One Design Language

Designing for Scale, Trust, and the Future of Travel

Company:

Expedia, Hotels.com, VRBO

Role:

Senior UX Design Manager

Timeline:

8 Weeks

Focus:

Storefront, Outbound Marketing, Rewards UX, Cart Flows

Tools:

Figma, Miro, Adobe CC

System Goals:

Scalable, Value-Aligned, Future-Ready

Overview

As Expedia Group transitioned toward a unified branded house, I was a core contributor to One Design Language (1DL) a foundational system designed to align user experience, brand expression, and development operations. My focus was bringing this vision to life through real product surfaces: storefronts, emails, profiles, rewards, and cart flows.

The Challenge

We needed more than a UI refresh we needed a future-ready design architecture that could:

  • Scale across brands and devices

  • Integrate with EGDS (Expedia Global Design System)

  • Preserve brand identity while ensuring consistency

  • Reinforce trust and reduce decision fatigue in high-stakes travel moments


Approach

1. Bringing Design Principles to Life

1. Bringing Design Principles to Life

1. Bringing Design Principles to Life

I ensured all my design decisions laddered up to our values:

I ensured all my design decisions laddered up to our values:


Value

Realized Through

Simple

Reduced clutter, increased hierarchy, clean type scales

Trust

Transparent pricing, honest tone, predictable UI placement

Inclusive

Accessible spacing, neutral color schemes, culturally neutral copy

Insightful

Personalized recommendations, social proof, price prediction charts

2. Visual + Interaction Systematization

Collaborated with EGDS to implement token-based consistency across:

Typography: Harmonized heading-body-support type scale

  • Color: Accessible, contrast-aware palettes (neutral__cool__, accent_1__)

  • Spacing & Layout: Tokenized, brand-configurable spacing rules

  • Component Patterns: Cart items, trip modules, rewards tiers, filters

3. From Concept to Component

Helped test, refine, and roll out:

  • Updated headers and navigation that prioritize scanability and action

  • Full-bleed, brand-aligned hero modules in profiles and homescreens

  • Personalized copy and motion states to reinforce user recognition and ease

  • New card structures for pricing, rewards, and checkout flows

4. Future-Facing Prototypes

Contributed to speculative and near-term prototypes for:

Next-gen homepage: Social proof, destination video loops, curated trip cards

  • OneKey rewards integration: Tier visualization, OneKey™ tracking

  • Cart redesigns: Readability, back navigation, aligned price formatting

Roadmap Integration

My design work wasn’t static. I collaborated on quarterly rollouts:

  • Q3: Finalized foundational tokens for type, spacing, corner radius, elevation

  • Q4: Deployed experimental components on Expedia.com

  • 2023: Supported migration of flagship brands to branded-house theming

Measurable Impact

  • 30% reduction in cart-level cognitive load (validated through task success testing)

  • 25% increase in OneKey module engagement after rewards UX redesign

  • Improved accessibility via clearer spacing and color contrast standards

  • Faster adoption of new UI kits by product teams due to modular architecture

Reflection

What I contributed in building for 1DL wasn’t just a design system, it was a shared language for care. I connected the visual, structural, and emotional components of UX in a way that honored both brand identity and user needs.


This case became a masterclass in designing for scale, without sacrificing humanity.