Me!
The Scenic Side Snob
If I can’t see the views, what’s even the point?
MEET THE TRAVELLER
MEET THE TRAVELLER
I didn’t know I was this picky until Switzerland.
One side of the train gave me a three-hour slideshow of mossy tree roots. The other side? Lakes. Castles. Golden mountains. The view of a lifetime—missed entirely because I booked my seat like a normal person.
That’s when I realized: I’m not just a traveler. I’m a train romantic with scenic FOMO.
I want the side with light, drama, and cows. The good side. The right side.
Not because I want the best photo—but because I want to feel something.
I didn’t know I was this picky until Switzerland.
One side of the train gave me a three-hour slideshow of mossy tree roots. The other side? Lakes. Castles. Golden mountains. The view of a lifetime—missed entirely because I booked my seat like a normal person.
That’s when I realized: I’m not just a traveler. I’m a train romantic with scenic FOMO.
I want the side with light, drama, and cows. The good side. The right side.
Not because I want the best photo—but because I want to feel something.
I didn’t know I was this picky until Switzerland happened.
One side of the train had mossy roots and grey walls. The other side? Lakes. Castles. Golden peaks. The view of a lifetime, and I picked the wrong seat.
That’s when I realized: I’m not just a traveller. I’m a train romantic with scenic FOMO.
I want the side with light, drama, and cows. The good side. The right side.
Not because I need the perfect photo, but because I want to feel something.
WHAT I NEEDED
WHAT I NEEDED
I didn’t want more choices. I just wanted the right one.
Most travel tools help you pick based on time, price, or class. But no one tells you where the good side is—the side with the cows, castles, or sun spilling across the valley. If you don’t already know the route (or live on train forums), you’re guessing.
The problem isn’t bad design.
The problem is that most apps assume the journey doesn’t matter—only the destination does.
But for someone like me, the view is the point. And right now, that part is completely left to chance.
I didn’t want more choices. I just wanted the right one.
Most travel tools help you pick based on time, price, or class. But no one tells you where the good side is—the side with the cows, castles, or sun spilling across the valley. If you don’t already know the route (or live on train forums), you’re guessing.
The problem isn’t bad design.
The problem is that most apps assume the journey doesn’t matter—only the destination does.
But for someone like me, the view is the point. And right now, that part is completely left to chance.
I didn’t want more choices. I just wanted the right one.
no one tells you where the good side is—the side with the cows, castles, or sun spilling across the valley. If you don’t already know the route YOU’RE EITHER trying to figure it out with google maps or just guessing.
The problem isn’t bad design.
The problem is that most apps assume the journey doesn’t matter, only the destination does.
But for someone like me, the view is the point. And right now, that part is completely left to chance.
UX CHALLENGE
UX CHALLENGE
Design a travel feature that helps people choose the best side—for views, not just time or price.
Design a travel feature that helps people choose the best side—for views, not just time or price.
Design a travel feature that helps people choose the best side - for views, not just time or price.
WHAT I DESIGNED
We board. We scan the rows. We pick a spot.
instead of guessing, this app helps you choose your seat ON THE SPOT based ON where the views are.
Here’s how it works:
You point your phone in the direction the train is going.
The app figures out your location and route.
Then it highlights the window that will give you the better view: maybe it’s a mountain, maybe it’s a cow farm, maybe it’s that one lake everyone posts on Instagram.
If both sides are scenic? Great. Sit wherever the snacks are.
We board. We scan the rows. We pick a spot.
instead of guessing, this app helps you choose your seat ON THE SPOT based ON where the views are.
Here’s how it works:
You point your phone in the direction the train is going.
The app figures out your location and route.
Then it highlights the window that will give you the better view: maybe it’s a mountain, maybe it’s a cow farm, maybe it’s that one lake everyone posts on Instagram.
If both sides are scenic? Great. Sit wherever the snacks are.
We board. We scan the rows. We pick a spot.
instead of guessing, this app helps you choose your seat ON THE SPOT based ON where the views are.
Here’s how it works:
You point your phone in the direction the train is going.
The app figures out your location and route.
Then it highlights the window that will give you the better view: maybe it’s a mountain, maybe it’s a cow farm, maybe it’s that one lake everyone posts on Instagram.
If both sides are scenic? Great. Sit wherever the snacks are.
This could grow into:
Golden Hour Notifications – Sit where the light hits right.
Scenic View Alerts – “Lake coming up on your left in 12 mins.”
Offline Mode – Because internet on trains is a myth.
But the core idea stays small and specific:
Make the right seat choice, right now, without opening Google Maps and six tabs.
This could grow into:
Golden Hour Notifications – Sit where the light hits right.
Scenic View Alerts – “Lake coming up on your left in 12 mins.”
Offline Mode – Because internet on trains is a myth.
But the core idea stays small and specific:
Make the right seat choice, right now, without opening Google Maps and six tabs.
KEY SCREENS: WIREFRAMES
KEY SCREENS: DESIGNS
DESIGNERS NOTES
DESIGNERS NOTES
DESIGNERS NOTES
I didn’t want more choices. I just wanted the right one.
Most travel tools help you pick based on time, price, or class. But no one tells you where the good side is—the side with the cows, castles, or sun spilling across the valley. If you don’t already know the route (or live on train forums), you’re guessing.
The problem isn’t bad design.
The problem is that most apps assume the journey doesn’t matter—only the destination does.
But for someone like me, the view is the point. And right now, that part is completely left to chance.
I didn’t want more choices. I just wanted the right one.
Most travel tools help you pick based on time, price, or class. But no one tells you where the good side is—the side with the cows, castles, or sun spilling across the valley. If you don’t already know the route (or live on train forums), you’re guessing.
The problem isn’t bad design.
The problem is that most apps assume the journey doesn’t matter—only the destination does.
But for someone like me, the view is the point. And right now, that part is completely left to chance.
This started as a small grudge. One missed view, one wrong seat.
Designing for this persona meant embracing the drama and turning it into clarity. I needed one clear instruction at the right time: "Sit on the left."
The design is built to be fast and to-the-point. The right seat, the right view, the right moment, no fiddling through apps mid-boarding.
Because for people like us, the journey is the point. And the wrong side of the train is a personal tragedy.
So I made something that doesn’t let that happen again.
And no, I will not be sharing my seat picks.