Nakhoda.

Trip planning is fragmented across discovery, activities, booking and itinerary tools. Nakhoda brought those steps together without requiring a long questionnaire before travelers could begin.

As Principal Product Designer, I worked on the full user experience, interface and design system. My responsibilities included RTL/LTR localization, feedback-led iteration and aligning design decisions with development and marketing.

The first phase focused on nearby activity discovery, quick itinerary creation and booking integrations. Market research and competitor analysis shaped the scope. Early flows moved from wireframes to prototypes and usability testing.

The project research identified two patterns: travelers looking for quick suggestions and travelers wanting direct control. These needs informed a streamlined recommendation flow alongside richer itinerary editing tools.

Generating every plan on demand could slow the experience. The project used a hybrid of prepared itineraries and personalization. Progressive authentication and an email fallback addressed situations such as unreliable SMS while traveling.

The initial recommendation is only a starting point. Travelers need to rearrange activities, replace a stop or begin with a blank itinerary. Editing tools, selection lists and travel-style tags gave them control without regenerating the entire plan.

Persian and English required more than translated text. Direction, card patterns, component behavior and typography needed to remain consistent in both languages. Tokens and modular components provided the foundation for that consistency.

This project connected design judgment with technical constraints and real user needs. Simplicity does not always come from removing features; it can come from presenting them at the right moment and giving people the right control. Nakhoda is currently inactive. This page documents its design work and decisions.