Projects
Travel Design Program
In 2022, Rebecca Henn and I collaborated with the Transformational Travel Council to enhance their Transformational Travel Design Program and capitalize on its experiential nature.
TRANSFORMING THE TRANSFORMATIONAL TRAVEL DESIGN PROGRAM
Rebecca Henn and I collaborated with Tanner Colton, COO of the Transformational Travel Council (TTC), to enhance their Transformational Travel Design Program. The TTC created this unique training program to share their approach for designing meaningful and impactful travel experiences, with the ultimate goal of transforming the tourism industry into a force for good. The program unpacks the TTC’s framework of transformation and provides tools for designers to craft life-changing experiences.
After completing the program, Rebecca and I engaged Tanner, in an interactive co-design process to support the evolution of the program. We had two main objectives: 1) Create a cohesive and structured learning journey by applying the principals of learning design, and 2) Enable learners to embody the teachings through experiential design.
“Kate and Rebecca demonstrated the utmost patience with me while we first fleshed out the story and reason for the course and the journey that I want the students to have. They helped me describe what I wanted to happen in a way that guides my delivery. They both brought their unique knowledge and skill sets to the project in order to have a complete learning journey in the end.
One of the big takeaways for me was the idea that, as the course facilitator, I am the binding thread and need to step into that role to give the students a cohesive and meaningful journey. The other big learning was around how to use certain tools to bind together the before, during, and after of the course in a way that gives solid structure to the course. Lastly, being able to be very selective about content and to value high-quality materials over a high quantity of stuff was a game changer for the course.
In the end, Rebecca and Kate helped me discover an entirely new relationship with the course and have laid the groundwork for much deeper and more meaningful learning for years to come. I couldn't be more grateful.“
—Tanner Colton, COO, Transformational Travel Council
CO-DESIGNING THE JOURNEY
Through a collaborative process with Tanner, we conducted a thorough program audit to better understand the current structure and learning objectives. We also shared our personal experience of participating in the program and the opportunities we saw for improvement. Once aligned on key outcomes, Rebecca and I created a detailed course outline that included learning objectives, content, and resources for each lesson. Finally, we co-designed an unique user journey integrating practices and experiences to deepen participant’s connection to the program materials and facilitate personal transformation.
STRATEGIC GUIDANCE
Rebecca and I connected with Tanner several times to share our experience of the Transformational Travel Design Program, as well as learn his desires for the evolution of the program. Through these conversations we aligned on several key objectives with the primary goal of creating a cohesive and transformative learning journey.
These conversations also unearthed a unique way of structuring the program by aligning the content flow with the TTC’s Framework for Transformation. Using the framework as the foundation for the learning journey, enabled us to design a meaningful learning structure that catered to a travel designers need of understanding how to create transformational experiences, while also creating a personal connection to the travelers experience of transformation.
With this journey-based structure, the TTC was able to refine their marketing communications and program description to connect meaningfully with their target audience.
INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM DESIGN
We developed a systematic and structured process to design the learning experience. First, refining the target audience for the program and defining concrete learning objectives for those participants. Then through an iterative process we structured the program topics into a cohesive sequence following the TTC's Framework of Transformation.
With a clear program structure, Rebecca and I developed individual lesson plans that included learning objectives, content, practices, and resources for each lesson. We also provided timelines for delivering live sessions. This clear and repeatable structure enables the instructor to be better prepared and reduces the administrative load. They also make future updates easier by being able to see how those changes impact the overall learning journey.
TRANSFORMATIONAL DESIGN
With the central tenet of the program seeking to teach travel professionals how to support transformation through the services they provide, it was imperative that we brought the same approach to the learning journey. To do this we mapped out and evaluated the learning journey looking for opportunities to increase engagement and meaning-making. We then integrated practices into the journey that would support participants in experiencing what they were learning.
Having a personal connection to the framework of transformation is important because it enables professionals to think more dynamically about how they integrate the framework into their services, while also creating a deeper understanding of the process they will be facilitating for their clients. Thereby creating a ripple effect towards achieving the TTC’s larger mission of making the tourism industry a force for good.
