Fizz Frontier

Branding, Packaging, Social Media Direction
Art direction
Caleb Heisey
Project year
2022
Institution
Tyler School of Art & Architecture

Transparent, data-driven design and stunning visual abstractions deliver a cutting-edge soda experience that transcends conventional limits.

Fizz Frontier does not just claim to be a healthy soda; it lets its ingredients and innovation do the talking The packaging design puts the display of nutritional information front and center. But its not just function over form here. This sleek and attractive visual presentation ensures that the brand stands out while the futuristic direction takes health-conscious design to a new level. Come join the frontier of healthy soda.

"Travel planning is like a puzzle - with countless pieces that need to fit together perfectly."

The Puzzle of Travel Planning

Travel planning is like a puzzle - with countless pieces that need to fit together perfectly. From choosing a destination, to finding affordable flights, coordinating transportation and lodging, and building an itinerary, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of details to consider.

For many people, the idea of travel is exciting - as it should be. Unfortunately, the complex planning involved to fully realize these goals creates unnecessary barriers. This often prevents people from realizing their travel goals. It's a complex process that requires careful attention and consideration of numerous factors. Those who take planning into their own hands maintain a sense of control and flexibility, but have to juggle managing budgets, navigating multiple services for airfare, rentals, and lodging, and planning an itinerary often around tight time constraints. On the other hand, those using travel agents can find themselves limited in their options. For a higher cost, they are able to offload some of the challenges onto an experienced agency, but lose out on the personalization and control.

Travel should be an opportunity that is as accessible as it is exciting. So what if there was a solution that provided the best of both worlds - personalized travel planning that feels attainable and exciting, while also giving you control? Introducing Odyssey - a service that utilizes a comprehensive quiz to create personalized travel plans and itineraries that cater to your interests and needs. With Odyssey, you can eliminate the stress and hassle of travel planning while still retaining control and customizability, making your travel dreams a reality.

Find Your Way with Odyssey

Odyssey meets the needs of the modern traveler, providing a unique space for exploration and discovery that meets the personal goals and motivations of each individual.

What makes Odyssey truly exceptional is its commitment to understanding each user's needs and preferences. By placing control in the hands of the user, Odyssey empowers travelers to take the reins and discover their ideal destinations. With personalized recommendations and tailored itineraries, it serves as a guide that takes into account every user's unique interests and desires. Whether you're indecisive, curious, adventurous, overwhelmed, or budget-conscious, Odyssey makes it easy to find the perfect getaway. Unlike other travel services, Odyssey prioritizes the individual, ensuring that every journey is personalized and attentive to the user's needs. With Odyssey, you can trust that your travel dreams will become a reality, taking you exactly where you want to go.

Research for Design

Creating an immersive and engaging travel planning experience with organized, clean layouts that seamlessly blend beautiful imagery with intuitive interaction.

Crafting a Diverse Set of Users

After conducting extensive research and gathering information on how people approach travel planning, three user personas were created. These personas represented potential audience members and helped guide and inform design decisions. By considering the needs and preferences of these generated users, which had very different, but realistic sets of needs, Odyssey could cater to a diverse range of travelers.

Instead of settling for a one-size-fits-all solution, Odyssey's design approach was tailored to meet the extremes of each persona while also accommodating everything in between. As a result, the service could ensure that every user could find a travel experience that perfectly aligns with their individual preferences. These research methods allowed Odyssey to cater to the unique needs of each user and provide a more personalized experience, ultimately setting it apart from other travel planning services.

Empathy Mapping

To create an intuitive and user-friendly experience, it was crucial to have a deep understanding of people's attitudes toward the travel planning process. To achieve this, empathy maps were generated for each of the three users. These explored how they would interact not only with Odyssey but with other travel services, and travel media, or engage in travel conversation. Considering the thoughts, feelings, and actions of the user at every stage of the design process allowed for a more informed, engaging, and comprehensive travel planning service.

Odyssey can better cater to the needs and preferences of its audience by taking into account each user's perspective and understanding their motivations, This approach helped to identify potential pain points in the travel planning process and to find solutions to mitigate them. The empathy maps allowed for a service that not only fulfilled the functional requirements but also delivered a seamless and enjoyable experience that met the emotional and psychological needs of the user. Ultimately, this process allowed for the design to resonate with users, leading to a more fulfilling and enjoyable travel planning experience.

Paper Prototyping & Wire Framing

Paper prototyping and wireframing were crucial steps in the design process. In the early stages of development, paper prototyping was used to quickly sketch out ideas and explore low-fidelity user interfaces. Story boards were created for the larger animation moments, giving a solid base to the site's rewarding moments. Wireframing took those sketches to a higher level of detail and refinement, but allowed for functionality testing without distraction.

Design Approach

Creating an immersive and engaging travel planning experience with organized, clean layouts that seamlessly blend beautiful imagery with intuitive interaction.

An Immersive Welcome

The Odyssey homepage offers a captivating first impression with a stunning fullscreen image of the featured location, instantly transporting users to a new destination. To add another level of immersion, the user is greeted with localized "hello" and information on local time and weather. This warm welcome ignites the user's imagination and excitement. The page also includes country outlines on either side, subtly encouraging users to explore new destinations and sparking their wanderlust.

Odyssey's quick trip planner is conveniently accessible from the homepage. By simply entering the number of travelers and departure location, users can receive a general estimate of costs and available accommodations. The website's seamless user experience presents information progressively and in an organized manner, avoiding overwhelming users with an abundance of information. Odyssey provides bite-sized pieces of information that expand upon the user's interests and engagement.

For users who wish to delve deeper into a specific destination, Odyssey provides detailed information on cities, cultures, activities, food, and more. The website's user-friendly interface allows for easy navigation, and the provided information is relevant and easy to understand. This approach ensures that users can explore destinations on their own terms, without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated by a flood of information.

This initial user interface offers an enjoyable and informative travel planning experience from its captivating homepage to its user-friendly trip planner and detailed destination information.

Crafting a Design System

Creating an exceptional design system was necessary for Odyssey's success. A well-thought-out typographic system and color scheme was vital to convey a legible, sleek, and enticing feel, while evoking a sense of travel and sophistication. The font pairings and color palettes maintain consistency throughout the site.

The heavily interactive nature of the platform called for a very clear and consistent set of buttons and icons that were not only intuitive but also functional. By implementing an easy-to-use design system, users can effortlessly navigate the site and enjoy a seamless, personalized travel planning experience.

Balancing Striking Visuals with Information

Odyssey's design system is built around visually striking and informative cards that provide users with a glimpse into a location or activity. Each card features a captivating title and background visual that entices users to explore further. The clean and uncluttered design approach creates an attractive and accessible user interface that avoids overwhelming users with unnecessary information.

To enhance the user experience, these cards incorporate interactive features such as a subtle zoom effect on hover, encouraging users to engage and explore more. When a user interacts with a card, a brief description and call-to-action buttons are revealed, making it easy for users to visit a dedicated page or bookmark the information for later. The use of cards also ensures that the information presented is concise and easily digestible, making it easier for users to compare and contrast different destinations or activities. This design approach offers an intuitive and organized way for users to explore and plan their trips while allowing them to tailor their travel experiences to their unique needs and preferences

Destination Discovery Tool

The standout feature of Odyssey is its Destination Discovery quiz, designed to accurately capture the user's travel preferences while remaining user-friendly and engaging. The challenge was to strike a balance between gathering the necessary information and not overwhelming the user. Unlike other online quizzes that can feel tedious and unfulfilling, Odyssey's Destination Discovery provides an interactive experience that captures attention and establishes trust with accurate results.

The quiz is broken down into five short phases, each with its own set of engaging visuals that allow users to start envisioning their travel experiences. Users can track their progress and skip ahead at any time, making the quiz feel like a personalized journey that they control. The quiz's sections are thoughtfully designed, using a mix of like-dislike cards, drop-and-drag lists, sliders, and other selection methods to keep the pages fresh and engaging. It sets a new standard for online travel planning as a fun and enjoyable way to discover destinations.

User Profile and Itinerary Builder

To ensure an efficient and streamlined travel planning experience, Odyssey consolidates all of the user's trip-related information in one centralized location. The user profile page and itinerary builder allow users to quickly access their upcoming trips, view and edit their itineraries, and even revisit past trips for reference.

The trip builder serves as a convenient hub for all trip-related information, including flights, lodging, and rentals. The drag-and-drop tile system allows for easy organization and rearrangement of lists by date, creating a comprehensive and visually pleasing overview. The interface strikes a balance between being comprehensive and easily navigable, ensuring that users can access all the necessary details without feeling overwhelmed.

Conclusions

The standout feature of Odyssey is its Destination Discovery quiz, designed to accurately capture the user's travel preferences while remaining user-friendly and engaging. The challenge was to strike a balance between gathering the necessary information and not overwhelming the user. Unlike other online quizzes that can feel tedious and unfulfilling, Odyssey's Destination Discovery provides an interactive experience that captures attention and establishes trust with accurate results.

The quiz is broken down into five short phases, each with its own set of engaging visuals that allow users to start envisioning their travel experiences. Users can track their progress and skip ahead at any time, making the quiz feel like a personalized journey that they control. The quiz's sections are thoughtfully designed, using a mix of like-dislike cards, drop-and-drag lists, sliders, and other selection methods to keep the pages fresh and engaging. It sets a new standard for online travel planning as a fun and enjoyable way to discover destinations.