PourUp
Vineyard Experience Platform
A multi-platform product connecting wine enthusiasts with wineries through a centralized discovery, booking, and business management ecosystem.
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Category |
Details |
|---|---|
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Role |
Product Designer |
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Timeline |
4 Months |
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Industry |
Wine Tourism / Hospitality |
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Platform |
Marketing Website, Customer Web App, Mobile App, Winery Dashboard, Super Admin |
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Stakeholders |
Founder, Developers, Product Designer |
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Responsibilities |
Research, IA, UI, Prototype, Developer Handoff |
01 Understanding the Problem
Context
The founder approached us with a vision to make wine tourism more accessible and organized. While wineries offered excellent experiences, users struggled to discover them because every winery maintained its own website, booking process, and information structure. There was no centralized destination where people could compare wineries, understand experiences, or plan an entire wine trip.
From the business perspective, wineries were equally affected. Smaller wineries had limited digital visibility and depended heavily on traditional marketing, website forms, or direct phone calls to acquire visitors. The absence of a unified marketplace reduced discoverability and created friction for both customers and winery owners.
Existing Challenges
Scattered Discovery
Users had to browse multiple winery websites individually before finding one that matched their interests.
- Different booking systems
- Inconsistent information
- Difficult comparison
Booking Friction
Reservations relied on website forms, emails, or direct communication instead of an instant booking workflow.
- Delayed confirmations
- Manual coordination
- Poor booking confidence
Limited Winery Visibility
Many wineries struggled to market their experiences beyond their existing audience.
- Low discoverability
- Heavy dependence on marketing
- Difficult customer acquisition
No Unified Experience
Planning an entire winery trip required using several different services.
- Accommodation researched separately
- Experiences booked separately
- Maps and travel planned independently
Research Approach
Before designing the product, we studied how travel marketplaces simplify exploration and booking. Since users already understand platforms like Airbnb, we wanted to leverage familiar interaction patterns instead of introducing an entirely new mental model.
Research focused on balancing two perspectives: helping visitors discover memorable winery experiences while enabling wineries to manage their businesses efficiently.
Research Methods
- Competitor Analysis
- Travel Marketplace Research
- User Journey Mapping
- Experience Comparison Analysis
- Winery Onboarding Research
- Hospitality Product Research
Product Ecosystem
The solution was designed as a connected ecosystem consisting of five products.
Marketing Website
Introduced the product, explained its value proposition, and encouraged wineries and customers to join the platform.
Customer Platform
Allowed visitors to discover wineries, compare experiences, plan trips, and complete bookings.
Mobile Experience
Enabled users to manage bookings and explore wineries while travelling.
Winery Dashboard
Provided winery owners with tools to manage listings, reservations, experiences, locations, and business performance.
Super Admin
Managed platform-wide businesses, users, approvals, and operational oversight.
02 Structure & Flows
Brief Context
Since PourUp served multiple user groups, the product architecture needed to remain intuitive without overwhelming users. We prioritized familiar navigation patterns and ensured every platform focused only on tasks relevant to that user.
Information Architecture
The architecture was divided into three distinct experiences.
Customer:
- Browse Wineries
- Winery Details
- Experiences
- Booking
- Reservations
- Profile
Winery Owner:
- Dashboard
- Business Management
- Experience Management
- Reservation Management
- Analytics
- Location Management
Super Admin:
- Business Approval
- User Management
- Booking Oversight
- Platform Analytics
- Location Oversight
Primary User Flow
Customer Journey
Landing Website ▸ Discover Wineries ▸ Explore Winery ▸ Compare Experiences ▸ Choose Date ▸ Review Details ▸ Book Experience ▸ Manage Reservation
Winery Journey
Business Registration ▸ Profile Setup ▸ Create Experiences ▸ Manage Reservations ▸ Track Business Performance
Key Product Modules
Customer:
- Discovery Feed
- Winery Profiles
- Booking
- Reservation Management
- Interactive Maps
Winery Dashboard:
- Business Dashboard
- Experience Management
- Reservations
- Customer Management
- Analytics
Super Admin:
- Business Approval
- User Management
- Platform Analytics
- Listing Moderation
03 Design System Decisions
Brief Context
PourUp was designed around exploration and premium hospitality. Every interface was intended to feel elegant, immersive, and trustworthy while allowing users to quickly browse large amounts of information.
Visual Language
The interface draws inspiration from premium winery branding.
Design principles included:
- Elegant visual hierarchy
- Large immersive imagery
- Spacious layouts
- Minimal interface noise
- Content-first presentation
Color Strategy
The palette was inspired by wine culture.
- Burgundy as primary brand color
- Warm cream backgrounds
- Neutral grays for supporting UI
- Green success indicators
- Consistent booking CTAs
The objective was to create a premium hospitality feel rather than a traditional SaaS interface.
Typography
Typography emphasized readability while maintaining a refined aesthetic.
- Large editorial headings
- Clear section hierarchy
- Comfortable paragraph spacing
- Strong contrast for booking actions
Components
Reusable components included:
- Winery Cards
- Experience Cards
- Reservation Cards
- Pricing Tables
- Filters
- Booking Modules
- Dashboard Tables
- Analytics Cards
Responsive Design
The experience was designed across multiple platforms.
- Marketing Website
- Customer Web Platform
- Mobile Experience
- Winery Dashboard
- Admin Dashboard
Each interface retained familiar navigation while adapting layouts to the platform.
04 Validation & Iteration
Context
As the product matured, feedback from the founder and internal reviews helped refine both customer discovery and winery management experiences. The goal was to make booking feel effortless while simplifying day-to-day operations for wineries.
Assumption
The initial concept focused heavily on showcasing wineries.
However, research suggested users were more interested in experiences than wineries themselves.
Stakeholder Feedback
Discussions with the founder resulted in several improvements.
- Experience-first browsing
- Better onboarding for wineries
- Stronger comparison features
- Simplified booking journey
- More business insights inside dashboards
Design Improvements
Key refinements included:
- Improved winery onboarding flow
- Better experience presentation
- Simplified reservation summaries
- Cleaner management dashboards
- Enhanced image-focused layouts
- Stronger visual hierarchy
Outcome
The final product delivered a connected ecosystem where customers could confidently discover and book winery experiences while wineries gained tools to manage their business digitally from a single platform.
05 My Role & Contributions
Context
As the Product Designer, I worked across research, information architecture, UX design, interface design, and developer collaboration. Since the product covered multiple platforms, maintaining consistency while addressing different user needs became one of the project’s biggest design challenges.
Discovery
I participated in the early discovery phase to understand both customer expectations and winery business requirements.
Responsibilities included:
- Competitor Analysis
- Market Research
- Experience Mapping
- Stakeholder Discussions
- Product Definition
Product Design
I designed the end-to-end product architecture.
Responsibilities included:
- User Flows
- Information Architecture
- Wireframes
- Booking Journey
- Dashboard Structure
- Multi-platform UX
Interface Design
I created a unified visual language across all platforms.
Responsibilities included:
- Design System
- Component Library
- Responsive Layouts
- Dashboard UI
- Website UI
- Mobile UI
Delivery
I worked closely with developers throughout implementation.
Responsibilities included:
- Interactive Prototypes
- Design Specifications
- Edge Cases
- QA Support
- Design Handoff
06 Key Learnings & Takeaways
Context
PourUp strengthened my understanding of designing products that serve multiple user groups within a single ecosystem. It reinforced the importance of balancing customer experience with operational efficiency while maintaining a consistent product language.
Product Learnings
This project deepened my understanding of marketplace product design.
Key learnings:
- Designing interconnected platforms instead of isolated screens.
- Balancing business goals with customer expectations.
- Structuring scalable product ecosystems.
UX Learnings
Working on PourUp improved my ability to simplify complex booking journeys.
Key learnings:
- Familiar interaction patterns reduce learning effort.
- Rich content drives confidence before booking.
- Discovery experiences should prioritize inspiration before conversion.
Design Learnings
Creating interfaces across five platforms highlighted the importance of consistency.
Key learnings:
- Strong component systems accelerate product scalability.
- Consistent patterns improve usability across platforms.
- Premium visual design should support functionality rather than overpower it.
07 Reflection
PourUp demonstrated how thoughtful product design can connect customers, businesses, and platform administrators within a unified ecosystem. Designing across marketing, discovery, booking, and management experiences strengthened my ability to think beyond individual screens and create scalable, end-to-end digital products.