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Simpleview Inc.

Destination Websites

At a glance

The problem

Tourism boards needed websites that more people could find and use. Visitors arrive from many entry points, and some got lost.

My role

I worked with destination teams to redesign their websites end to end. SEO, analytics, and heatmaps guided the design. Then I tested with users and worked with developers through launch.

The outcome

Every redesigned site rose in search rankings and traffic. Visitor journeys improved across web, mobile, and native. Accessibility helped the sites reach more people.

Overview

Simpleview Inc. works with tourism boards and destination marketing organizations to help them promote their cities and regions online. It gives destinations the digital tools and services they need to attract visitors, promote local businesses, and grow tourism. That includes website design, mobile experiences, content management systems, CRM platforms, and digital marketing support.

I worked with destination marketing organizations. My goal was to redesign their websites and digital experiences. I used SEO and analytics to help more people find them in search. I also made every path through each site smoother and easier, wherever visitors start.

Destinations I designed for: Visit Richmond, Bellevue, Golden, Los Cabos, and Greater Palm Springs.

The Visit Richmond homepage: the bold headline “While you weren’t looking, Richmond got cool” beside a photo of street art.
The Visit Richmond homepage.
The Visit Bellevue homepage: the word “Welcome” in large outlined letters over a photo of a family walking past a waterfall.
The Visit Bellevue homepage.
The Visit The Woodlands homepage: a full-width blue video banner reading “Serenity along the waterway,” with a hotel search bar below.
The Visit The Woodlands homepage.

Project Approach

1. Discover

  • Led stakeholder workshops to set business goals, success measures, and technical limits
  • Studied SEO results, Google Analytics data, and heatmaps to find patterns and opportunities
  • Reviewed how each site performed, where visitors entered, and how they converted

2. Define

  • Built personas based on traveler research and analytics
  • Created journey maps, user flows, and information architecture recommendations
  • Shared research findings and agreed with clients on UX strategy and design direction

3. Design

  • Made low-fidelity wireframes to test structure and content order
  • Revised designs based on client and stakeholder feedback
  • Delivered high-fidelity responsive web and mobile mockups, including native and touchscreen experiences
  • Set a visual direction that matched each destination’s brand and stories

4. Validate

  • Wrote usability test plans
  • Ran user tests to find pain points and ways to improve
  • Summarized findings and improved the designs

5. Build & Collaborate

  • Worked closely with developers to refine components, interactions, and how pages adapt to screen size
  • Made sure designs could be built and the user experience held up during development
  • Ran design reviews before launch

6. Launch & Enable

  • Supported each launch and checked the site after it went live
  • Trained clients to use their CMS so they could manage their own content
  • Gave recommendations to keep improving site performance
A word cloud of a destination’s top 25 search keywords, led by “cape san blas” and “port st joe.”
A destination’s top 25 search keywords, sized by how often people searched them.
A heatmap over a destination web page about places to stay, showing where visitors clicked and scrolled most.
A heatmap showing where visitors clicked and scrolled.
A traveler persona card for “Calvin, 34, The Adventurer,” with a photo, a short biography, goals, frustrations, motivations, and personality scales.
A traveler persona built from analytics and research.
Low-fidelity wireframes for the Visit Richmond homepage: a dark hero with the headline “While you weren’t looking, Richmond got cool,” followed by gray blocks for About Richmond, the Richmond blog, and Richmond events.
Low-fidelity wireframes for the Visit Richmond homepage.

Artifacts Delivered

Research & Discovery

  • SEO audits with ranked recommendations
  • Google Analytics performance reviews
  • Heatmap analysis
  • Personas based on analytics and destination data
  • Competitor analysis (when needed)
  • Journey maps of today and the future
  • User flows and information architecture documents

UX & UI Design

  • Low-fidelity wireframes (web and mobile)
  • High-fidelity web and responsive mobile mockups
  • Native app designs for iPad and large interactive touchscreens
  • Interactive prototypes for stakeholder review
  • Component and interaction specs for developers
  • Accessibility and UX best-practice recommendations

Validation & Testing

  • Usability test plans
  • Moderated and unmoderated user tests
  • Findings reports with recommendations
  • Design updates based on feedback

Collaboration & Delivery

  • Design review workshops
  • Client presentations and alignment sessions
  • Working sessions with developers
  • CMS training guides and client materials
  • Help measuring performance after launch
Three of the old destination websites before the redesign: a busy, photo-heavy Cumberland page, the Visit Midland page with bright Stay, Eat, Play, and Shop buttons, and the old orange Visit Bellevue page.
Three old destination websites, before the redesigns.
Full-length pages from three redesigned destination sites side by side: Experience Columbus, Los Cabos, and Greater Palm Springs, each with large photos and clear sections.
Redesigned sites for Columbus, Los Cabos, and Greater Palm Springs.
The top of a collage of three more redesigned destination sites: Hawaii and Visit Richmond with its featured blog posts, shown at desktop and phone sizes.
Redesigned sites for Hawaii, Richmond, and Golden.

Alex has continued to show that he is a quick, organized designer who is very passionate about UX. He consistently provides solutions and recommendations that are well researched and thought out.

Lisa LoveCreative Director, Simpleview

Project Outcomes

  • Every redesigned destination site rose in organic search rankings and traffic. SEO audits, Google Analytics, and heatmaps showed where to improve. They pointed to entry pages and the most valuable user paths.
  • Improved user journeys and engagement. Redesigned web, mobile, and native experiences with UX best practices and accessibility. Content is now easier to find.
  • Built accessibility best practices into the redesigns. They reach more people and make the sites easier to use for many kinds of travelers.
  • Showed that UX helps drive revenue. I presented at company and client events. I showed how user-centered design and accessibility help destinations grow.
  • Made delivery smoother by working closely with developers and stakeholders from start to finish. That cut rework and confirmed designs could be built before launch.

Alex's initiative and self motivation continues to be one of his strong points professionally. His ability to hold himself accountable to his own high standards make him relatively self managed.

Cyndy NeighborsCreative Director, Simpleview