Experiences by Elevate

As a fast growing brand Experiences by Elevate needed a e-commerce site that matched its ambtions. I led the digital transformation through creating a comprehensive Design System from the ground up. To ensure consistency, accelerate development cycles, and improved the overall user experience.

Client:
Experiencesbyelevate
Role:
Lead designer
Focus
Design System, UX Design, UI Design

The situation

Experiences by Elevate sells premium hospitality experiences and high-value ticket packages for global sporting and entertainment events. While the products positioned the company in the luxury market, the digital experience failed to reflect the same level of quality, trust, and sophistication.

The organisation had grown quickly without dedicated design leadership, resulting in fragmented interfaces, inconsistent user journeys, duplicated components, and increasing design debt across the platform.

To address this, I led the creation of a scalable design system focused on improving consistency, increasing delivery speed, reducing design debt, and aligning the product experience with the premium nature of the brand.

The challenge

Despite offering luxury products at premium price points, the platform experience felt inconsistent and operational rather than aspirational.

KEY ISSUES

  1. Inconsistent UI Patterns
    With no design ownership Multiple button styles, spacing systems, and typography rules existed across pages - with single source of truth for design decisions
  2. Poor Perceived Brand Quality
    The interface lacked the refinement expected from high-end hospitality brands and the Visual inconsistency reduced user trust during high-value purchasing journeys
    Experiences felt transactional instead of premium
  3. Growing design debt
    Design and engineering workflows became slower over time
    Maintaining and scaling the product became increasingly difficult
  4. Lack of Accessibility & UX Standards
    Inconsistent hierarchy and spacing reduced readability
    Poor mobile responsiveness in some journeys
    Accessibility considerations were largely absent

My role

Context
Auditing the existing product ecosystemDefining the visual and interaction foundationsCreating reusable components and documentationEstablishing scalable UX/UI standardsAligning stakeholders around a shared design languageImproving collaboration between design and engineering

Approach

DISCOVERy AND AUDIT PHASE
The user experience was generally well-optimised, but frustrations peaked at the fare selection and additional services sections, where it became evident that maximising revenue was the airlines' main focus as users became overwhelmed. Three key issues were identified:
  1. ActivitiesConducted a full UI audit across core customer journeysMapped duplicate patterns and inconsistent behavioursReviewed design files and front-end implementation gapsIdentified accessibility and usability issuesAnalysed where design debt slowed deliveryKey
  2. Findings10+ button variations performing the same functionInconsistent spacing and layout structuresTypography lacked hierarchy and readabilityComponents were not reusable or scalableNo documentation or governance existed
The price quoted is only true for one passenger, one way - after the cost multiplies.
Scale and colour influence the user into selecting an undesired action.
Even if declined, it was common to see the same offerings pop-up.

Solutions

Established Core Foundations

Created foundational design tokens and rules for:Typography
Colour
Spacing
Grid systems
Elevation & shadows
Iconography
Responsive behaviourThis ensured consistency across all future experiences.

2. Built a Reusable Component Library

Designed reusable components with multiple states and clear usage guidelines.Components IncludedButtonsNavigation systemsCardsInputs & formsFiltersModalsTablesTicket/package layoutsContent blocksStatus indicatorsEach component was designed for:ScalabilityAccessibilityResponsive behaviourEngineering efficiency

3. Introduced Premium UX Principles

The system intentionally shifted the product experience from “functional booking platform” to “premium hospitality experience.”UX PrinciplesIncreased whitespace for luxury feelStronger typography hierarchyReduced cognitive loadClearer purchase flowsMore refined interaction patternsConsistent motion and feedback states

  1. Acting as a progress marker, helping guide users through the journey and manage expectations;
  2. Allowing users to see and understand the cost breakdown of their trip, customisations, and the total cost throughout.

4. Improved Design ↔ Engineering Collaboration

A major goal was reducing friction between teams.ImprovementsShared naming conventionsClear component documentationStandardised behaviours and statesReduced ambiguity in handoffFaster implementation cycles

Impact

Established Core Foundations

Product ImpactMore cohesive and premium digital experienceIncreased visual consistency across journeysReduced UI fragmentationTeam ImpactFaster design iterationReduced duplicated workEasier onboarding for new team membersMore scalable product development process

Long-Term ValueThe design system transformed design from reactive production work into a scalable product capability.Rather than solving isolated UI issues, the system created operational consistency and established a stronger foundation for future growth.Key LearningsDesign systems are organisational tools, not just UI kitsThe biggest challenge was aligning teams around shared standards and workflows.Consistency builds trustFor luxury products especially, visual inconsistency directly impacts perceived value.Scalability requires governanceCreating components is easy; maintaining adoption and quality over time is the real challenge.Premium UX is about restraintThe most effective improvements came from simplification, clarity, spacing, and consistency rather than adding visual complexity.

Work
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