Streamlining itinerary planning for Destination Management Companies
Format: Desktop web application, B2B
Team: Product designer (solo), founder, engineers
Role: Product design, research, customer collaboration support strategy
Status: Delivered and live across multiple DMCs in Europe
Advatra is a B2B platform built to simplify operations of Destination Management Companies. A Destination Management Company (DMC) acts as a local partner for travel agencies overseas. DMCs create and sell travel packages consisting of accommodation, transportation, activities and customised services. They coordinate hotels, transfers, activities, pricing and various suppliers to deliver complete travel experiences.
Developed over 2 years in close collaboration with our first customer, the product is now live across multiple DMCs in Europe and was sold earlier this year.
Hey! I’m still in the process of adding more content to this project, but I’d be happy to walk you through more details on a call.
I included this project in my portfolio because it marks the beginning of my journey as a Product Designer and I’m immensely grateful to have been part of building this from the ground up. While the UX and UI probably aren't perfect, I got to learn what it takes to successfully launch a product and turn it into a business.
I signed up without really knowing what to expect, but looking back, it turned out to be one of the most valuable learning experiences of my life. :)
Introducing advatra
The end users of Advatra are travel consultants and product managers: the people who actually build and sell trips day to day. It was clear that they needed a tool that could streamline their chaotic workflow. Traditionally, their day-to-day processes involved a lot of manual effort, jumping between disconnected tools and dealing with operational complexity such as:
Manually crafted Word docs for itineraries
Separate Excel files for pricing
Scattered communications with suppliers
No single source of truth for trip or task status
Showcasing the solution
To get a better understanding of how Advatra supports DMCs and the scope of the project, I’d recommend exploring the official website we built, navigate the product yourself or take a look at our customer support portal.
I’ll be adding more detailed content soon, but in the meantime, these resources offer a solid overview of the product in action, including how we supported the launch and built customer support from the ground up.
Understanding the core problems
Working on Advatra was a crash course in product thinking, UX design and startup life. I joined with no formal training in UX or UI and learned on the go how to bring a product to life and how as a designer you can create value far beyond just visuals.