Designing the place to visit before, during and after your next trip.

SITUATION

Named One of the Twelve Essential Travel Websites and Best of the Web by Forbes, RealTravel is a travel planning, blogging and information website. Its a convenient, engaging place for real people to find and share travel advice and experiences. In 2005, RealTravel came to T4G looking for a redesign of its home page. RealTravel wanted a user interface that not only encouraged people to read the site but also to contribute their own content. This initial project led to other collaborations, including a redesign of the sites Destinations section, plus the design of the new My Trip Planner tool.

SOLUTION

Since much of RealTravels content is developed by users in the form of blogs, reviews and pictures, T4G created a concept that was inspired by personal travel journals. The home page interface incorporates the textures and colours of old-style journals into a design that is carried throughout the site. Along with providing a fresh look, T4G worked with RealTravel to set up a more organized experience for users as they navigate the site, making it easier to find or contribute content.

The next project was an overhaul of the sites Destination section, where users can explore travel blogs, photos, reviews and maps by geographic location. A revised design and information architecture allows users to investigate various travel destinations with ease.

T4G then had the opportunity to collaborate on a new feature for the site, the My Trip Planner tool. This free service gives users the tools they need to plan the perfect trip. T4G designed the My Trip Planner user interface so that people can research destinations, build and share personalized itineraries, and create their own blogs and reviews. With so many options available to users, keeping the design simple and intuitive was key.

RESULTS

RealTravel is very happy with its partnership with shark!. Having established a process of rapidly designing and developing small areas of the website at a time, RealTravel can update and modify the site in fast and efficient manner, allowing them to keep pace with the demands of users. This ability for growth and adaptation has made RealTravel a favourite among travelers and the industry. In 2006 the site won the Standard of Excellence Award from The Web Marketing Associations WebAwards and was listed as Best of the Web for Trip Planning by Business Week Online.

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