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NauticWorx

Full-cycle UX and brand design for a marine logistics ecosystem that lets fleet owners and maritime professionals transact without fees, friction, or operational complexity.

Services

product design

Branding

Team

12 People

Table of contents

(01)

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UX Research

(02)

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Design System

(03)

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Final Designs

(04)

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Conclusion

I took NauticWorx from brand foundation to launch-ready product. Working directly with the founders, I ran a competitive analysis to map the niche landscape, built a section-based information architecture to define the full scope of the website and platform, and mapped three core customer journey maps to ensure the critical flows delivered real value. I designed a flexible visual system of typography, colors, and patterns built for scalability, with a brand direction centered on clarity and ecological trust. Before launch I ran usability benchmarking to validate performance against competitors. By the end NauticWorx had a seamless, sustainable product experience ready to scale.

UX Research

I needed to understand the competitive landscape before I designed anything for NauticWorx. A scored analysis of five direct competitors across nine parameters confirmed the opportunity: most platforms scored zero on filters and sorting, averaged a 6 on visual design, and offered no personalisation. I built the information architecture from that baseline, defining a section-based structure across the full website and platform scope. Three customer journey maps covered six phases of the user experience and surfaced the specific moments where NauticWorx needed to build trust fast — first encounter skepticism, payment anxiety, and the subscription wall at purchase. Usability benchmarking before launch confirmed the design held up: core functionality completed in under 30 seconds, and real-user flow testing hit a 95% success rate.

Design System

I started the NauticWorx design system with a neutral palette and a single accent color, giving the visual language room to scale without competing with the platform's photography-driven brand direction. I built components for every section repeated more than twice and moved through the platform following the customer journey map, designing the main flows in sequence. I covered the full interaction surface — empty states, error messages, success confirmations, and edge cases.

For the brand, the client wanted minimalism, so I led with photography and restrained illustration. I also designed map visuals for 60+ supported regions across Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Americas, the Mediterranean, the Far East, and every continent. The system shipped with approximately 200 components, covered 15 pages, and gave the development team a consistent foundation to build from without ambiguity.

Final Designs

A maritime charter platform operates across two fundamentally different user needs at the same time — professionals searching for equipment and fleet owners managing assets. I designed both sides of that equation, plus the website that brought users into the product. The customer-facing experience centered on search: region, vessel type, availability, and direct contact with asset managers without hidden steps.

The inner platform gave fleet owners visibility and control — inquiry inbox, approval tracking, and a three-step vessel onboarding flow covering details, specifications, and media. The website led with photography and a global region entry point, responsive across desktop and mobile. One design system held all three surfaces together.

Conclusion

The project was launched within the agreed-upon timeline, and we managed to iterate and test the core functionality with high satisfactory results. The project caught the attention of the Dutch government, and we are hoping to reduce the global pollution partially caused by the excess development of nautical equipment, which instead can be chartered between asset owners and businesses all around the globe.

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