SLS Mobile App
A mobile app to help SLS Las Vegas guests make the most out of their stay.
Overview
A mobile development company approached me to design the user experience and interface for SLS Las Vegas.
The goal was to create a mobile app that would help the hotel and casino engage with guests by providing convenient ways to enhance their experience throughout their stay.
Although several features were planned, my primary focus was improving the booking, reservations, and rewards experiences.
Role
I served as the lead UX/UI designer for the project, working closely with the Director of Customer Experience to establish the design direction.
I was responsible for creating the UX documentation and design deliverables, including user flows, information architecture, and wireframes.
I also developed the high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes used to communicate the proposed experience and secure stakeholder approval.
User Flow
I started by creating user flows for common tasks guests would complete in the app. These diagrams gave developers and stakeholders a shared visual understanding of the experience we intended to build.
Two examples of these user flows are shown below.
Information Architecture
The information architecture needed to support guests who were frequently on the go while maintaining consistency with the existing SLS Las Vegas website.
I organized the app's navigation and content around the same primary categories used on the website. This helped create a familiar experience for guests who already knew the SLS website, reducing the need to learn a completely different navigation structure.
Wireframes
With the user flows and information architecture established, I created low-fidelity wireframes to explore the app's layout, navigation, and key interactions.
These early designs helped communicate how the different features would work together and provided a foundation for reviewing the experience before moving into high-fidelity designs.
UI Style Guide
SLS is an international hospitality brand known for its distinctive, award-winning design aesthetic across its hotels and residences.
The brand emphasizes sophistication, style, and luxury. It was important to carry that same visual identity into the mobile app, creating an experience that felt consistent with the SLS brand while remaining intuitive and easy to use.
Hi-Fidelity Mockups
After receiving approval for the low-fidelity wireframes, I moved into creating high-fidelity mockups.
With the UI style guide established, I was able to apply the SLS brand identity consistently across the different screens of the app.
SLS is known for its luxurious and sophisticated aesthetic, so I focused on creating clean, visually appealing interfaces without unnecessary elements that could distract guests from their tasks.
Prototype
Some of the interactions I envisioned were difficult to communicate through static designs and written specifications.
To help developers and stakeholders better understand how these interactions should work, I created interactive prototypes that demonstrated the intended behavior of the app.
Although creating these prototypes required additional time and effort, they helped communicate the design more clearly and made collaboration with the development team more efficient.
Learnings
I was pleased with how the app turned out, especially considering the relatively short ten-week development timeline. Working closely with the team was a rewarding experience, and we accomplished a great deal within that period.
Looking back, my biggest regret was not conducting usability testing during the early development stages. After launch, some users reported that it took too many steps to reach the content they needed. Receiving this feedback earlier would have helped me make more informed design decisions, particularly when designing the home screen and its navigation.
The app was eventually discontinued as SLS Las Vegas transitioned to SAHARA Las Vegas. Although the product was short-lived, the project reinforced the importance of validating design decisions with users early in development. It was also a valuable opportunity to collaborate with the team and contribute to an experience I'm proud of.