HolidayPirates
Company: HolidayPirates GmbH
Year: 2023/Ongoing
Role: UX DESIGN | UI DESIGN
Tools: FIGMA | CHAT GPT | JIRA | USERBRAIN
HolidayPirates is one of Europe’s fastest-growing travel platforms, helping millions of users discover affordable flights, hotels, and holiday packages. With over 20 million followers, 10 million app users, and 15 million monthly sessions, HolidayPirates combines smart search technology with curated deals to make spontaneous and budget-friendly travel accessible to everyone. The platform is available in 7 languages across 10 countries.
As Senior UX/UI Designer, I led the end-to-end design strategy for the HolidayPirates app (iOS & Android), a product used by over 10 million travelers worldwide.
Achievements
App Redesign & Optimization: Drove a 20% increase in conversion rate over two years through a complete redesign, improved user flows, and data-informed UX enhancements.
User Research & Experimentation: Established structured user testing, A/B experiments, and design validation workflows, enabling evidence-based decision-making and measurable product improvements.
Accessibility & Theming: Designed and implemented accessible light and dark mode experiences to meet WCAG standards, ensuring inclusivity and consistency across platforms.
Cross-functional Collaboration: Partnered closely with product managers, developers, and analysts to align design solutions with business goals and deliver high-impact features at scale.
Context
This is a snapshot of my work at HolidayPirates. When I joined, the app experience was falling short: navigation was confusing, usability was limited, and there was no clear alignment on the company’s product direction. Given the chance to improve the experience without major technical changes, I focused on quick wins that could deliver both user and business value.
Redesigning the feed
To help users better understand the wide variety of deals offered, the app evolved from a single vertical feed into a hybrid model. This allowed users to both scroll and explore categories more intuitively. The change increased visibility for different deal types, enabled clearer personalization strategies, and unlocked new marketing opportunities with more prominent placements for partner promotions.
Enhancing navigation & clarity
The home page underwent key changes:
A new navigation menu for clearer, faster access.
A simplified navigation bar for a cleaner interface.
Copywriting improvements to explain the product more effectively and guide users through the experience.
UI refinements
Icons, typography, border radius, spacing, and colors were revisited to create a more consistent, modern, and accessible design system—subtle changes that significantly improved overall UX.
Deal detail pages
As the main entry point for users coming from social media, deal detail pages were critical. Despite technical and market-specific constraints, these pages were restructured to improve readability, clarity, and user trust, ensuring a smoother decision-making process.
Registration flow
The onboarding experience was redesigned to fix friction points and align with the web experience. I also integrated a personalization funnel and tooltips to guide new users, creating a friendlier and more tailored first impression.
New features
As part of feature development, I designed a new feed combining HolidayPirates’ curated editorial deals with Skyscanner’s partner deals—bringing together two different content streams into one seamless experience.
Beyond the app
While focused on UX/UI, I also contributed to the design of temporary assets usually managed by the creative studio and marketing teams. This included promotional visuals and advisory support, expanding my role to bridge product design with brand and campaign needs.
