Virgin Active bookings architecture
Year
2026 (2 months)
Role
Intermediate Designer
Team
1x Product Designer (Me)
1x Design Manager
1x Product Owner
The Brief
Overview
Virgin Active sought to expand its service offering by launching new booking categories and introducing paid (on-demand) and prepaid packages for premium services. However, fragmented APIs, inconsistent booking flows and varying pricing models across services and regions created a disjointed user experience, with no centralised way to discover and manage different types of bookings. I advocated for a pause on additional features, instead taking the time to audit and redesign the information architecture to establish a more scalable system that could accommodate evolving requirements without compromising the user experience.
The Challenge
The challenge was to unify fragmented services through consistent entry points and booking management flows, while minimising the impact of underlying technical complexity on the user experience. With tight design and development timelines, we needed to work largely within the existing design system, introducing new components only where necessary.
The Approach
Research & Discovery
A competitor analysis of leading booking apps, both within and beyond the fitness industry, informed a solution that met immediate MVP requirements while establishing a scalable foundation for future enhancements guided by industry best practices.
Definition & Design
Presenting a site map and basic wireframes to stakeholders for feedback. I find that when journeys are complex, basic wireframes go a long way to finding areas of friction and solving them quickly.
The Solution
Create a consistent framework for 2 key areas: booking discovery (entry points) and post-booking management.
Giving users the same start and end point of the booking journey creates a familiar, predictable experience. This reduces the impact of the necessary differences between individual booking flows (as a result of multiple APIs). Discovery: quick access via the home page, and a full offering on the Club page where all bookable services are listed under categorised tabs. Management: a dedicated For You page houses quick entry into any services a member has purchased/booked (e.g. upcoming bookings, my packs), as well as recommendations and promotional content that is relevant to the user.
Booking discovery (entry points)
For You Page
Booking management
Booking management
Reflection
Scroll-triggered reveals keep momentum building toward the close, so by the time visitors reach the footer, starting a project feels like the obvious next step rather than a hard sell.
