A three-sided marketplace with no clear front door.
WTRway connects three groups — passengers who rent, captains who operate, and boat owners who list — with the goal of on-demand, personalized boating. But the current app treats all three equally from the first screen, so no one feels like the app is built for them.
Purpose of the audit
- →Evaluate the current user experience
- →Identify key usability and design issues
- →Propose improvements for clarity and consistency
- →Align the app experience with the brand vision
the key insight
The app prioritizes system structure over the user's journey.
- →Early friction — notifications and forced login before any value
- →Role confusion — no clear primary user
- →Limited exploration — no browsing before sign-in
Five issues, each with a fix.
01Onboarding friction
Problem
Users must make decisions and grant permissions before understanding the app's value.
Impact
Lower engagement and higher early drop-off.
Fix
Let users explore before login; delay permissions until there's context.
02Unclear primary user
Problem
Multiple roles (captain, passenger, owner) are introduced too early.
Impact
Confusion and increased cognitive load.
Fix
Prioritize the passenger; move other roles into progressive flows.
03Inconsistent visual language
Problem
Colors, components, and styles vary across screens.
Impact
Weakened brand identity and lower perceived professionalism.
Fix
Define one design system — standard palette, type, and components.
04Inconsistent UI & navigation
Problem
Components and interaction patterns change from page to page.
Impact
Users relearn interactions on every screen.
Fix
Reusable components and consistent patterns app-wide.
05Brand–app mismatch
Problem
The website sells exploration and lifestyle; the app delivers friction.
Impact
Broken expectations and reduced trust in the product.
Fix
Reflect exploration and ease in the onboarding flow itself.
Four principles for the new experience.
01Exploration-firstLet people look around before committing.
02Passenger-first onboardingOne clear primary user; other roles come later.
03Minimal, premium systemOne consistent, scalable visual language.
04Strong lifestyle imageryBoats, ocean, freedom — the brand's real promise.
A starting kit for consistency.
A direction to build on — color, type, and components that scale across the app. Shown here as an early proposal, not final brand assets.
Color
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
BG
SURFACE
TEXT
Typography
Heading
Body text example — calm, readable, and consistent from screen to screen.
Components
Book Now
Explore boats
Input field
Where the next phase goes.
- →Develop a detailed design system — colors, typography, components.
- →Redesign the onboarding flow to reduce friction.
- →Simplify user roles and prioritize the passenger experience.
- →Align the app interface with the brand identity.
- →Prototype key screens for testing and validation.
Dreamaker
Onboarding redesigned as a conversation.
Signals
A small phone app for noticing how you feel.
Event OS
One event becomes a whole content engine.
Have an idea like this one?