Why Travel with REI
REI Adventure Travel is passionate about the outdoors. Their small group travel allows you to connect with like-minded folk from different backgrounds. For over a decade, they have led travelers across a variety of trips and experiences.
-
My role
As the lead designer, I was responsible for research, wireframes, prototypes, usability testing, and delivery.
-
Teamwork
Over the course of this project, I collaborated with 1 product manager, 1 developer, and 1 UX content designer.
-
Timeline
3 months
Problem
REI Co-op's motto is “We believe the outdoors is for all.” Despite having been around for quite some time, their story is largely unknown. Seventy-five percent of their customers are more familiar with REI’s gear and apparel than the trips and experiences they offer.
Awareness wasn’t the only issue. At the time, the About page for Adventure Travel was outdated, full of text, and no longer aligned with the branding of the rest of the Adventure Travel section. With a mission to get more people outdoors, I was tasked with designing a user-friendly experience for customers.
Goal
Redesign the About page to educate and excite prospective customers about the benefits REI Adventure Travel has to offer.
Competitive analysis
-
MT Sobek
MT Sobek is an adventure traveling company that offers a wide variety of information on its About page — ranging from customer stories and reviews to a brief history of the company.
-
Intrepid Travel
With a focus on small group travel and inclusiveness, Intrepid Travel thrives on building connections while exploring the outdoors. The About page is straight to the point, including six reasons why you should travel with their company.
-
Burton
Burton is a snowboarding company that sells gear and apparel. Burton’s About page is a nice mix of engaging photography and storytelling components about the founders, sustainability practices, and fun tidbits on snowboarding. The overall layout is easily scannable and informative.
Content strategy
In addition to conducting research, I worked closely with our UX writer and SEO team to create a framework for producing content in support of the customer journey. The framework was divided into two categories: business needs and customer needs.
The goal for business needs was to build trust and authority with customers by establishing clear content across the website and introduce video elements that showcased past customer experiences.
The goal for customer needs was to motivate and inspire people by directing them to other resources on the site, such as the Co-op Journal.
Explorations
Once we developed a clear strategy for the content, I focused on creating different page layouts. I started with sketches and explored designs that included video content, customer reviews, and big storytelling moments. After the sketching phase I created wireframes that provided structure and a sense for what certain interactions and modules would look like.
I specifically focused on updating the hero component. On the original About page, there was text layered on top of the hero image. As a result, we ran into issues with accessibility and readability. To solve this problem, I created a module that included an image/video block on the left, followed by intro copy on the right.
Moodboard
Photography plays a significant role in the REI ecosystem. It’s what motivates customers to get outdoors. I was intentional in my photo selection process and chose authentic imagery with customers from different backgrounds immersed in the REI Adventure Travel experience.
Modular components
The About page includes modular components that could be used for future designs. This modular approach was efficient, and it helped our team maintain consistency throughout the site. The modular concepts below feature big storytelling moments that could showcase a new trip offering or shed light on the history of the Adventure travel program.
Final design
The final design of the About page starts with the new hero component. It sets the tone for the rest of the page and gets customers excited to explore further. The rest of the page includes fun bits about REI’s unique offerings, stories about the expert guides, a carousel that features REI’s top trips, and customer reviews that solidify why the Adventure travel program is one of a kind experience.
Validation
Once the design was complete, I conducted a quick study to understand what content resonated with users, get feedback on overall impressions and expectations for the page, and find out if users were interested in viewing past customer experiences.
Out of the 8 participants interviewed, 7/8 participants did not know REI offered travel services. 3/8 participants found the customer reviews to be helpful. 2/8 participants liked the idea of including video. 8/8 participants thought the overall page was informative, inspirational, and easy to navigate through.