Sendera
Sendera
Independent UX/UI case study
From problem framing to interface design, informed by research.
Mobile app for group traveling
Quick Overview
Planning a trip together
Context & framing
Planning a trip with others often means juggling chats documents, and decisions across multiple apps. Information gets duplicated, lost, or misunderstood gradually becoming a source of friction.
Early on, it became clear that the problem wasn’t a lack of tools. It was the absence of a shared source of truth . A single place everyone could trust and return to.
From that insight, the design challenge shifted from “adding another planning app” to designing a shared decision-making space . One where plans, documents, and responsibilities could live together and remain visible to everyone involved.
Sendera is a shared planning tool built around that idea.
Planning a trip together
Context & framing
Planning a trip with others often means juggling chats documents, and decisions across multiple apps. Information gets duplicated, lost, or misunderstood gradually becoming a source of friction.
Early on, it became clear that the problem wasn’t a lack of tools. It was the absence of a shared source of truth . A single place everyone could trust and return to.
From that insight, the design challenge shifted from “adding another planning app” to designing a shared decision-making space . One where plans, documents, and responsibilities could live together and remain visible to everyone involved.
Sendera is a shared planning tool built around that idea.
What the research revealed
Insights and synthesis
Research snapshot
Qualitative exploration of group travel planning
5 in-depth interviews with travelers who seek group experiences (friends or on-site tours).
Focused on real planning behaviors, not ideal scenarios.
Research emphasized ownership, decision-making, and accountability as recurring tensions.
Goal: understand why group travel planning breaks down before designing a solution.
What the research revealed
Insights and synthesis
Research snapshot
Qualitative exploration of group travel planning
5 in-depth interviews with travelers who seek group experiences (friends or on-site tours).
Focused on real planning behaviors, not ideal scenarios.
Research emphasized ownership, decision-making, and accountability as recurring tensions.
Goal: understand why group travel planning breaks down before designing a solution.
Identified three traveler profiles:
The meticulous planner
“If I don’t organize it, it doesn’t happen.”
Centralizes decisions and bookings
Often advances money for the group
Carries responsibility without explicit consent
The average planner
“Whatever works for everyone.”
Participates, but rarely leads
Defaults to convenience and consensus
Gets frustrated when plans change last minute
The extreme improviser
“I’ll decide when I get there.”
Avoids planning tools and logistics
Relies on others to make decisions
Engages late, but still affected by outcomes
Key pain points
Information gets lost (Cognitive overload)
Mistakes happen: wrong dates, duplicate bookings, incorrect tickets.
Decision fatigue in groups (Social friction)
Consensus often means compromise, not alignment.
Shared money, unclear responsibility (Financial tension)
Payments become informal, delayed, or uncomfortable to ask for.
When planning becomes a burden
The core problem
Planning together collapses when decisions, money, and tasks have no clear owner.
When planning becomes a burden
The core problem
Planning together collapses when decisions, money, and tasks have no clear owner.
Reframing the challenge
From problem to opportunity
How might we design a single, shared space where groups can plan trips together without losing information, money, or trust along the way?
Reframing the challenge
From problem to opportunity
How might we design a single, shared space where groups can plan trips together without losing information, money, or trust along the way?
Designing for shared responsibility
Product principles
Make information visible to everyone
Make money transparent, not personal
Reduce choices to enable decisions
Designing for shared responsibility
Product principles
Make information visible to everyone
Make money transparent, not personal
Reduce choices to enable decisions
How Sendera works
Core features & flows
Step-by-step trip builder
Users plan trips through a guided flow that breaks decisions into smaller steps (destination, dates, activities), reducing cognitive load during planning.
Centralized itinerary view
All bookings, activities, and notes are organized in a single itinerary timeline, allowing travelers to quickly understand their plan at a glance.
Shared expense tracking
Users can log and split trip expenses within the app, creating a transparent record of who paid for what. By centralizing shared costs, the feature reduces friction and misunderstandings that often occur during group travel.
Product Architecture
Sendera is structured around a collaborative trip system where travelers create trips, invite collaborators, and organize destinations, activities, and shared expenses into a centralized itinerary.
How Sendera works
Core features & flows
Step-by-step trip builder
Users plan trips through a guided flow that breaks decisions into smaller steps (destination, dates, activities), reducing cognitive load during planning.
Centralized itinerary view
All bookings, activities, and notes are organized in a single itinerary timeline, allowing travelers to quickly understand their plan at a glance.
Shared expense tracking
Users can log and split trip expenses within the app, creating a transparent record of who paid for what. By centralizing shared costs, the feature reduces friction and misunderstandings that often occur during group travel.
Product Architecture
Sendera is structured around a collaborative trip system where travelers create trips, invite collaborators, and organize destinations, activities, and shared expenses into a centralized itinerary.
From structure to interface
UI design
During early wireframing, I focused on simplifying how users create and organize a shared trip.
Research on travel planning behavior suggested that people typically begin with destination and dates, then gradually add activities and places. The flow I designed breaks the process into smaller steps: destination → exploration → scheduling.
To reflect this behavior, the interface prioritizes:
Trip creation with destination and dates first
A shared space where collaborators can add places
A visual itinerary that organizes activities by day
Key features
Trip set up- Define destination, travel dates and companions
Curated activity discovery- Explore recommended places and experiences
Smart itinerary planning- Add activities to a timeline without overbooking.
Flexible expense splitting- Split costs evenly, by percentage, or exact amount.
From structure to interface
UI design
During early wireframing, I focused on simplifying how users create and organize a shared trip.
Research on travel planning behavior suggested that people typically begin with destination and dates, then gradually add activities and places. The flow I designed breaks the process into smaller steps: destination → exploration → scheduling.
To reflect this behavior, the interface prioritizes:
Trip creation with destination and dates first
A shared space where collaborators can add places
A visual itinerary that organizes activities by day
Key features
Trip set up- Define destination, travel dates and companions
Curated activity discovery- Explore recommended places and experiences
Smart itinerary planning- Add activities to a timeline without overbooking.
Flexible expense splitting- Split costs evenly, by percentage, or exact amount.
Next steps
Sendera is currently in development. The next phase of the project will focus on:
• Conducting usability testing with early prototypes
• Refining the collaborative planning flow
• Developing high-fidelity UI designs
• Testing itinerary organization and group decision features
This iteration will help validate the product direction and improve the overall travel planning experience.
Next steps
Sendera is currently in development. The next phase of the project will focus on:
• Conducting usability testing with early prototypes
• Refining the collaborative planning flow
• Developing high-fidelity UI designs
• Testing itinerary organization and group decision features
This iteration will help validate the product direction and improve the overall travel planning experience.