Via Eurasia redesign

About the project

This was a redesign project where the brief was to address user feedback and improve the Via Eurasia app for the Culture Routes Society. Via Eurasia is a long-distance hiking trail connecting regions across Europe and Asia, designed to guide travellers through historic routes and scenic landscapes. The redesign aimed to streamline navigation, reduce screen count, and refresh the app’s visual identity to create a more accessible and welcoming experience for users.

The brief

The brief requested the following changes to the app

Branding

The existing branding felt outdated, unsophisticated, and did not comply with accessibility guidelines

Screen count

There were more screens than necessary, making the app feel cluttered

Typography

The typeface, Inter, should be retained but adjusted in size and weight to improve readability and hierarchy

Homepage

The "Home" page is uninviting, resembling a legal document

Accessibility

Overall accessibility improvements were necessary across all pages, even those with minimal layout changes, to enhance user experience

Replace the "Check Before You Go" page with a simplified menu containing key topics (Route Updates, Weather, Guide Book)

Welcome

After removing legal text and logos, the "Home" page should become a welcoming landing page with an impactful new logo

About

Sponsor logos and information could be moved to the "About" page to improve visual appeal

My role & approach

My role was to redesign the Via Eurasia app, focusing on both UX and UI improvements to create a more intuitive, visually engaging, and accessible experience.

I began by analysing the app to map out essential changes and after implementing these, I conducted a second analysis to identify additional opportunities for accessibility and visual enhancements. For inspiration, I explored similar apps on Mobbin, Behance, and Dribbble.

Branding

USER FEEDBACK ADDRESSED:

“The branding and colour feel dated and unsophisticated, and they don’t follow accessibility guidelines”

I simplified the colour scheme to reduce the visual confusion and chose orange as the core colour to better represent the app’s purpose, conveying an ‘earthy’ yet modern feel.

I changed the logo to a location pin/compass to symbolise the journey and chose a block colour and simple design to create a more modern feel.

Original colours

Updated colours

Original logo

Updated logo

Redesigned screens

By incorporating insights from user feedback and analysing the app for further improvements, I redesigned each screen to enhance usability and engagement. Below are the updated screens, reflecting a refined layout, improved navigation, and enhanced accessibility.

Branding

USER FEEDBACK ADDRESSED:

“The existing branding felt outdated, unsophisticated, and did not comply with accessibility guidelines”
“After removing legal text and logos, the "Home" page should become a welcoming landing page with an impactful new logo”
“The "Home" page is uninviting, resembling a legal document. Experiment by moving the sponsor logos and information to the “About” page ”

“The existing branding felt outdated, unsophisticated, and did not comply with accessibility guidelines”
“After removing legal text and logos, the "Home" page should become a welcoming landing page with an impactful new logo”
“The "Home" page is uninviting, resembling a legal document. Experiment by moving the sponsor logos and information to the “About” page ”

“The existing branding felt outdated, unsophisticated, and did not comply with accessibility guidelines”
“After removing legal text and logos, the "Home" page should become a welcoming landing page with an impactful new logo”
“The "Home" page is uninviting, resembling a legal document. Experiment by moving the sponsor logos and information to the “About” page ”

UPDATES IMPLEMENTED

I moved all information on the original homepage to the about page so I had a blank canvas for the welcome page
CTA is the ‘get started’ button instead of the original ‘routes’ button as the app offers more than just routes
I added a simple subheading so users can quickly understand what the app is about

I moved all information on the original homepage to the about page so I had a blank canvas for the welcome page
CTA is the ‘get started’ button instead of the original ‘routes’ button as the app offers more than just routes
I added a simple subheading so users can quickly understand what the app is about

I moved all information on the original homepage to the about page so I had a blank canvas for the welcome page
CTA is the ‘get started’ button instead of the original ‘routes’ button as the app offers more than just routes
I added a simple subheading so users can quickly understand what the app is about

Original screen

Updated screen

Routes

USER FEEDBACK ADDRESSED:

“Navigation within the app is confusing”
“There are more screens than necessary”

“Navigation within the app is confusing”
“There are more screens than necessary”

“Navigation within the app is confusing”
“There are more screens than necessary”

UPDATES IMPLEMENTED

The ‘points of interest’ are linked to routes so I added a slider so users can switch easily between the search methods
I added a search bar and quick access filters to both tabs so users can quickly find the information they are looking for
I added a bottom navigation bar and hamburger menu to improve navigation

The ‘points of interest’ are linked to routes so I added a slider so users can switch easily between the search methods
I added a search bar and quick access filters to both tabs so users can quickly find the information they are looking for
I added a bottom navigation bar and hamburger menu to improve navigation

The ‘points of interest’ are linked to routes so I added a slider so users can switch easily between the search methods
I added a search bar and quick access filters to both tabs so users can quickly find the information they are looking for
I added a bottom navigation bar and hamburger menu to improve navigation

Original screen

Updated screen

Route detail

USER FEEDBACK ADDRESSED

“Navigation within the app is confusing”

“Navigation within the app is confusing”

“Navigation within the app is confusing”

UPDATES IMPLEMENTED

On the original route detail pages, points of interest are not indicated so users need to look for this separately
I indicated points of interest on the updated route detail screen so users do not need to search separately for this information
I updated the layout to fit in more details and enhance visual appeal

On the original route detail pages, points of interest are not indicated so users need to look for this separately
I indicated points of interest on the updated route detail screen so users do not need to search separately for this information
I updated the layout to fit in more details and enhance visual appeal

On the original route detail pages, points of interest are not indicated so users need to look for this separately
I indicated points of interest on the updated route detail screen so users do not need to search separately for this information
I updated the layout to fit in more details and enhance visual appeal

Original screen

Updated screen

Points of interest

USER FEEDBACK ADDRESSED:

“The existing branding felt outdated, unsophisticated, and did not comply with accessibility guidelines”
“Navigation within the app is confusing”
“There are more screens than necessary”

“The existing branding felt outdated, unsophisticated, and did not comply with accessibility guidelines”
“Navigation within the app is confusing”
“There are more screens than necessary”

“The existing branding felt outdated, unsophisticated, and did not comply with accessibility guidelines”
“Navigation within the app is confusing”
“There are more screens than necessary”

UPDATES IMPLEMENTED

The original points of interest page is confusing. The knife and fork icon and distance information is not clear and doesn’t seem to contain useful information
I’ve updated this page to just include the name, country, picture and read more + button. Now all elements have a specific function, making it easier for users to understand key information

The original points of interest page is confusing. The knife and fork icon and distance information is not clear and doesn’t seem to contain useful information
I’ve updated this page to just include the name, country, picture and read more + button. Now all elements have a specific function, making it easier for users to understand key information

The original points of interest page is confusing. The knife and fork icon and distance information is not clear and doesn’t seem to contain useful information
I’ve updated this page to just include the name, country, picture and read more + button. Now all elements have a specific function, making it easier for users to understand key information

Original screen

Updated screen

Check before you go

USER FEEDBACK ADDRESSED:

‘Remove the “Check Before You Go” page and replace it with a new menu that includes the same 3 button topics (Route Updates, Weather, Guide Book)”

UPDATES IMPLEMENTED

I added the ‘check before you go’ menu to the bottom navigation bar for quick and easy access
I added a photo reel at the bottom of the screen as this gives users more information in a visual way

I added the ‘check before you go’ menu to the bottom navigation bar for quick and easy access
I added a photo reel at the bottom of the screen as this gives users more information in a visual way

I added the ‘check before you go’ menu to the bottom navigation bar for quick and easy access
I added a photo reel at the bottom of the screen as this gives users more information in a visual way

Original screen

Updated screen

About

USER FEEDBACK ADDRESSED:

“The app’s “Home” page looks like a legal document and is uninviting. Experiment by moving the sponsor logos and information to the “About” page. The layout of the “About” page should then be reorganised to make it more visually appealing”

UPDATES IMPLEMENTED

The original about page was very wordy and visually unappealing. To make the text more digestible I separated this out into different sections and added subheadings
As users need to scroll quite a lot, I added a floating button which skips to the bottom or back to the top
Instead of including the map image, I added a view map button so it takes up less space and is more visually appealing
I moved the sponsor logos and disclaimers to the footer
I made the about page easily accessible via the bottom tab bar because it contains information that users might want to access during their travels

The original about page was very wordy and visually unappealing. To make the text more digestible I separated this out into different sections and added subheadings
As users need to scroll quite a lot, I added a floating button which skips to the bottom or back to the top
Instead of including the map image, I added a view map button so it takes up less space and is more visually appealing
I moved the sponsor logos and disclaimers to the footer
I made the about page easily accessible via the bottom tab bar because it contains information that users might want to access during their travels

The original about page was very wordy and visually unappealing. To make the text more digestible I separated this out into different sections and added subheadings
As users need to scroll quite a lot, I added a floating button which skips to the bottom or back to the top
Instead of including the map image, I added a view map button so it takes up less space and is more visually appealing
I moved the sponsor logos and disclaimers to the footer
I made the about page easily accessible via the bottom tab bar because it contains information that users might want to access during their travels

Original screen

Updated screen

Takeaways

This redesign reinforced the importance of a user-centred approach in creating accessible and engaging experiences. I gained valuable insights on how small design choices impact usability, and I strengthened my skills in adapting designs based on user feedback and accessibility needs.