A travel website focused on making holiday planning easy
HoliYeah is a UK based holiday travel platform aimed at helping its users discover, explore and plan their next holiday away without making the process seem daunting.
When working on this project, the main focus was not on ensuring that the website was beautiful. Instead it was about how this travel website could communicate its purpose effectively, help the users discover different holidays and destinations as well as allowing them to compare and move forward with their intended decision quickly and easily.
The Concept
Holiday travel websites have a lot of information to present; from destinations, hotels, packages, prices, dates and types of holidays.
It was this challenge that I felt most drawn to for this project. How could I create a website that had all of this information without overwhelming the user and putting them off engaging with the website in the first place?
My main aim for the project was to create a travel platform that was easy to navigate and allowed a user to explore options for their travel plans as if they browsed through a magazine with inspiring imagery, but with the option to quickly and easily find the information that they were looking for.
Implementation
I have structured the website in a way which reflects the natural thought process of somebody searching for a holiday. From browsing destinations and types of holidays, to narrowing down search criteria and looking at specific travel packages.
Information I felt was important, such as pricing and duration of a holiday or travel package was given in an easily accessible manner. At the same time, I have ensured that not only does the website look appealing, but I have also included elements which give the users peace of mind, such as trust and support information and clear calls to action.
Design and Functionality
When working on this project, one of my main goals was to balance inspiration and information.
When it comes to travel, the purchasing decision is often an emotional one and the imagery and presentation is key to helping a person decide on a particular destination and type of holiday.
However, the functionality of the website was also important to me and I worked to ensure that the website has an intuitive structure, effective search tools and packages. By focusing on this combination of elements, I was able to create an appealing travel website which still provides the user with the information that they require to make a decision.
The key areas that I have focused on when designing this platform include:
- Holiday and destination discovery
- Curated holiday packages
- Search and browsing options
- Destination focused content
- Holiday specific information
- Pricing and duration
- Enquiry and booking process
- Responsiveness in design
- Trust and support information
- Scalability and structure
Approach Taken
Above everything else, I wanted to focus on creating a practical approach when it comes to the design and functionality of the website.
There is a strong temptation to add every extra feature possible to a holiday travel website, but I have worked to keep things as simple as possible without sacrificing any of the most important elements that a user would need or expect. The aim was to ensure that the website has intuitive navigation, the most relevant information is easy to find and that every aspect serves a real purpose.
In this project, my main aim was to create an experience which is enjoyable to browse, but also one which helps the user move through the process of researching for a holiday and making a booking without feeling intimidated or put off by a complex interface.
The Final Result
HoliYeah is a travel website which blends aesthetics and functionality to create an experience which guides the user from destination discovery, to viewing packages and ultimately to making a booking.
In this project, I have worked to bring together the elements that make a travel platform enjoyable to browse, but also provide the reassurance and information which encourages a person to move forward with their enquiry or booking.
