Premium Cruise Travel Digital Transformation
Modernising design and functionality to attract an older demographic, elevate brand perception, and deliver seamless cruise data integration.
AG River Cruises
UX & Product Designer (led discovery, research, design, prototyping)
Travel
Myself (design/research), developers, Paid media, CRM, copywriters, client services
Challenge
AG River Cruises had an outdated digital experience that didn’t reflect its ambition to reposition as a premium, modern, yet trustworthy brand.
For users (older demographic): booking felt confusing, hard to trust, and not optimised for accessibility.
For the business: digital experience was out of step with its premium market position, leading to lost conversions and missed differentiation in a saturated sector.
The challenge: Redesign the website to be modern, accessible, and premium, while highlighting trust signals and streamlining the booking journey.
Process
A. Research & Discovery
I led a qualitative research phase to uncover user needs and brand opportunities:
Stakeholder interviews → aligned business goals, uncovered concerns.
User surveys → validated assumptions about an older demographic.
Competitor analysis (SWOT + UX audits) → identified gaps in positioning and usability.
Workshop facilitation → brand archetypes, tone of voice, persona prioritisation, journey mapping, competitor positioning.
Discovery Outputs:
10 research-backed personas (prioritised to 3 core groups).
User journey maps for booking and discovery for the top 3 personas.
Competitor benchmarks.
Brand direction documents (tone, archetypes, positioning).
B. Design
I translated insights into design concepts through an iterative design process.
Wireframes & Information Architecture
Created an updated site map and flows to simplify the booking journey alongside developer creating our Widgety plugin.
Designed low-fidelity wireframes in Figma to test layout, navigation, and content hierarchy.
Iterated based on feedback from stakeholders and internal testing.
Below : Annotated wireframes and refining user journeys
Mid-Fi & Hi-Fi Prototypes
Progressed wireframes into interactive prototypes, allowing stakeholders to experience the flow before development.
Designed multiple homepage concepts to explore brand expression (balancing heritage, family-company-feel and modernity).
Prioritised accessibility: larger font sizes, clear CTAs, high-contrast colour palette for readability.
Below : Multiple design routes, mobile + desktop prototyping, collaborative refining.
UI Toolkit & Visual Identity
Created a mini design system: typography, colour palette, button states, components.
Defined premium brand elements (serif + sans-serif font pairings, photography direction, iconography).
C. Iteration & Collaboration
Worked closely with developers to ensure booking functionality integrated seamlessly. For more detail on this Widgety plug-in please see Pontoon case study.
Partnered with copywriters to refine tone of voice for trust and accessibility.
Collaborated with Paid media and CRM teams to align on campaign strategy, style and TOV.
Iterated design prototypes after stakeholder reviews, QA and UAT → streamlined homepage layout, reduced clutter, added “trust badges” and reviews above the fold.
Created a handoff package in Figma with annotated flows and responsive designs.
Below : Collaborative developer handover, and example mockup
Outcomes
The redesigned AG River Cruises website launched with a modern, premium brand presence that caatered to its older audience.
Key Improvements:
Streamlined booking flow with clearer steps and stronger CTAs.
Accessibility enhancements (contrast, type size, simplified navigation).
Stronger trust signals (reviews, brand heritage, premium design cues).
Visual identity refresh aligning with premium positioning.
Impact
GA4 analytics for up to 3months post launch
+152.9%
Increase in Key events
+250%
Increase in user scroll depth
+309%
Increase in time spent on website
Below: Homepage before and after
Reflections
What worked:
Leading a collaborative workshop → secured stakeholder buy-in and alignment.
Iterative wireframes & prototypes → allowed stakeholders to “see” the product early.
Accessibility-first approach → crucial for older demographic.
What I’d do differently:
Conduct usability testing with real users earlier (wireframes or prototypes).
Explore extending the product into a members’ portal or loyalty programme (AG Club concept).
Push further into innovative solutions: smart booking assistants, CRM integration for personalised offers.
Key Takeaways
Insights only become valuable when translated into tangible design decisions.
Balancing business needs (premium positioning) with user needs (clarity, accessibility) is where product design adds the most value.
Great design isn’t just about the final UI — it’s about the journey from research → iteration → impact.
“Congrats to Helen Swarbrick for her designs which look amazing and had the fewest number of amends I've ever lived through. ”
Project manager
“High 5 to Helen Swarbrick for being a star as always. She provided the dev team with detailed AG project QA notes, which help the dev team to improve the project to a greater level. I am amazed by her time management skills to fit all the requests from all needs within the team. Amazing! ”
Developer
“Really excellent work everyone. The team production and management of this build has been exceptional . ”
Client services
“Well done to Helen Swarbrick who has got the AG River Cruises site design across the line with the absolute minimal amends from the client! ”
Design Lead
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