My role
Design Lead
Yosemite
Client
Noble Studios
Agency
Website redesign, mobile-first UX, trip planning and lodging discovery
Scope
The Brief
Yosemite.com is the tourism bureau's main tool for getting visitors to Mariposa County. The site looked dated, didn't work well on phones, and didn't serve travelers at every stage of planning. The bureau also wanted people to see Mariposa County as more than a gateway to the park, and to book longer stays in its hotels, cabins and B&Bs.
We identified three goals:
Bring the site up to modern, responsive standards
Make Yosemite.com a go-to source for trip planning and inspiration
Promote lodging throughout Mariposa County
the approach
Designing for mobile first.
Nearly two-thirds of travelers use their phones to plan and book trips, and that share grows every year. So we designed for small screens first. We ran user testing during the design phase to make sure the navigation and layouts felt natural on a phone.
Building itineraries for different trips.
We created itineraries for different kinds of travelers: short getaways, dog-friendly trips, budget-conscious plans and seasonal ideas. That gave visitors inspiration they could act on at every stage of planning.
Mapping the county.
Many visitors don't know how much of Mariposa County lies outside the national park. We designed illustrated maps with filters that show the county's geography and where the lodging is, so travelers can see what's nearby and where to stay.
Making lodging easy to find.
Visitors can filter lodging by type (cabin, resort, B&B, hotel/motel) and by location. This supported the bureau's goals of longer stays and more visits in the off-season and shoulder seasons.
Building a flexible system.
We created custom content blocks and a mega menu so the bureau's team can grow the site themselves. The combination of storytelling and SEO-minded content makes the site easy to find and easy to use.
Results
+46%
lodging referrals
yoy growth
in lodging referrals across the board
+5%
Book Direct referrals
Best in Show
AAF Reno
The outcome
Yosemite.com now does more than point visitors to the park. It's a full trip-planning tool that works well on phones and shows travelers what the rest of Mariposa County offers. Lodging referrals are up, and the site gives the tourism bureau a flexible foundation to keep building on.