Since 1997, Arizona Outback Adventures has offered guided outdoor trips across the great American West from road cycling and mountain biking to hiking and backpacking trips. For their ever-growing business, AOA wanted a modern inspiring site to propel them into 2019 and beyond. The new fully responsive site solidifies AOA as the adventure travel organization in Arizona. The results are clear: the new site improved the conversion rates by over 40 percent.
Role: UX & Visual Design | Launch: October 2018
Video | Homepage Animations
To cut down on clutter and merchandise the browsing experience, the main navigation focuses on AOA’s four main business offerings. Because AOA’s audience data shows that their customers have very different mindsets and price-point expectations when it comes to day trips vs. multi-day trips vs. bike rentals, it made sense to segment the tour-finding process by business vertical, but still allow easy access to each of them. On desktop, the navigation leverages AOA’s incredible photography to create a visually immersive navigational experience.
Customers can get outside faster with a tour finder that is as beautiful as it is functional. Iconography paired with summary information for each tour makes it easy for users to differentiate AOA’s extensive tour offering. A robust left-hand filtering system is both familiar to and powerful for users who are looking for something specific.
The website redesign presented AOA with the opportunity to further define their visual identity. During the visual design phase, my design colleague and I used design surveys and moodboards to hone in on the desired brand direction for the website. We intentionally chose a limited UI color palette of blues, warm greys, and white to stand out against the photography featuring the earthy reds, yellows, and greens of the American Southwest. As for typography, we paired Soleil with Aktiv Grotesk for an approachable modern look with just enough character.
Since the launch of the site, REI Co-op acquired AOA in February 2019, a move which strengthens their existing 15+ year partnership. AOA remains dedicated to offering even more life-changing outdoor experiences.
CREDITS — Work done at 829 Studios. Design in collaboration with Michael Worthington, designer extraordinaire.