Wanderlust Self-Driving
Hotel Room
Future Autonomous Travel Experience
Client
Work
Newell Brands
Research
Strategy
Industrial Design
Packaging
Branding
User Experience
User Interface
This project was my master thesis while at ArtCenter College of Design. Traveling can be difficult to manage and we spend far too much time carrying bags, making reservations and waiting in lines. Wanderlust helps you maximize your vacation time and minimize your effort to find those unique and special experiences you really want while taking care of your trip logistics in the background
The main objective of the project was to explore van-life and see if there were opportunities for design in that space. The current trend of living and traveling in a vehicle has become a cultural phenomenon, with custom vans and recreational vehicles popping up on Dwell and on social media. Some social media influencers even have over a million follows and there are many others. It has become the cool thing to do. My goal was first to understand this space more and reflect on my own van-life experience to find new business opportunities.
“In person interviews and thought exercises help me understand what people really feel, think, and desire.”
I spent months doing intensive research with this new type of traveler, and early user interviews gave me a broad understanding of the topic. After that, I employed several analysis tools to find meaningful insights and opportunities. The tools include the KJ method, POEMS + A&I Framework, User Experience framework, User Experience framework, Ethnographer Questions, and PINSTO (problem, need, system challenges, themes, insights, and opportunities)
“People want to share their experiences, they want the story of their life to be more interesting!“
I found four key insights about what people want during a travel experience. These insights help me understand what people enjoy about traveling differently and what they might want in their travel experience now and what they might want but is not available.
“What is the experience that these travelers dream of in the future?
The overall design language of the Wanderlust has an “open to nature” feel with lots of windows to the outside surrounding the vehicle. The repetition of shapes, and branding colors, and detailing make up the overall look. The door can also be opened to the outside to give additional space. This adds to the “escaping urbanism” feeling Wanderlust customer are looking for.
Wanderlust has an elegant yet simple design focusing on the outside environment while also adding enhancing travel features like the mixed reality windows and on-demand delivery, documentation, and entertainment services. The core values travelers want is to escape their urban life and have a unique one of a kind experience. All the finishes give a more natural yet premium feel. Its shape conveys a feeling. The external graphic, the look of the vehicle, and the branding element promote brand awareness.
How branding brings a high-end yet nature feel to the WanderLust experience
The Wanderlust brand reinforces that natural yet simple vibe. The topographic graphic adds unique brand recognition. The blue color is only seen when someone is inside of the Wanderlust experience. It represents the sky when you are looking out of the Wanderlust vehicle. The box surrounding the logotype pay tribute to the shape of the vehicle.
Wanderlust’s strategy from now moving into a self-driving hotel room future
Wanderlust’s itinerary app and luxury travel vans are the first moves toward a new autonomous travel experience.
The Wanderlust travel app is the first strategic move toward building this experience. The itinerary planning app and website let you coordinate your trip. It keeps all purchase in on place from activities and food, to entertainment and premiere travel destination campuses. It also lets you coordinate with all the people on your trip what activities you are planning and let them add new ones to that same trip. When the trip is finished the traveler get one bill to review and pay. The itinerary planning app simplifies the traveling experience.
Wanderlust luxury travel vans are the second strategic move toward building this experience. They let us get people out using the Wanderlust app and trying out our local partners. Local partner provides cleaning, food, and activity services to Wanderlust travels. The travel vans also let us maximize the experience before self-driving vehicles come online. Building these vehicles with partners help us brand the experience as the Wanderlust experience
