Amtrak’s booking experience worked in the sense that transactions completed. But it was designed around how internal systems operated, not around how people actually plan trips. Flows followed operational logic. Decisions were structured around constraints the user never needed to see.
A transition to Adobe Experience Manager created a rare opening — a moment where the foundation was being rebuilt anyway. That transition became the opportunity to redesign the product, not just migrate it.
Outcomes.
User-centered booking
The experience moved from internal operational logic to traveler intent. Flows reflect how people plan trips, not how Amtrak’s backend processes them.
Assigned seating launched
Introduced seat selection as a new capability — giving travelers visibility and control before boarding. The same interface served travelers booking and conductors managing assignments in real time.
Experimentation enabled
Structured flows to support A/B testing tied to revenue outcomes — shifting design from intuition-driven to evidence-driven, with product and analytics in the loop.
System foundation built
Delivered a design system that gave the organization a shared, production-ready foundation — reducing inconsistency across surfaces and accelerating engineering output.