KAYAK Travel:
the First Brick
and Mortar
Timeline
2 months
Company brand experience is vital to attract customers to invest in a company. KAYAK is an online travel website that never has a physical presence. The goal is to design a moving branded experience, interaction, and environment for KAYAK to physically convey the brand's identity, personality, and value to its customers.
KAYAK TRAVEL in Pittsburgh is the first KAYAK pop-up shop experience globally. It translates the KAYAK online exploration tools to a physical destination exploration experience, linking the physical experience to the digital platform. The space and interactions emphasize KAYAK's values: desire, achievability, ownership, and autonomy. Moreover, it creates a community to share and exchange desires.
Company Research
I collaborated with Aisha during the research phase. We did in-depth research on KAYAK, a travel metasearch service website, allowing the customer to search, compare and explore travel itineraries, including airline, train, and cruise tickets, cars, accommodation, from hundreds of travel websites.
KAYAK encourages desires and tells stories through the exploration tools, makes customer’s desire achievable through objective and transparent comparison tools, and provides customer ownership and autonomy by allowing easy customization.
Generate Insights
Based on the insights from our research, we categorized into three central KAYAK’s values:
Encourages desires and tells stories through exploration actions.
Makes desires achievable through transparent and objective comparison tools.
Provides customer ownership and autonomy through complete customization.
Defining Concept
The objective is to bring KAYAK online desire, achievable ownership, and autonomy qualities to the physical, linking the digital platform with the physical form.
I chose to translate the destination exploration aspect of KAYAK online services to the physical destination exploration experience.
This aspect of KAYAK provides travel destinations based on customer preferred time, budget, temperature, activities, or countries through the transparent and objective comparison service.
Interaction Design
How does a digital service company extend its brand and products to customers in times of digital information overload?
To design interactions that align with KAYAK values, I brainstormed action that matches the company’s values.
Scenario
Having envisioned the service interaction and pop up form, I iterated multiple experience scenarios.
Form Exploration
My intention of implementation reflecting client's values:
Tear-drop form: 360 degree with motion and flexible spaces
Two-sided outward bend information panel: an inviting entrance
Circular transparent wall panels: Translucent material wall with projecting scenery metaphors KAYAK's data transparency
Olive green top: Camouflage effect at the park environment
Concave slanted ceiling: Creates open space for air to flow in and out and adapts to weather changes, collecting and navigating raindrops to one spot.
Mirror Interior ceiling: Projected with lights to create an immersive space
Prototyping
I prototype the pop-up in 3D models with acrylic board, acrylic sheets, mirror sheets, and prints.
