽
Pujol
Saved by Jamie
Food
🏛
Lucha Libre
Alex · TikTok
Activity
🥂
Rooftop Condesa
Saved by Rosa
Food
🎶
M.N. Roy Jazz
Maya · Insta
Nightlife
🎨
Street art Tepito
Saved by Rosa
Activity
🏡
Casa Coyoacán
Jamie · $240/n
Stay
9:41
📶🔋

Expenses

+
Total tracked
$1,248
$208 per person
M
Maya
+$42
J
Jamie
-$18
R
Rosa
+$60
A
Alex
-$30
🏡
Airbnb — 5 nights
Paid by Alex · Split 6 ways
$720
$120 ea.
✈️
Airport transfers
Paid by Rosa · Split 6 ways
$108
$18 ea.
🍽
El Hidalguense
Paid by Maya · Split 6 ways
$252
$42 ea.
Reflection

What I learned
building Orbit

Group dynamics are a design surface. Every friction point I found in research — the silent group member, the overloaded planner, the idea that never got seen — turned out to be a structural problem, not a personality one. Orbit taught me that the best UX decision isn't always a prettier screen. Sometimes it's the right nudge at the right moment for the right person.

Design insight
Adapt to the person, not the task
Designing three different UX modes for the same underlying data was the most challenging and most rewarding decision. It forced clarity about what each user type actually needs to see — and what's just noise for them.
Research insight
Friction is social, not technical
Users weren't frustrated by bad apps — they were frustrated by group dynamics that bad apps made worse. The real design problem was reducing social friction: making it easy to participate without confrontation, delegate without guilt, and decide without resentment.
Product insight
The planner deserves relief
Every feature in Orbit can be traced back to one user: the person who organizes everything and gets thanked least. Designing specifically for their relief — not just their efficiency — reframed how I thought about every screen.