Vacation planning (UX case study)
How to design your next vacation
Trip planning can be a daunting process. Where to go, when, for how long, what to see, what to bring… the list of to dos can seem endless.
That’s where UX design comes in. It may sound strange, but I’ve found that the same UX principles ever-present during my work day help me out in other areas my life. For vacation planning, here’s why:
The trip planning process
Planning a vacation is both an analytical and emotional process, and it’s not perfectly linear. It might look something like this:
Seems simple enough. So why my obsession with designing my vacations? Because I want my vacation to be an effortless experience.
I want to make the least possible amount of decisions during my trip—so I need that foundational work to be finished for me before I embark on the experience.
As a content strategist and UX designer, I’ll do the research, strategy, and development for that work, happily. But Planning-Mode Me and Vacation-Mode Me are two very different people. Let’s take a look.
Personas: Planning vs. vacation mode
See? Very different versions of myself. Trip Planner Me has unlimited time, unlimited access to WiFi and a large screen, and is already in work mode—so planning feels natural (and even fun). Vacation Mode Me has limited time, limited WiFi access, and only a phone with limited battery that she’s trying to use for pictures, music, and expense tracking only.
Designing the vacation
So back to the often overwhelming process of trip planning… How do we make that as easy (and repeatable) as possible? This is the approach I’ve used for about five years with lots of success:
Step 1. Make an itinerary
- Start with an idea dump. Get inspiration from friends, Pinterest, travel blogs, etc. Then, list out everything you’re interested in seeing and everywhere you’d like to go.
- Refine with travel buddies. Start a shared Google Doc or Airtable base and have everyone mark up their must-sees. Keep the conversation going. Start eliminating things that aren’t essential.
- Turn it into a day-by-day plan. Take the things everyone wants to see and start figuring out when makes the most sense to see everything. List it out day by day. (Personally, I love fleshing this out a lot. I find it helpful to understand distances, logistics, etc. But you can make it as simple or detailed as fits your style.)
- Book everything! Once you’re set on the basic structure of the trip, book your Airbnbs, car rental, etc.
Step 2. Make a packing list
- Think about what you’ll be doing. Take a look at the itinerary, get a mental picture of possible activities—dressy vs. casual, hiking, spending time in transit (comfort), etc.
- Check the weather for the week. Look at the highest high and lowest low. Make sure you’ll be comfortable in both extremes.
- Pack everything! Pack the essentials plus anything you’ll need for activities and weather.
Conclusion
As a UX nerd who loves to travel, this entire process is admittedly right up my alley. But even if you’re less thrilled about trip planning, this templated approach gives some structure to an otherwise totally open and undefined endeavor. And ultimately it’s not about planning—it’s about doing some legwork up front so you can spend less time making decisions, more time enjoying the trip when you’re in a magical new place. ✨
