Customer-led Technology

Adelaide Airport - Ecosystem

Adelaide Airport Multi-Site Platform Simplifying Traveller Journeys

A unified digital experience platform for Adelaide Airport that simplifies traveller journeys, improves accessibility, and drives measurable growth through a modular, multi-site CMS.

Client: Adelaide Airport

Industry: Aviation, Transport, Infrastructure

Services: Experience Strategy, UX Design, UI Design, Information Architecture, Engineering, Content Strategy, Accessibility

Overview

Adelaide Airport partnered with Deepend to transform a fragmented digital ecosystem into a unified, scalable platform designed around real traveller journeys -driving a 26% increase in revenue and measurable growth in user engagement.

Previously spread across three disconnected websites, the experience reflected internal structures rather than user needs, making it difficult for travellers to find critical information during time-sensitive moments. Deepend reimagined the platform around how people actually navigate the airport, simplifying journeys while enabling internal teams with a modular, efficient content ecosystem.

A person sitting at a lounge at Adelaide airport who is holding a tablet computer, looking at the arrivals webpage

DESIGN IMPACT

Adelaide Airport partnered with Deepend to unify three fragmented websites into a single, scalable digital platform designed around real traveller journeys – driving a 26% increase in revenue and measurable growth in user engagement.

Examples of modules created for the Adelaide airport website ecosystem, across their multiple brands and websites

A person inside Adelaide airport holding their mobile phone with the Adelaide airport homepage on the screen

The Challenge

Three separate websites (Traveller, Corporate, Property) created fragmented experiences
Navigation reflected internal silos, not user needs
Critical information (parking, transport, flights) was hard to find in time-sensitive moments
Content duplication and complex publishing workflows slowed internal teams

The Opportunity

Reframe the experience around real traveller journeys
Consolidate platforms into a single, scalable ecosystem
Improve speed-to-information during critical moments
Enable internal teams with modular, efficient publishing tools

1. Validate requirements with tenants

2. Cluster and prioritise by theme

3. Guide technology selection

4. Design the portal experience

An early storyboard design showcasing someone holding a phone inside Adelaide airport that shows live wayfinding directions

USER EXPERIENCE RESEARCH

“How might we simplify complex airport journeys so travellers can easily find essential information during critical moments, while still supporting operational complexity?”

A sample of quotations and responses from survey participants

A sample of a user experience artifact created for Adelaide airport

Our Approach

Deepend combined on-site traveller research, analytics, and stakeholder collaboration to redesign the platform from the ground up – structuring the experience around key journeys such as arrivals, departures, and pick-up or drop-off.

What We Delivered

UX research (55+ traveller interviews)
Service design
Information architecture
UI design & design system
Engineering (Umbraco multi-site platform)
Content strategy
Accessibility design & integration
Analytics & performance optimisation

A real-time dashboard for Adelaide Airport aggregates operational data including: flight updates, weather conditions, and parking availability.

Impact

+26% revenue growth (YoY)
+7% increase in new users
+8% increase in returning users
Faster access to critical information during time-sensitive journeys
Reduced content duplication and improved publishing efficiency

Problem & Insight

Adelaide Airport’s digital presence reflected organisational structure rather than user behaviour. Travellers - often under time pressure - struggled to quickly find essential information like parking, transport, and flight updates.

Through field research conducted inside the airport, Deepend identified a critical insight:

travellers approach the airport with different needs depending on their journey stage.

Designing for these moments – not internal categories – became the foundation of the solution.

Strategy & Experience Design

The platform was restructured around key traveller journeys:

Arrivals
Departures
Pick-up and drop-off

This reduced cognitive load and made navigation predictable and intuitive.

A unified design system enabled three distinct websites to operate within a cohesive ecosystem:

Traveller: warm, welcoming, experience-led
Corporate & Property: more structured, professional tone

Accessibility was embedded from the outset:

Accessible colour contrast and typography
Dedicated accessibility hub
Sensory maps
Clear, recognisable accessibility entry points

The result is an experience that is intuitive, inclusive, and aligned to real-world behaviour.

A unified design system enabled three distinct websites to operate within a cohesive ecosystem: Traveller with a warm, welcoming, experience-led direction; and Corporate & Property with a more structured, professional tone.

Technology & Delivery

Deepend delivered a multi-tenant Umbraco CMS platform that unifies all three websites while allowing each to maintain a distinct identity.

Key capabilities include:

Modular component library for flexible page creation
Centralised content publishing across multiple sites
Reusable templates to ensure consistency and speed
Scalable architecture supporting future integrations

Delivered across nine agile sprint cycles, resolving over 230 development tickets, the platform evolved iteratively to meet both user and operational needs.