Hotwire

UX Designer

Hotwire, the last-minute online travel agency owned by Expedia Group, was focusing on creating clear, strategically-placed messaging across multiple channels to build user confidence in app-based bookings while driving repeat usage through education about exclusive perks and savings opportunities.

As a UX Designer at Hotwire (Expedia Group), I led strategic design efforts to increase app adoption and user retention. The initiative aimed to drive app-based transactions from 38% to 50% of total bookings by highlighting app-exclusive value propositions and improving the user experience.

• Led end-to-end design strategy for cross-channel engagement initiatives targeting increased app downloads and user retention

• Conducted user journey mapping and competitive analysis to identify strategic touchpoints for promoting app value propositions

• Largely contributed to a cohesive visual system that effectively communicated app-exclusive benefits while maintaining brand consistency

• Created high-fidelity mockups and campaign materials focused on educating users about app savings and booking options

• Collaborated across UX, Development, Marketing, and Content teams to optimize and validate design solutions

8 Core Members / 20 Cross-Team Members

1 year (1 campaign/month)

Hotwire offers a unique value proposition: luxury hotel stays at deeply discounted rates, with a catch - hotel names are revealed only after booking. This model helps high-end hotels discreetly fill unsold rooms while offering customers significant savings, specifically through app-exclusive pricing.

Despite the compelling offering, user research revealed a critical gap: many customers didn't fully grasp how to maximize these benefits, leading to hesitation and lost bookings. The time-sensitive nature of last-minute travel made this particularly problematic, as users would often abandon Hotwire for more conventional booking platforms rather than invest time understanding the unique model.

To address this, Hotwire launched an Engagement Design initiative focused on rapid user education and trust-building across all channels.

The primary goal was to increase app-based transactions from 38% to 50% by strategically incorporating educational elements that would quickly convey value and build booking confidence. Beyond immediate conversions, the initiative aimed to transform educated users into loyal, repeat customers who fully understood and appreciated Hotwire's unique offering.

This project series targeted 3 user groups - first-time, occasional, and repeat users.

• First-time: arrive through an ad, link, or own research; quickly see an educational design placement driving to the app store, download app prior to completing their booking to get a better deal

• Occasional: previously used the site, satisfied enough to return; may be browsing or arrived through marketing links - will benefit from educational designs, driving app download

• Repeat: current app users; encourage further education on perks + savings to help with retention

• Create one app education/engagement campaign per project; assessing success on a rolling basis and allowing time for A/B testing.

• Challenge: Design placement size - many design placements were small mobile web pop-ups, in-app banners, etc. that needed to contain enough context to effectively communicate the Hotwire app’s value props.

• The initiative needed to work within an uncertain timeline due to a pending UX/UI rebrand, creating tension between implementing immediate improvements and potentially conflicting with future brand changes

• Significant creative freedom to experiment with designs and experiences, but the scope explicitly excluded a full redesign - all solutions needed to fit within existing brand parameters

• The team had identified several UX/UI elements that needed updating, but building new educational campaigns on top of these potentially problematic elements posed inherent risks to the project's success

The app conversion and retention projects followed a collaborative approach centered on driving downloads and creating repeat customers. As Lead Designer, I partnered with copywriters and marketing teams to develop data-informed campaigns across app, web, and email channels. While working within Hotwire's established brand guidelines (including their signature app gradient), I had significant creative freedom to explore new design directions.

The process balanced strategic marketing goals with user experience needs through three key phases: initial kickoffs to align on user journey and desired outcomes, research-driven campaign development, and stakeholder reviews. This collaborative workflow enabled the team to continuously test and refine designs while avoiding content repetition, ultimately creating varied campaigns that resonated with users and met business objectives.

This initiative and associated projects were largely successful over the year, with numerous series success indicators, including:

• Percentage of app share transactions increased from 38% to 42%

• App engagement rate increased by 33%

• “Appy” Hour deals campaign increased daily active users by 29% (all-time high)

• “Price Watching” smoke test had 6x more engagement than saving a search for future browsing