We’ve mentioned before that we’ve been working with STA Travel for the “2010 World Traveler Internship” Program. In case you’re not familiar with how this works, every year STA Travel selects two interns and puts them on a world tour. Actually, they select two from the U.S. and this year an additional two will be selected from the UK. The selected interns will be going to some amazing places, and part of the job is for them to blog all about their worldly experiences.
This year the website takes on three forms, the first of which will be to allow applicants to apply for the internship. Interns will be guided through an application where they submit content about themselves. Key to this process is for applicants to submit a video where they have a chance to demonstrate to STA Travel why they believe they would be qualified to be the next World Traveler Intern(s). We’ve purposely constructed this website to specifically feature: (1) application process (2) applicant finalist selection (3) the trip itself!
Here’s some content from the website that describes further what this is all about:
The 2010 World Traveler Internship gives two people the chance to traverse the globe experiencing a number of travel adventures and showcase their experiences daily with videos, pictures and blogs.
Our Interns will be responsible for describing everything they do with the ultimate goal of inspiring other students and young people to become World Travelers!
Traveling side-by-side, they’ll travel through South America, Australia, Asia, and Europe capturing the essence of life as a World Traveler.
The team at STA really wanted to up the game this year so we worked particularly hard on building a user experience that would:
- Heighten and extend the brand of STA Travel
- Share the culture and enthusiasm of the STA Team and all constituents associated with this program
- Create an application process that is simple and straightforward
- Attract a larger number of applicants
- Inspire travel to those who visit the website
- Feature applicants and their contributions
- Showcase previous destinations
Building comprehensive user experiences are never a small feat. It certainly takes design skill with a sensibility to what users actually need in order to help them perform a given task. It’s critical to get the point of the brand across, to establish the emotional connection. To get the message across, quickly and clearly. To inspire them to go deeper into the website and to ultimately participate.
The design of the website is carefully balanced with a relatively modern look and feel, incorporating wood veneer desktop surfaces, travel stickers, weathered paper backgrounds, beautiful destination photos, a world map, and many more visual elements that celebrate the experience of travel.
Additionally, it was imperative to recognize that the application process needed to be as simple as possible. Starting on the home page, first time applicants simply need to enter their first name, last name, and email address. They will receive an email with their username and password that will allow them to log in and begin the process of submitting their application.
It’s important that applicants submit a 100% complete application, and there are a few little helpers along the way to assist them. As information is added, a status indicator of percentage complete displays how far into the process the applicants are. Additionally, there are some handy reminders assisting applicants and encouraging them to use proper techniques for submitting applications.
STA Travel started the World Traveler Internship in 2007. This year, some excitement has been added with STA Travel partnering with mtvU to spread the word!
Overall we’re excited and proud of the work we’ve been able to do with the STA Travel team. Once again this is a perfect example where great working partnerships built on trust, respect, experience, and passion for one another’s businesses, fosters innovative thinking in design and user experiences. We’re anxious to see how this all progresses.
Thanks , , , , and Alex. You guys are the bestest.
And, last but not least, thanks to our crew here at RD2. You guys keep innovating and delivering great work. Nicely done!
Screenshots
The screenshot below is of the Home Page of the 2010 World Traveler Internship. There are eight themes for the home page representing the destinations the interns will be visiting. This particular Home Page represents the Istanbul, Turkey theme.
The screenshot below is of the Home Page of the 2010 World Traveler Internship. This particular Home Page represents the Kyoto, Japan theme.
Below is a screenshot of the 2010 World Traveler Internship map. This map showcases the destinations for the Interns for the up and coming internship. Each location on the map hyperlinks to the corresponding location on the page below, where you can learn more about that country through feature posts or you can book a trip to that location.
The screenshot below showcases the 2010 STA World Traveler blog. The header of this blog gives convenient access to the locations, giving some visual inspiration for each location and setting the tone for the content of the blog. It is on this blog that the travels and destinations of the interns will be featured.
No better way to complete an internship while traveling the world!