designedbypaula

Cactus Air Touch

UX/UI Case study

Contactless access system for the hospitality industry

Overview

Cactus Air Touch is a mobile solution developed in 2020 by Cactus Signage, created to support hotels facing operational and safety challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The system enables contactless access to different hotel facilities (gym, spa, restaurant, elevator), replacing physical keys with digital NFC cards accessible from the guest’s smartphone.

As the UX/UI Designer, I was responsible for


Concept development
Full product experience (Mobile App + CMS)
User flows, interaction design and visual system
High-fidelity prototypes in Figma

A secure and intuitive solution designed to protect guests and staff
while improving operational efficiency during a critical time for the industry.

Context & Problem

Hotels faced new constraints:

❌ Physical keys and cards created hygiene risks
❌ Long queues at reception for card management
❌ Frequent reprogramming due to errors or loss
❌ Lack of control over guest access in real time

Opportunity: A digital, safe and efficient access management system that works from any device.

Goals

For Guests
Safe, contactless access
Simple, recognizable visual system
Clear information at a glance
Mobile-first accessibility

For Staff & Hotel
Real-time control of permissions
Fast card creation & updates
Fewer incidents with lost cards
Optimized operational workflows

CMS - Staff dashboard

A functional and minimal UI focused on operational clarity.

Key features:

✅ Customer registry and check-in synchronization
✅ Door & facility access configuration
✅ Real-time updates synced with hardware
✅ Status alerts and confirmation feedback

Staff can assign, update or revoke access instantly, reducing human error and saving time.

Guest View - NFC Mobile Access

Designed mobile-first with a visually clear card system:

✅ Color-coded facility access
✅ Expiration & permissions visible at a glance
✅ One-tap NFC interaction
✅ Friendly and reassuring visual feedback

The experience makes hotel access fast, hygienic, and frictionless.

UI Design & Interactions

clarity · security · hospitality

Clean, neutral interface for staff focus
Vibrant card gradients for guest recognition
Iconography reinforcing quick comprehension
Large touch targets and strong contrast for accessibility

CMS - Staff dashboard

Outcome

Reduced physical contact
Faster onboarding & access issue resolution
Clear UI flows
Modular design system

Benefit

✅ Improved safety during pandemic
✅ Better guest experience
✅ Higher staff efficiency
✅ Scalable to new hotel services

"Cactus Air Touch proves how UX can transform safety into simplicity
especially when users need it the most.”

Personal takeaways

This project allowed me to design a real-world solution that merged:

User-centered thinking
Technological constraints
Business needs in a post-pandemic context

It strengthened my ability to simplify complexity and deliver a product that adapts to urgent and evolving challenges.