Back
Transforming the digital experience of an industry-leading river cruising company
Visit live site
Date
2024-2025
Industry
Travel
Type
Digital Transformation
Skills
Experience Strategy
Experience Design
User Research
Team
James Roope
Nathan Connor
Back
Transforming the digital experience of an industry-leading river cruising company
Visit live site
Date
2024-2025
Industry
Travel
Type
Digital Transformation
Skills
Experience Strategy
Experience Design
User Research
Team
James Roope
Nathan Connor
Overview
AmaWaterways is a luxury river cruise line offering 60+ itineraries across 20+ countries. This project reimagined the digital experience to support the company’s shift towards direct-to-consumer growth, spanning discovery, consideration, and booking.
The challenge
The challenge was to create a direct consumer-facing digital experience that reflects AmaWaterways' new brand positioning and luxury in-person experience, while balancing customer needs, technical constraints and the complexity of supporting an inventory of 60+ cruises.
Results
Phase 1 launched in early 2026, creating a more scalable and user-centred platform designed to better support inspiration, comparison, and direct bookings. Redesigned booking flow and additional enhancements including across guest account and pre-cruise management will be launched in Phase 2.
My role
Senior Experience Designer, Ied the Discovery and Definition phases of the project, shaping the experience strategy, research activities, requirements, and UX direction through to development handover.
Overview
AmaWaterways is a luxury river cruise line offering 60+ itineraries across 20+ countries. This project reimagined the digital experience to support the company’s shift towards direct-to-consumer growth, spanning discovery, consideration, and booking.
The challenge
The challenge was to create a direct consumer-facing digital experience that reflects AmaWaterways' new brand positioning and luxury in-person experience, while balancing customer needs, technical constraints and the complexity of supporting an inventory of 60+ cruises.
Results
Phase 1 launched in early 2026, creating a more scalable and user-centred platform designed to better support inspiration, comparison, and direct bookings. Redesigned booking flow and additional enhancements including across guest account and pre-cruise management will be launched in Phase 2.
My role
Senior Experience Designer, Ied the Discovery and Definition phases of the project, shaping the experience strategy, research activities, requirements, and UX direction through to development handover.
Understanding how the direct consumer behaves and shops
We began the project by gaining an better understanding of the D2C users through primary and secondary research, which revealed that guests' motivations for choosing AmaWaterways went beyond the destination themselves. They were looking for an easy, reassuring experience that allowed them to relax, feel well looked after and spend quality time with their travel companions. Yet the existing site focused heavily on the functional, leaving these emotional needs largely unaddressed.
Understanding how the direct consumer behaves and shops
We began the project by gaining an better understanding of the D2C users through primary and secondary research, which revealed that guests' motivations for choosing AmaWaterways went beyond the destination themselves. They were looking for an easy, reassuring experience that allowed them to relax, feel well looked after and spend quality time with their travel companions. Yet the existing site focused heavily on the functional, leaving these emotional needs largely unaddressed.
Insights from customer interviews and usability testing was used to shape proto-personas and user journeys,
Key insight
For many guests, the appeal of AmaWaterways went beyond the itineraries. They valued comfort, reassurance and quality time together, but the existing site did little to communicate these emotional benefits.
Understanding behaviour through data
Analysis of website data revealed key drop-off points and paths to conversion. Combining quantitative and qualitative research gave us a fuller picture of how users were behaving and thinking, and uncovered unmet needs and opportunities.
Understanding behaviour through data
Analysis of website data revealed key drop-off points and paths to conversion. Combining quantitative and qualitative research gave us a fuller picture of how users were behaving and thinking, and uncovered unmet needs and opportunities.
A high level journey showing key problem areas on the existing site.
Gathering and prioritising business, user and functional requirements
Working alongside the business analyst and clients, user and business requirements were captured and prioritised, taking into considerations impact to user, impact to business and technical constraints.
Gathering and prioritising business, user and functional requirements
Working alongside the business analyst and clients, user and business requirements were captured and prioritised, taking into considerations impact to user, impact to business and technical constraints.
All requirements were captured and prioritised in a requirements list, which was used to plan design sprints.
Defining the new site structure and user journeys
Insights shaped the new journeys addressing the needs of both first-time user and returning user, taking into account how a user might move from dream phase through to completing booking online and preparing for their cruise.
A new sitemap and information architecture was defined for better product discoverability, page hierarchy and future scalability.
Experience principles were also created to ensure design decisions are grounded in UX rationale.
Defining the new site structure and user journeys
Insights shaped the new journeys addressing the needs of both first-time user and returning user, taking into account how a user might move from dream phase through to completing booking online and preparing for their cruise.
A new sitemap and information architecture was defined for better product discoverability, page hierarchy and future scalability.
Experience principles were also created to ensure design decisions are grounded in UX rationale.
A high level core user journey outlining key features and functionalities identified as 'high impact'.
The new site structure aimed to provide clarity while accounting for future scalability.
The solution
The new experience needed to balance inspiration with reassurance, helping travellers who are new to the category understand the appeal, while building the confidence required to make a considered, high-value purchase.
Designing a search experience that aligns with user mental models
Data showed that 15% of visitors dropped off after navigating from the homepage to the cruise search results page, with many bouncing back and forth - highlighting friction in the cruise search experience.
We designed a simplified search tool that offers a simple but flexible 'Where' and 'Where' starting point, capturing the two criterias that matter the most to users for targetted cruise searches.
Designing a search experience that aligns with user mental models
Data showed that 15% of visitors dropped off after navigating from the homepage to the cruise search results page, with many bouncing back and forth - highlighting friction in the cruise search experience.
We designed a simplified search tool that offers a simple but flexible 'Where' and 'Where' starting point, capturing the two criterias that matter the most to users for targetted cruise searches.
Play video
Prototype of the proposed Cruise Finder, simplified to prioritise 'Where' and 'When' fields.
Making it easy to filter through a large catalogue
Comparing similar cruises across a large catalogue was difficult and confusing. The redesigned listing page makes comparison easier by surfacing key information that. matters most on cruise cards and providing new interest-based filters to help uses progressively narrow down options with confidence.
Making it easy to filter through a large catalogue
Comparing similar cruises across a large catalogue was difficult and confusing. The redesigned listing page makes comparison easier by surfacing key information that. matters most on cruise cards and providing new interest-based filters to help uses progressively narrow down options with confidence.
Play video
Prototype of the proposed cruise results page and filtering system that enalbes the user to easily filter down options.
A Product Detail Page that balances conversion with inspiration
The new brand positioning placed great emphasis on the emotional qualities of river cruising that guests consistently value most. To support this shift, the redesigned PDP balances practical planning information with richer editorial storytelling, helping users understand what makes the experience uniquely AmaWaterways.
A Product Detail Page that balances conversion with inspiration
The new brand positioning placed great emphasis on the emotional qualities of river cruising that guests consistently value most. To support this shift, the redesigned PDP balances practical planning information with richer editorial storytelling, helping users understand what makes the experience uniquely AmaWaterways.
Play video
The new PDP brings to life the day-by-day itinerary without causing overwhelm.
Building confidence before booking
Crutial details such as stateroom category specifications, ship features and deck plans were hard to access from the existing PDP, creating uncertainty at critical decision-making moments.
To address this, we made sure important information is easily accessible, applying progressive disclosure to ensure clarity without overwhelm. The redesigned experience helps guests build confidence before entering the booking flow, reducing the need to leave their journey to continue researching.
Building confidence before booking
Crutial details such as stateroom category specifications, ship features and deck plans were hard to access from the existing PDP, creating uncertainty at critical decision-making moments.
To address this, we made sure important information is easily accessible, applying progressive disclosure to ensure clarity without overwhelm. The redesigned experience helps guests build confidence before entering the booking flow, reducing the need to leave their journey to continue researching.
Play video
The new Dates & Prices component enables the user to check important details like stateroom categories specs before entering the booking flow.
A redesigned booking flow
The existing booking engine failed to efficiently serve high-intent users, resulting in a high drop-off rate. The redesigned experience* informed by user insights aimed to make decisions more manageable by breaking them into smaller and clearer steps. New functionalities that address common booking scenarios will be introduced.
*To be launched. Designs available upon request.
A redesigned booking flow
The existing booking engine failed to efficiently serve high-intent users, resulting in a high drop-off rate. The redesigned experience* informed by user insights aimed to make decisions more manageable by breaking them into smaller and clearer steps. New functionalities that address common booking scenarios will be introduced.
*To be launched. Designs available upon request.
Confidential designs
Redesigned booking flow and additional enhancements including across guest account and pre-cruise management will be launched in Phase 2.
Please get in touch to view designs.
Designing for seamless handover
A modular design system and detailed functional specifications were developed to ensure all UX thinking was well documented before files were handed over to AmaWaterways' internal design team and their development partner.
Designing for seamless handover
A modular design system and detailed functional specifications were developed to ensure all UX thinking was well documented before files were handed over to AmaWaterways' internal design team and their development partner.
Componentised module library and specifications documenting the purpose and functionalities of every module.
