I led UX strategy, information architecture, and the development of a comprehensive visual design system. My responsibilities included facilitating C-suite workshops, mapping 47 friction points, delivering native iOS and Android specifications, and training internal teams on the new design system.
Marriott Vacation Club's digital ecosystem had become fragmented across properties, platforms, and user journeys due to years of siloed development. Members struggled to access their benefits, mobile conversion rates declined, and the four brands—Marriott Vacation Club, Hyatt, Sheraton, and ILG—lacked a unified design language.
I was brought in as Lead UX Brand Strategist to address these challenges.
How can we transform a transactional booking platform into an aspirational lifestyle ecosystem that drives acquisition and retention globally?
Analytics identified a key issue: users did not understand their membership benefits, resulting in underutilization and more refund requests. The existing information architecture prioritized organizational structure over user intent, requiring customers to adapt to the business rather than the business meeting customer needs.
Over 60% of browsing sessions occurred on mobile devices, yet mobile conversion rates were 40% lower than desktop. The previous mobile experience relied on compressed desktop layouts, which frustrated users instead of supporting them.
The information architecture reduced navigation from 12 categories to three clear paths. The mobile redesign created a native experience optimized for thumb-zone use, rather than adapting a desktop layout. The visual system used a 12-column responsive grid with modular components that scaled across all touchpoints. Each component was designed to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards from the outset. All efforts focused on one principle: eliminating barriers between members and their next vacation.
Individual screens are tactical, while design systems are strategic. By building reusable infrastructure, we ensured consistent quality across hundreds of touchpoints and allowed creative resources to focus on innovation rather than repetition.
In a category often marked by complexity, clarity became our competitive advantage. Users do not want to decode systems; they want to focus on planning vacations. Our role was to remove friction between aspiration and action.
Technology and design are insufficient without aligned teams, clear governance, and a shared vision. The most impactful work focused on stakeholder alignment, ensuring that every department understood its role in delivering cohesive customer experiences.
Meeting accessibility standards was not just about compliance; it was a strategy for market expansion. An accessible digital experience serves aging boomers, international users with varying English proficiency, and users with situational impairments such as bright sunlight or one-handed mobile use. Inclusion is good business.
This project reinforced my belief that brand strategy and user experience are inseparable. Every visual choice affects usability, and every UX decision communicates brand value.
The most meaningful design work does not occur in isolated deliverables. It happens when systems, strategy, and execution align to create coherent experiences that drive measurable business outcomes and genuinely improve people's lives.
