Thruhike
Thruhike started as a Facebook Group where local guides shared recommendations about places, restaurants, and travel experiences. As the community grew, the client needed a dedicated product — a platform where users could discover local places, explore travel products, create interest-based groups, and connect with fellow travelers. My role was to design the landing page and core platform experience that would engage existing Facebook followers and convert new visitors.
My Role
The Challenge
The existing Facebook Group had no structured way to search places or products, no user profiles, and no monetization path. The challenge was designing a platform experience that felt familiar enough to retain the existing community while being modern and product-quality enough to attract new users and support business growth.
Design Scope
I designed the complete landing page experience including: a hero section with dual-tab search (Places and Products), a How We Make a Difference value proposition section, key platform stats (200k+ users, 5k+ vendors, 700+ products), a Feature showcase highlighting Video Content, Share, Trail Lists, and Updates, a Thruhike Concierge premium membership section, user testimonials, an Explore the World places section, and a mobile app download CTA.
Key Features Designed
Four core feature areas anchored the platform experience, each designed to make discovery and community feel effortless.
Dual Search
Place and Product search with destination selector and keyword input.
Trail Lists
Personalized playlists of places and products curated by users or guides.
Community & Share
Social interactions, upvoting, favoriting, and group creation by interests.
Concierge Tier
Premium membership with on-demand travel agent, exclusive content, and VIP vendor access.