Ventur: Designing a Social Hub for Adventurers
Building a global community for explorers to discover, share, and rate hidden locations.
Role
Lead Product Designer
Industry
Social | Travel
Duration
July 2022 – September 2022
Overview: The Challenge of Exploring the Unknown
Adventure isn’t just about visiting well-documented travel spots—it’s about discovering the unknown. But finding these hidden locations is harder than it should be.
Enthusiasts looking for abandoned places, remote trails, or extreme experiences often rely on scattered blogs, forums, or word of mouth. There was no dedicated platform for thrill-seekers to share, rate, and discuss these spots in a structured, trustworthy way.
Ventur was designed to change that.
The goal? Build a global community where adventurers could:
• Discover and share hidden gems.
• Rate locations based on safety and excitement.
• Connect with like-minded explorers.
As Lead Product Designer, I took ownership of the entire UX/UI process, from user research and wireframing to high-fidelity design and prototyping. The result was a community-driven platform designed for engagement, ease of use, and trust.
Understanding the Users
To build something truly valuable, I needed to deeply understand the people using it.
I started with:
• User Interviews: 10 in-depth sessions with urban explorers, travel bloggers, and extreme sports enthusiasts.
• Surveys: 200+ responses from travel communities to identify common frustrations.
• Competitive Analysis: A deep dive into platforms like AllTrails and Atlas Obscura to pinpoint gaps in existing solutions.
Key Insights from Research
📍 Adventurers want more than just a list of locations.
• They need verified details—what makes a spot exciting, how safe it is, and how to get there.
• User-generated content alone isn’t enough; curation and credibility matter.
⚠️ Safety and accessibility are top concerns.
• Many users hesitate to visit a spot due to unclear risk factors.
• They need a transparent rating system to make informed decisions.
📢 People love discovering new spots but rarely contribute their own.
• Many consume content but don’t engage—sharing must feel effortless and rewarding.
These insights shaped Ventur’s core experience: a structured yet dynamic platform where sharing, rating, and engaging with content was simple, valuable, and fun.
Design Challenges & Solutions
1. Balancing Risk & Excitement
Challenge: How do we make exploring feel thrilling while ensuring users make informed decisions?
Solution:
• A dual-rating system for safety and excitement, so users can gauge risk before heading out.
• A verified explorer badge, allowing trusted users to confirm details.
• Color-coded indicators (green for safe, red for high risk) for quick readability.
2. Designing for a Global, Niche Community
Challenge: The platform had to be simple for casual users but engaging for hardcore adventurers.
Solution:
• A personalized feed that adapts to users’ interests (urban exploration, hiking, extreme sports).
• An interactive map with filters for difficulty, best seasons, and required permits.
• A clean, immersive UI that prioritizes visuals and seamless navigation.
3. Encouraging User Participation
Challenge: How do we get users to actively contribute rather than just browse?
Solution:
• A three-step submission process that makes sharing as easy as uploading an Instagram post.
• Gamification elements like contributor badges and a leaderboard for top explorers.
• Social features (likes, comments, follow functionality) to foster interaction and engagement.
Core Features Of The Final Product
🌍 Interactive Map
• Users can explore locations geographically, filtering by category, difficulty, and risk level.
🏞 Spot Pages with Ratings & Reviews
• Each location has detailed user reviews, images, and real-time updates.
📢 Seamless Contribution Flow
• A three-step process for adding new spots, with guided prompts for clarity.
💬 Community & Social Features
• Follow, comment, and connect with other explorers.
🏆 Gamified Contribution System
• Users earn badges and rankings for high-quality contributions.
Design Process: From Concept to Execution
1. Research & Strategy
• Created user personas to represent key audience segments.
• Developed a user journey map to identify pain points and opportunities.
• Defined a feature roadmap, prioritizing the highest-impact elements first.
2. Wireframing & Prototyping
• Started with low-fidelity sketches to map core interactions.
• Designed clickable prototypes in Figma to test navigation and usability.
• Conducted two rounds of usability testing to refine the sharing and discovery experiences.
3. UI & Interaction Design
• Developed a bold, adventurous color palette to reflect the thrill of exploration.
• Designed card-based layouts for location previews, ensuring readability and quick decision-making.
• Added micro-interactions to make transitions feel smooth and engaging.
4. Testing & Iteration
• Ran A/B testing on different rating systems, optimizing for clarity and usability.
• Iterated based on feedback, improving the submission flow and map filtering system.
Results & Key Takeaways
While Ventur remained a conceptual project, the process yielded valuable insights on building engaging, community-driven experiences.
Key Learnings
✔ Simplicity drives engagement. A streamlined sharing process boosted participation in testing.
✔ Trust is essential in adventure platforms. A dual-rating system helped users feel confident in their choices.
✔ Social features keep users coming back. Community-driven engagement increased retention and interaction.
Final Thoughts: Designing for Exploration & Engagement
Ventur was more than just a UX/UI challenge—it was an exercise in designing trust, excitement, and connection into a digital experience. It reinforced the importance of:
• Crafting seamless user experiences that feel intuitive and rewarding.
• Designing for niche communities while keeping scalability in mind.
• Balancing adventure and safety in an engaging, transparent way.
If you’re looking for a designer who understands engagement, trust, and user-driven communities, let’s connect.
