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ShoreQuest helps UK families co-create meaningful, regenerative day trips with their children—turning local quests into engaging, educational adventures that give back.


#RegenerativeTourism #CommunityConnection #FamilyBond #Educational

Project Type

RCA Individual Research Project

(Team-based)

Category

Tourism

Duration

5 months

My Role

Service Designer · Researcher · UI/Visual Designer · Video Creative

Outcome

A regenerative day-trip platform connecting young UK families with local communities.

Educational and child-friendly activities that turn travel into shared learning experiences.

A tangible prototype demonstrating the overall service journey.

Impact

Reconnected Families – Shared, meaningful travel experiences.

Empowered Children – Learning through participation.

Revitalised Communities – Collective regeneration and pride in place.

Where It All Began


I’ve always been fascinated by how design can shape people’s experiences — especially in travel, where emotion and place intertwine.


When our research revealed how challenging a simple day trip could be for a young British family — and how local destinations were also struggling to balance meaningful visitor experiences with environmental sustainability — we saw an opportunity: to reimagine family travel not as passive consumption, but as shared discovery.

The Tide of Overtourism and Sustainability


a) The gap between intention and behaviour

According to our research, there’s a clear gap between people’s intention and their actual travel behaviour.

Many UK residents express a strong desire to travel more sustainably, yet most of them lack accessible knowledge, tools, or alternatives to turn that intention into action.

This disconnection highlights a need for design to bridge awareness and behaviour change.

ACTION

But, don’t know how to do

59%

Want to embrace greener holiday

INTENTION

51%

b) The environmental cost of aviation

Globally, aviation is one of the main contributors to travel-related carbon emissions.

In the UK, Heathrow Airport alone is recognised as the most polluting physical asset — with other airports also ranking among the top emitters.

This data strongly reinforces our motivation to promote domestic travel as a more sustainable choice for UK residents.

London Heathrow Airport

c) What truly motivates local travellers

Through a survey with over 100 UK residents conducted face to face, we found a strong preference for cultural trips—journeys rooted in heritage, community, and learning.

Participation in regeneration activities is driven not just by environmental concern, but by a desire for authentic cultural engagement and personal growth.

Insights from Key Stakeholders


  • Young Families (Parents & Children)

    Single Parent

    Household

    Single

    Household

    Couple

    Household

    Nuclear Family

    Millennial parents represent a major segment of frequent travellers.

    Among them, families with children aged 8–12 actively pursue educational and bonding experiences during their trips.

    Parents struggle to find authentic, balanced day-trip experiences. Their time for planning is limited, and commercialised online information often overwhelms genuine local options.

    Children, on the other hand, express a clear desire to be involved in travel decision-making — they want agency, not just to follow along.

  • Locals & Local Communities

    Local initiatives for environmental conservation and cultural preservation often lack public awareness.


    Community organisers face difficulties in engaging visitors meaningfully, with limited tools and time to deliver quality, regenerative experiences.

  • Professionals & NGOs

    Environmental professionals and NGOs share a strong awareness of sustainability, but face constraints of time, funding, and manpower.

    Each location presents unique challenges, yet the need for engaging models that connect tourists with community goals is universal..

Personas

A Young Family

Olivia (36), Alex (38), and their daughter Freya (10) live in central London. Seeking a sustainable and educational getaway, Olivia struggles to find authentic information amid time constraints and the flood of commercialised online content.

“We want to give Freya meaningful real experiences during the trips, but it’s hard to find sustainable and educational activities on the internet. Our time is limited due to busy lifestyle”

"I want to get involved decision making of our trips"

Customer Journey Map


Before The Trip

During The Trip

After The Trip

A Local Resident

Benny, a longtime National Trust staff member at the White Cliffs of Dover, has cared for the site for 15 years. Passionate about conservation, he believes tourism can help protect and revitalise the town. Yet most visitors only pass through, making it hard to attract families and create meaningful experiences.

“I want to protect heritage and nature while helping visitors feel more connected”

“I’m trying to reach more families, but it’s challenging to create activities that are both meaningful and engaging”

Framing the Challenge


Insight Statements

Children want to be part of the journey.

They thrive when given a voice in decision-making and when activities are playful, hands-on, and designed for their participation.

Parents seek simplicity and authenticity.

They need easy-to-plan routes that balance children’s curiosity with their own expectations — offering authentic, educational, and environmentally responsible experiences.

Local communities want tourism that gives back.

They value engaging experiences that not only attract visitors but also support environmental regeneration, local pride, and economic resilience.

How might we create engaging family day-trip experiences that sustainably revitalise UK coastal towns?

The Opportunities

What if family travel could do more — helping parents and children reconnect with each other and with the places they visit? By bridging families like Olivia’s with communities like Benny’s, we can turn everyday trips into shared acts of regeneration.

Family Explorer Mode

Community Organizer Mode

With this insight in mind, we set out to design a service that transforms a simple family day trip into a shared journey of learning and regeneration.

We began with the UK’s coastal towns — areas most affected by climate and economic challenges — to create adaptable models that could later extend inland.

Designing the ShoreQuest Experience

From Opportunity to Concepts

To transform the opportunity into an actionable service, we designed an online platform — ShoreQuest — that connects families and local communities through regenerative day-trip experiences.


Our service offers two modes:


  • Family Explorer Mode enables parents and children to co-plan trips through interactive decision-making. By engaging both the parent–child relationship and the child–platform interaction, families can co-create more balanced and satisfying itineraries.

  • Community Organizer Mode empowers local residents and organisations to design regenerative activities — experiences that invite visitors to contribute to local wellbeing while offering educational value.

• Donation

• Membership

• Subscription

• Engaging Events

• Educational Materials

• Platform

• Activity Ideas

• Donation

• Uploading Activities

• Advertisement

• Real Local Info

Olivia’s Family

• Visitors’ engagement

• Donation from visitors

• Awareness of their activities

• Authentic Local Culture

• Meaningful and fun experience

• Hospitality

Benny’s Organisasion

(An Online Platform)

All activities are designed to be child-friendly, using tangible artefacts to strengthen family connection and participation during the trip. Through these dual pathways, ShoreQuest becomes a bridge between meaningful family experiences and community regeneration.

Prototyping with Main Stakeholders

We aimed to validate our service concept and test how families and local experts perceive regenerative day-trip experiences. The prototypes — both digital and physical — helped make abstract ideas tangible, sparking real conversations about needs and expectations.

What we learned & How it informed our next steps

• Deepen children’s learning experience

While families appreciated the child-friendly structure and co-decision-making process, we aim to move beyond gamification — helping children gain a deeper understanding of regeneration through meaningful, hands-on activities.

• Refine the economic model

Experts valued the platform’s community impact but raised valid concerns about the financial realities of non-profit partners. We plan to explore cost-efficient activity design and clarify the platform’s sustainable business model.

• Create engaging and sustainable artefacts

The tangible prototype proved effective for communicating complex ideas, helping both sides visualise the experience. Our next step is to make these materials durable, reusable, and truly child-friendly to ensure long-term engagement.

Bringing ShoreQuest to Life

How ShoreQuest Works

In Dover, Benny loves his town but worries about coastal erosion and the lack of community engagement.

With ShoreQuest, he can now design and share family-friendly activities that protect the cliffs and celebrate local culture.

Once reviewed by our team, his activities appear on the app — ready for families like Olivia’s to discover on their next weekend adventure.

*About “Picturing Graffiti”

Hidden beneath Dover’s White Cliffs, Fan Bay Deep Shelter is a WWII military tunnel rediscovered and restored by the National Trust in 2012. Since 2015, it has welcomed visitors on torch-lit tours that bring Dover’s wartime history to life.

Reel image

A New Way to Plan — Together

Olivia opened Family Explorer Mode and waved Alex and Freya over. Instead of planning alone, they sat together, scrolling and chatting about which seaside town to visit that weekend. 

User Testing

We conducted testing with a range of users, including:

  • A core family who helped us throughout the journey

  • Staff members from the National Trust

  • Random families we approached in public settings

  • And classmates who are also parents

This allowed us to gather insights from different perspectives — from real users, professionals in the field, and those with lived parental experience.

Planning the itinerary together
Experiencing the activities
Co-creating through feedback

Through user testing, we identified what worked well and areas for improvement. Users liked the flow of our app and activities. For improvements, they suggested:


  • Adding a ranking system to compare progress with other families.

  • Allowing activity rewards to be redeemed for discounts or donations within the app.

  • Enabling photo uploads from activities, so families can preserve memories and share them with others.

  • Regarding the subscription model, users are willing to pay, but they preferred if part of the subscription fee could be donated to a charity of their choice.

What we're beginning to see

Current Impact

Often passive participant in parent-arranged trips


Activities are not engaging enough

Looking for inspiration for family-friendly day-trip itineraries


Seeking authentic local experiences


Hoping to create meaningful travel memories with Freya

Want to raise visitors’ awareness of respecting the environment


Hope to involve local residents in co-developing the area


Need financial support

“

We planned the trip together and I got to choose! I found cool graffiti at Fan Bay —it’s like I became part of its story!

“

“

The online community gave us so much inspiration. We had a meaningful time in Dover with Freya, and she even shared what she learned with us. We’ll definitely keep joining activities like this!

“

“

Olivia’s family joined the Fan Bay quest I posted. They helped us improve the site and even made a donation. More people are learning about Dover now, and many local residents have also joined our online community.

“


The service benefits three key stakeholders — parents, children, and local communities.

• For parents like Olivia and Alex, travel is no longer just about destinations but about shared, regenerative experiences that strengthen family bonds and connect them with local culture.

• For children like Freya, the journey becomes participatory and educational, nurturing curiosity and a regenerative mindset from an early age.

• For local organisations like Benny’s, relationships with visitors deepen. Travellers contribute rather than consume, supporting environmental restoration and inspiring residents to take renewed pride in their hometowns.


Value Framework

The design creates value across four dimensions:

Social - Strengthening family bonds

  • Financial - Supporting local economy, helping to improve the quality of local tourism

  • Democratic - Enabling community participation

  • Environmental - Protecting the coastal town environment and culture

Design practices and projects

Organizations using design

Wider effects

Social

Planet

Financial

Democratic

NGOs promote regenerative activities

Leveraging services to get users to donate

Supports local businesses and regenerative tourism providers.

Promote the domestic tourism market.

Increase government investment in and protection of seaside towns

Activities strengthen family bonds.

Raising community awareness of the living environment

Children are actively involved in learning and choosing experiences

People are encouraged to participate in inclusive design

Empowers families to connect through shared decision-making and reflection.

Promoting well-being and community respect

Revitalising coastal environment

Establishing a regenerative mindset towards people

Towards a Regenerative Future

In the coming years, ShoreQuest is envisioned to bring measurable positive change to coastal towns across the UK.

By expanding to city-themed quests, the platform will enable more travellers to connect with local communities, support environmental regeneration, and celebrate regional culture — positioning the UK as a leading example of regenerative tourism.

Beyond Delivery: Showcase & Reflection

The exhibition recreated the ecological landscape of Dover’s White Cliffs, featuring an interactive prototype of the ShoreQuest app.

Visitors explored quests such as tracing carvings and graffiti inside Fan Bay, sensing the fragility of nature through chalk-based interactions, and co-creating visual stories within a booklet.

Within a compact space, the installation transformed into an immersive Dover experience — inviting guests to see, feel, and reflect on regeneration through participation.

a person swimming in the water with grass

During the graduation showcase, we had the chance to engage with many visitors who showed genuine curiosity and encouragement. These conversations became moments of reflection that helped us see our work from fresh perspectives.


One visitor shared that our story felt very familiar — she often travels with her nine-year-old sister, and their family discussions about where to go can take hours. She said she would love to try ShoreQuest, which made us realise that our design truly addresses an everyday challenge faced by many families.


Some visitors were curious about how the concept was developed. Their questions made us reflect on how storytelling and evidence could be better integrated. We realised that transforming our process into a more tangible form — perhaps a magazine or booklet — could make the convert and divert journey more vivid and engaging for the audience.


Talking with people from different backgrounds also reminded us that storytelling is a practice that evolves with context. Each person brings a different perspective, and how we tell our story — the tone, the entry point, the emphasis — should adapt accordingly.


At the end of the exhibition, we also shared our work with the Consultancy Manager at the National Trust, who expressed genuine interest in exploring how ShoreQuest could inspire real-world practices to support young families in future visits. That moment made us feel our project had moved one step closer to creating real impact beyond the showcase.

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