Consumer product · Global travel
Making eSIM installation feel recoverable
I redesigned core Airalo journeys across app and web, with installation confidence as the central problem and localisation and shared patterns as the system that supported it.
Across web, iOS, Android and iPad, working with dedicated platform teams and a localisation expert.
Relevant for: Growth UX · Design systems · Consumer apps at scale
- Role
- Senior Product Designer
- Period
- 2023 to 2024
- Platforms
- Web · iOS · Android · iPad
- Company context
- Airalo grew from 6M to 20M+ users
What did I ship?
A clearer journey inside a fast-growing product
- Shipped4 platformsUnified core flows live on the App Store, Google Play and responsive web
- Reach6M to 20M+Airalo's growth is company context during my time thereNot a design outcome attributed to this work.
No conversion, activation or installation-completion metric is claimed here.
Why did installation feel risky?
Installation anxiety was the trust problem underneath the interface
Buying an eSIM is easy to explain; trusting that it will work after landing is harder. Technical language, platform-specific setup and weak recovery cues made installation feel risky. At the same time, platform drift, USD-only pricing and package selection added friction around the same moment of trust.
Made installation feel risky
- Technical language
- Platform-specific setup
- Weak recovery cues
Added friction around the same moment of trust
- Platform drift
- USD-only pricing
- Package selection
What does a nervous traveller need before touching their settings?
Explain the model before asking for a purchase
One web example carries the same reassurance into the discovery channel. The page explains what an eSIM is and lists the device requirements, then breaks setup into three steps.
How does someone know they're still on the right path?
From technical setup to guided confidence
The flow separates preparation, device action and confirmation. Each step says what will happen, uses a visual cue and ends with a state that confirms the user is still on the right path.
What breaks when you ship to many markets?
Built for many markets without flattening the platform
- Tension
- USD-only pricing added friction around the same moment of trust.
- Choice
- A localisation expert owned the translations. We used third-party API tools so copy updated on every platform at the same time. Each change was evaluated first in my Figma designs, where we discussed it and tested it with native speakers.
- Trade-off
- Testing every language in design first added a step before build.
How similar should iOS, Android and web be?
Share the pattern, respect the platform
- Choice
- The system aligned the critical journey across platforms while leaving room for native navigation and device setup. Platform conventions were preserved where they reduced effort.
- Trade-off
- Alignment cost coordination. Every change went through dedicated iOS, Android and web teams before it shipped.
Where does reassurance start?
Confidence starts before installation
- Choice
- Onboarding, package discovery and detail views were aligned around the same hierarchy: clear value, understandable coverage and pricing, then a visible next action.
What did I ship?
Shipped on four platforms, with no outcome metric to claim.
- Shipped4 platformsUnified core flows live on the App Store, Google Play and responsive web
Key flows were validated through experiments with the wider product team and informed later product and design-system decisions.
What would I measure next?