Terns
A travel companion app from Cairo: the research, the app from discovery to boarding, and a brand that flies.
Terns is a travel companion app from Cairo, Egypt, that plans, books and organises a whole trip in one place. With Branders, Laith Aljunaidy designed the Terns app and its UX research in 2023 and 2024: traveller personas and a sitemap, then discovery, city and things-to-do pages, flights, stays and cars, booking, inbox sync for itineraries, airline miles and lounge access. The Terns identity was created by Branders under the creative direction of Rami Jbara.
- Client
- Terns
- Role
- App and UX design, with Branders
- Location
- Cairo, Egypt
- Year
- 2023 to 2024
Updated
Context
A trip lives in ten apps. Flights in one, the hotel in another, the car in a third, the tours in a browser tab, the boarding pass in an email nobody can find at the gate.
Terns is a travel companion app from Cairo that puts the whole trip in one place, from deciding where to go to walking onto the plane. A smart travel buddy, as the brand puts it.
Research first
We started with travellers, not screens. Five personas came out of the research, each travelling for a different reason: the Explorer Elite, the Relaxation Ranger, the History Hunter, the Social Butterfly and the Cuisine Enthusiast. Each one needs the same app to open on something different.
The personas turned into a sitemap: discovery, cities, things to do, flights, stays, cars, booking, the wallet and the profile, every path from inspiration to boarding.
Plan the trip
Home opens on the question every trip starts with, where to, and on the trip already coming up. Discovery turns a country into a feed of cities and things to do. A city page reads like a magazine, and the map shows where every stay sits.
Book it
Flights, stays and cars follow one pattern, so learning one teaches the rest. Search, compare fares, confirm, and the booking lands in the trip.
Travel smarter
The details that make a frequent traveller stay. Sync your inbox and Terns builds the itinerary from the bookings already in it. Miles from every airline in one balance, with each programme’s tier. Lounge memberships, airline status and travel cards in one place, ready at the airport.
The brand
The identity was created by Branders under the creative direction of Rami Jbara. A tern is a bird that crosses the world every year, and the mark draws it in flight.
Out in the world the mark becomes a frame: Dubai, Giza and Istanbul seen through its wings.
My role
I designed the Terns app and led its UX: the research, the personas and the sitemap, and every screen from discovery to boarding, with the Branders team.
FAQ
What is Terns?
Terns is a travel companion app from Cairo, Egypt, that plans, books and organises a whole trip in one place: discovery, flights, stays, cars, things to do, itineraries from your inbox, airline miles and lounge access.
Who designed the Terns app?
Laith Aljunaidy designed the Terns app and its UX research with Branders in 2023 and 2024. The Terns identity was created by Branders under the creative direction of Rami Jbara.
What does the Terns logo show?
A tern in flight. The tern crosses the world every year, and the mark also works as a frame for destinations on posters and billboards.
Gallery
