Alessandro L. Piana Bianco
Strategic Innovation & Design — EU / MENA
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Travel & Leisure

End-to-end guest journeys, service blueprinting, booking ecosystems, and trust-critical flows.

OmnichannelAboard + ashore
WayfindingAccessibility-first
EcosystemWallet / ID / commerce
BiometricsPrivacy-aware adoption
BookingIntegration + state model
BrandPortfolio clarity

MSC Cruises — End-to-end digital channels aboard & ashore

Focus: omnichannel guest journey + service blueprinting + scalable patterns across touchpoints

Led experience design across MSC Cruises’ digital channels supporting guest journeys before, during and after a cruise—aligning onboard and shore-side touchpoints into a coherent service model and reusable experience patterns.

Problem
  • Guests interact with many touchpoints (planning, booking, check-in, onboard services, excursions, support). Without coherence, the experience fragments quickly.
  • Digital experiences must match operational reality (availability, schedules, policies) to avoid broken promises and service load.
Constraints
  • Complex service ecosystem with multiple actors and systems (ship operations, hospitality services, bookings/excursions).
  • Connectivity constraints typical of onboard contexts (intermittent network, latency, offline-friendly expectations).
  • Multi-language and accessibility-aware clarity for diverse passenger needs.
  • High trust expectations around identity, payments and itinerary-critical information.
Contribution
  • Mapped end-to-end journeys and service blueprint to align digital touchpoints with backstage operations.
  • Defined reusable patterns for key guest tasks (status, schedules, bookings, confirmations, changes/cancellations, support).
  • Led cross-functional alignment across business, product and delivery teams to converge on priorities and feasibility.
  • Supported delivery through prototypes, specifications and design reviews to maintain consistency across channels.
Artefacts
  • Guest journey map + service blueprint (frontstage/backstage + failure/recovery points).
  • Pattern library for booking-like flows: steps, states, confirmations, errors and recoverability.
  • Content hierarchy guidance for itinerary-critical information.
Outcomes
  • Delivered a coherent guest experience model spanning onboard and shore-side touchpoints.
  • Improved predictability and trust through consistent booking/status patterns and explicit recovery states.
  • Created reusable patterns enabling teams to evolve multiple journeys without redesigning core interactions each time.
Reflections
  • In travel services, operational truth is UX: reliability and clarity drive loyalty more than novelty.
  • Blueprinting exceptions early prevents support debt after launch.

Costa Crociere — Wayfinding experience design

Focus: physical + digital wayfinding + accessibility-aware navigation + clarity under real-world constraints

Designed wayfinding experiences to help passengers navigate complex cruise environments—creating a clearer mental model of spaces and improving orientation through consistent information design and touchpoint alignment.

Problem
  • Cruise environments are inherently complex; guests can struggle to find venues, services and routes—especially under time pressure.
  • Inconsistent labels, maps and directions create avoidable friction and support load.
Constraints
  • Physical environment constraints (signage placement, visibility, safety rules).
  • Multi-language needs and accessibility-aware readability (contrast, hierarchy, clear naming).
  • Consistency required across touchpoints (maps, signage, digital surfaces, printed materials).
Contribution
  • Defined navigation model and information hierarchy: what users need at-a-glance vs in detail.
  • Standardised labels and patterns (naming, symbols, map logic) to reduce cognitive load.
  • Aligned wayfinding touchpoints to common guest tasks and peak-moment scenarios.
Artefacts
  • Wayfinding model: landmarks, zones, routes and key decision points.
  • Naming and signage consistency guidelines.
  • Map/legend system patterns designed for readability and multi-language constraints.
Outcomes
  • Improved clarity and consistency of navigation information across touchpoints.
  • Reduced ambiguity in where am I / where do I go next moments through a stronger system of labels and patterns.
  • Created reusable wayfinding rules that scale across venues and ship contexts.
Reflections
  • Wayfinding is an experience system: the value comes from consistency across many small touchpoints.
  • Accessibility is not a layer — it is the baseline for navigation clarity.

Seven + Qiddiya City (Riyadh, KSA) — Digital ecosystem across parks and channels

Focus: ecosystem experience architecture + wallet/commerce/ID + physical-digital integration + governance

Defined and designed digital products for a large entertainment ecosystem, spanning Wallet, B2C/B2B commerce and Digital ID—integrated across digital channels and connected to physical venue experiences and booking systems.

Problem
  • Create a coherent experience across multiple products and touchpoints (visitor lifecycle, in-park usage, partner interactions) without fragmentation.
  • Align many stakeholders on a shared experience operating system: what stays consistent, what varies, and how trust is maintained.
Constraints
  • Complex integrations across booking, payments, identity and venue operations.
  • Regulated expectations around identity, privacy, consent and security for transactional experiences.
  • Physical-digital continuity: experiences must work in real-world, high-throughput contexts (queues, entry gates, staff-assisted moments).
  • Multi-channel consistency (web/app/on-site touchpoints) and scalability across a growing ecosystem.
Contribution
  • Defined end-to-end journeys and a common core vs local layer model across products and channels.
  • Mapped system touchpoints and dependencies; translated them into delivery-ready requirements and sequencing.
  • Designed trust patterns for high-stakes flows: clear states, confirmations, transparent controls and privacy-aware defaults.
  • Ran cross-functional workshops to converge on product priorities, governance and operating assumptions.
Artefacts
  • Ecosystem journey map + service blueprint.
  • Integration map + dependency sequencing and assumptions.
  • Requirements packs for wallet/commerce/ID (edge cases, acceptance criteria, state models).
Outcomes
  • Delivered a unified experience framework enabling multiple products to be designed and built coherently in parallel.
  • Reduced integration risk by clarifying dependencies and the system contract between products and operations early.
  • Established reusable transactional patterns that support consistent implementation across channels and venues.
Reflections
  • Ecosystem work is governance work: consistency comes from explicit rules, not aesthetic alignment alone.
  • Physical throughput reveals UX truth — states, exceptions and recovery must be designed for real-world conditions.

Miral (Abu Dhabi) — Anti-fraud + facial recognition adoption (privacy-aware)

Focus: fraud prevention + biometric journey integration + privacy/consent requirements

Analysed visitor journeys and defined requirements for fraud prevention and biometric adoption—embedding facial recognition into end-to-end experiences while accounting for privacy requirements, consent, and operational feasibility.

Problem
  • Reduce fraud and improve identity confidence without degrading visitor experience or increasing friction at critical moments.
  • Translate privacy requirements into actionable journey and system requirements.
Constraints
  • Biometrics are trust-sensitive: consent, transparency and clear user control are essential.
  • Operational integration: entry flows, staff interventions, exception handling and fallbacks must be feasible.
  • Security expectations: data minimisation, access controls and auditability requirements.
  • Edge cases: false matches, low-confidence states, cannot enrol, cannot verify, and recovery paths.
Contribution
  • Mapped end-to-end visitor journeys and identified fraud/identity risk points.
  • Defined requirements and experience patterns for enrolment, verification, consent, and fallbacks.
  • Produced privacy-aware guidance: what to explain, when, and how to design control and contestability into the flow.
  • Aligned stakeholders via workshops and clear decision artefacts (scope, assumptions, risks, next steps).
Artefacts
  • Journey + exception catalogue for biometric enrolment and verification.
  • Consent and disclosure patterns (what is collected, why, retention/controls).
  • Requirements set for integrations and operational handoffs.
Outcomes
  • Delivered a requirements baseline for anti-fraud and biometrics adoption aligned to real journey constraints.
  • Reduced ambiguity by explicitly designing edge cases and operational fallbacks.
  • Improved stakeholder alignment by translating privacy requirements into concrete UX/system decisions.
Reflections
  • Biometrics adoption succeeds when consent and recoverability are designed as first-class features.
  • Fraud prevention is an experience problem, not just a technical one.

Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) — Booking systems & platform integration recommendations

Focus: platform assessment + booking/entitlement integration + roadmap recommendations

Assessed booking systems and integration needs for a large destination ecosystem and produced recommendations to improve platform interoperability—clarifying capabilities, dependencies, and sequencing for a scalable rollout.

Problem
  • Booking experiences depend on multiple systems and partners; fragmentation creates inconsistent entitlements, unclear states and operational friction.
  • Leadership needed a clearer integration direction to support future growth and reduce exceptions.
Constraints
  • Multiple systems and vendors with different data contracts and handoffs.
  • Identity and entitlement complexity: what the customer has access to, when, and under which rules.
  • Reliability requirements: booking/status accuracy and recovery handling are trust-critical.
  • Need for pragmatic sequencing: recommendations must be feasible, not theoretical.
Contribution
  • Analysed end-to-end booking journeys and mapped integration touchpoints and failure modes.
  • Defined a state model and source of truth principles for booking and entitlement visibility across channels.
  • Produced recommendations and a phased roadmap aligned to dependencies and operational constraints.
Artefacts
  • Integration map + dependency catalogue.
  • Booking state model and exception/recovery patterns.
  • Phased recommendations: near-term stabilisation + longer-term platform direction.
Outcomes
  • Delivered a structured set of platform integration recommendations designed to reduce fragmentation and exceptions.
  • Improved clarity for delivery planning by making dependencies and source of truth decisions explicit.
  • Created a reusable framework for evaluating booking/entitlement consistency across future initiatives.
Reflections
  • In destinations, operational reliability is a measurable loyalty lever—status accuracy and recovery are the product.
  • Integration clarity prevents invisible fragmentation that only surfaces as customer support load.

Alpitour — Brand architecture redesign

Focus: portfolio clarity + customer understanding + scalable brand-system guidance for digital ecosystems

Redesigned Alpitour’s brand architecture to improve clarity across a portfolio—creating a stronger system for how offers, sub-brands and customer-facing experiences connect across channels.

Problem
  • Portfolio complexity can confuse customers and dilute value if brand relationships and offer structure are unclear.
  • Digital ecosystems need consistent naming and hierarchy to reduce friction in discovery and decision-making.
Constraints
  • Multiple offers and business priorities needing a coherent customer-facing narrative.
  • Need for a system that can scale across channels and future portfolio evolution.
  • Balance brand clarity with operational and commercial realities.
Contribution
  • Mapped portfolio structure and customer decision logic; identified confusion points and overlaps.
  • Defined brand architecture principles, naming hierarchy and relationship rules.
  • Translated brand structure into practical guidance for digital navigation and content hierarchy.
Artefacts
  • Portfolio map + decision logic model.
  • Brand architecture rules (hierarchy, naming, relationship guidance).
  • Digital implications: navigation/content hierarchy recommendations.
Outcomes
  • Delivered a clearer portfolio system that improves customer comprehension and supports consistent digital representation.
  • Reduced ambiguity for teams by establishing explicit rules for brand relationships and naming.
  • Created a foundation for scalable, coherent cross-channel experiences as the portfolio evolves.
Reflections
  • Brand architecture is experience architecture: clarity in structure reduces cognitive load and improves decision confidence.
  • Systems win over slogans — the value is in rules teams can apply repeatedly.