Humans of Travel

BILLY DUVALLE

®2024

BILLY DUVALLE

®2024

BILLY DUVALLE

®2024

A mildly unhinged design series about real people, real trips, and real UI solutions.

Meet the people

The Professional Unplanner →

Wants the trip, not the effort.

Nico doesn’t travel, he vacations.
No research, no itinerary, no pressure. Just slow mornings, good food, soft walks, and maybe a beer (or three).
He’ll pay more to do less. and honestly? He’s onto something.

UX Challenge:
Design a travel experience that adapts daily to deliver maximum chill with minimum input.

The Peak Curious →

Sees a mountain, needs to know everything

Anna travels with her whole heart and a burning need to know what she’s looking at.
Every peak sparks a question, every horizon a new tab in her brain. Curious, spontaneous, and full of joy, she turns landscapes into stories.

UX Challenge:
Design a camera-based tool that satisfies spontaneous curiosity, identifying mountains and offering insight, even offline.

The Scenic Side Snob →

If I can’t see the views, what’s even the point?

On a train through Switzerland, I realized I was facing tree roots while someone else got the Alps.
That’s when I knew: I’m not just a passenger, I’m a train romantic. Seat numbers matter. Windows matter. A view can change the whole trip.

UX Challenge:
Design a travel feature that helps you pick the best side, for views, not just time or price.

The Traveller with Trust Issues →

Has read 27 reviews before ordering fries.

Elina doesn’t overthink, she just doesn’t trust anything rated below 4.6. She’ll find the perfect spot in minutes, cross-check it in two tabs, and walk in like she owns the place. Once a decision’s made, she’s the best person to travel with, until it’s time to make the next one.

UX Challenge:
Design an interface that helps high-verifying travelers build trust faster without feeling rushed or losing control.

The Sentimental Snapper →

wants to remember everything, but wont do the work

Lisa told me she’s bad at taking photos—not because she doesn’t care, but because she’s too busy living the moment. Later, she regrets it. There’s nothing to show her family. Nothing to scroll through when the trip feels far away. What she needs is a journal that quietly remembers for her.

UX Challenge:
Design a timeline-based memory journal that auto-captures context and brings joy without requiring perfection or effort.

Hello there

Humans of Travel is a design experiment made from real people I’ve traveled with, met, or quietly observed from two rows over. Each one brought their own chaos, comfort, or charm to the journey and I couldn’t help but turn them into design challenges.

This isn’t about building an app. It’s about building empathy.
One traveler at a time.

The faces here are courtesy of Unsplash. I didn’t have pics of the real people (or their permission) so this will have to do (for now). The stories are real, The people are real,just not the ones you see.