Case study:
The Expert Traveller.
Leading a scalable search and discovery redesign for a content-heavy, trust-led platform.
The Challenge.
The Times Expert Traveller site contained a wealth of high-quality travel content, but its trip pages lacked clear structure, search and progression.
Users were spending significant time on pages while still exiting without taking action.
I was brought in to work alongside The Times’ design team to reimagine the trip pages end-to-end, ensuring:
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visual and behavioural consistency with the wider Times ecosystem,
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clear information hierarchy across long-form, content-heavy pages,
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a scalable template that could support multiple destinations and offers.
Design Strategy.
This work was framed not as a visual refresh, but as a discovery and decision-making problem.
Given that the majority of the project was delivered remotely, I prioritised tight collaboration and governance from the outset:
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led a discovery workshop to align on goals, constraints, timelines, and success criteria,
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established weekly cross-team check-ins,
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defined a clear sign-off and feedback process to ensure editorial, product, and design stakeholders remained aligned.
This approach avoided late-stage rework and ensured the final solution integrated seamlessly into The Times’ broader platform.
Research, Analysis & Recommendations.
High-level journey analysis.
I conducted a full UI and journey analysis of The Times website, deliberately avoiding a siloed view of the trip pages.
The goal was to ensure any redesign:
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respected existing brand and editorial patterns,
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supported users moving between articles, inspiration, and trip selection,
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fit naturally into a wider end-to-end journey.
I storyboarded key user journeys and touchpoints, mapping:
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entry points,
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decision moments,
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friction points and drop-offs.
This process surfaced:
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missing or weak search functionality,
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redundant steps within the journey,
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components that increased cognitive load without adding value,
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a lack of clear progression from browsing to decision.
Designing the New Experience.
Reducing cognitive load while increasing discoverability.
Landing page and templates.
I redesigned the trip landing page across devices and created a modular product page template that could be populated consistently across destinations and offers.
The original pages were information-dense and unclear in terms of actions.
I addressed this by:
Breaking down each component and reassessing its purpose,
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reducing information density,
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chunking content into clear, scannable sections,
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rebuilding components to emphasise the most decision-critical information.
Search as a First-class Capability.
Journey mapping identified search as a critical missing capability.
I designed:
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embedded search within the landing experience,
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a dedicated search results page to support deeper exploration.
This shifted the experience from passive browsing to intent-driven discovery, allowing users to actively filter and compare options.
Impact:
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Increased discoverability of relevant trips,
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Reduced frustration for goal-oriented users,
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Higher likelihood of users finding a suitable offer within fewer steps.
Pricing and Complex Content.
I led a full redesign of pricing tables, introducing:
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collapsible sections,
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dropdowns and carousels,
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progressive disclosure for large content blocks.
This made complex pricing information easier to scan and compare, while preserving depth for users who needed it.
Impact:
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reduced cognitive overload on long-form pages,
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increased confidence when comparing options,
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better alignment between reading and decision-making.
Addressing High Engagement but High Bounce.
Analytics showed high time-on-page paired with an unusually high bounce rate, indicating users were reading but not progressing.
To address this, I:
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analysed interaction patterns to identify where users stalled,
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introduced sticky navigation elements surfacing key information such as pricing,
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designed a persistent helper widget offering live chat or a structured email form.
These elements ensured support and the next steps were always visible, particularly on long pages.
The Solution.
The final solution delivered:
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a clearer site architecture for trip discovery,
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consistent, scalable templates aligned with The Times’ brand system,
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improved search and filtering capabilities,
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support mechanisms integrated directly into the journey.
As a result:
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users could more easily find, understand, and compare trips,
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high engagement translated into clearer progression,
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bounce caused by uncertainty or overwhelm was reduced,
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the trip's experience aligned more closely with the quality and trust of The Times’ editorial content.