Sports Travel CRM

Overview

A Texas-based travel agency manages logistics for sports teams nationwide. As their business scaled, their internal tools and workflows couldn’t keep up. Operations became fragmented, manual, and error-prone.

I led UX for a new desktop CRM platform designed to centralize operations, improve coordination, and reduce manual overhead. I owned system architecture, workflows, and end-to-end design, collaborating closely with developers, PMs, and stakeholders from concept to launch.

Problem

Travel coordinators relied on disconnected tools (Google Suite, DocuSign, Zoho, etc.) to manage trips, documentation, and communication. This fragmented workflow was time-consuming, limited visibility, and increased the risk of errors.

Goal

Create a centralized system that simplifies trip management, improves visibility and streamlines communication.

User Needs

Through stakeholder input and workflow analysis, we identified four core needs:

1. Streamlined Trip Management - Coordinators needed a faster, more structured way to manage trips, reservations, and related workflows like scheduling, invoicing, and vendor coordination.

2. Centralized Data & System of Record - Critical information about teams, vendors, contracts, and documents was scattered across tools. Users needed a single, reliable source of truth.

3. Clear & Consistent Communication - Coordinating between teams and vendors required constant back-and-forth. Users needed a more efficient way to send requests, track responses, and share updates.

4. Integrated Task & Workflow Management - Tasks were loosely tracked and disconnected from trips. Users needed a system to assign, track, and manage work in context.

Solution

Centralized Dashboard

A high-level overview of trips, tasks, and business metrics immediately upon login.

• Real-time status tracking across trips

• Key metrics and alerts surfaced upfront

• Quick access to high-priority actions

End-to-End Trip Management

A single interface to manage the full lifecycle of a trip.

• Manage trip details and reservations

• Book reservations and access vendor information

• Manage tasks and documents

• View financial information, including cost and forecasts

Contextual Side Panel

A dynamic side panel that updates based on the page the user is viewing.

• View tasks, notes, and activity history in one place

• Communicate with teammates through comments

• Track changes without leaving the current workflow

Unified Team & Vendor Profiles

Detailed, structured profiles for all teams and vendors.

• Centralized contracts, pricing, and documents

• Standardized data for compliance and booking

Streamlined Vendor Rate Requests

Coordinators can request rates from multiple vendors simultaneously.

• Pre-filled trip data reduces manual input

• Custom notes, deadlines, and constraints

Vendors receive an email link to respond through a simplified external form.

Client Proposal & Approval Flow

Seamless transition from vendor rates to client selection.

• Build proposals using vendor responses

• Clients review and approve via simple interface

• Selections flow directly back into the system

Impact & Results

• Reduced time spent switching between tools

• Faster vendor coordination and response cycles

• Centralized data reduced errors and duplication

• Coordinators gained real-time insight into trip status and performance

• System designed to support continued growth in teams and vendors

What I Learned

1. Complexity Requires Strong Structure - Designing for a system with deeply interconnected data forced me to prioritize clarity, hierarchy, and modular thinking to reduce cognitive load.

2. Information Architecture Is Critical to Product Success - It became clear how impactful IA and user flows were for system scalability and team alignment across engineering and stakeholders.

3. Team Alignment Is the Most Important Feature - Frequent collaboration with developers and stakeholders ensured the system was feasible, understood, and implemented correctly.