Senior Director of Product Design - Travana
As a founding design leader at Travana, I was brought on at the company's inception to define the product vision, build the design team from the ground up, and lead strategy across multiple verticals in the online travel space. In the high-speed environment of a startup, I balanced strategic oversight with hands-on execution—ensuring every decision was rooted in user research, strong design fundamentals, and measurable business impact.
I assembled and mentored a multidisciplinary team of product designers, UX researchers, and product managers, cultivating a culture of collaboration, agility, and experimentation. Together, we defined design systems and product direction from scratch, enabling the successful launch of Travana's flagship online travel agency—Janbala—within just eight months. Throughout the early scaling stages, I stayed closely involved in research, user experience design, and cross-functional planning, firmly believing in leading by example.
Janbala: Launching a Differentiated Travel Experience
At the heart of our product strategy was Janbala, a consumer-facing OTA created to challenge the sameness of mainstream travel booking sites. We set out to provide a differentiated experience—one that emphasized exploration, discovery, and cultural immersion. Our proprietary booking technology allowed us to surface off-the-beaten-path travel opportunities that traditional platforms overlooked.
I worked closely with stakeholders across engineering, branding, and marketing to create a unified vision for the platform. My focus was on blending functional UX with aspirational storytelling—crafting high-converting user flows that helped travelers not only book trips easily, but also feel inspired and connected to the journey ahead.
Jaunt: Turning Stopovers into a Strategic Product
One of the most innovative features we introduced was Jaunt—a branded stopover product that allowed users to extend their layovers in major destinations at no additional cost. This idea began as a bold concept and was brought to life through a fast-paced, seven-week product sprint that I led from inception to high-fidelity execution.
To ensure we were building the right thing, I designed a structured research and validation process, incorporating user journey mapping, usability testing, and stakeholder feedback loops. The outcome was a user-centric feature that not only delighted travelers but also served as a strong acquisition and retention driver for the platform. Jaunt became a prime example of how thoughtful, user-led innovation could drive differentiation in a saturated market.
