An AR scavenger hunt where participants explore their city while uncovering clues about a faraway mystery destination. As they collect these breadcrumbs, they try to guess the hidden city. This layer reinforces that TripAdvisor isn’t just about local exploration, but connecting people to places around the world, letting them experience travel and discovery even close to home.
Trip Quest
•
An AR scavenger hunt experience
10 week solo academic project
Context
Over ten weeks, I developed a brand activation pop-up for TripAdvisor, a brand I chose to explore for this project. I spent the first three weeks researching the brand and building insights to guide the direction of the experience, while also practicing client-style presentations to better communicate ideas. The next four weeks focused on concepting and refining the activation, followed by three weeks of making and prototyping to bring it to life.
The final concept, Trip Quest, is an AR scavenger hunt experience that invites participants to explore their local city while uncovering clues about a mystery city abroad, tying local discovery to TripAdvisor’s focus on travel and exploration.
The final concept, Trip Quest, is an AR scavenger hunt experience that invites participants to explore their local city while uncovering clues about a mystery city abroad, tying local discovery to TripAdvisor’s focus on travel and exploration.
Year
2025
Toolbox
Blender, Photoshop,
After Effects,
Illustrator,
After Effects,
Illustrator,
Research
Here are some pieces of research that were most important for my project
Key Insight
Tripadvisor's personable approach distinguishes it from other travel platforms like Yelp, Expedia, or Booking.com which tend to feel more transactional or blunt.
Discovery
Tripadvisor acts as a hub for discovering new experiences. Its collection of user-generated recommendations helps travelers uncover places and activities they might not have found otherwise.
Knowledgable and
friendly companion
friendly companion
Tripadvisor positions itself as a knowledgeable, friendly companion, reflected in its tagline: “Whatever trip you’re planning, we’ve been there.”
In July of 2025, TripAdvisor partnered with Koto Studio to create more vibrant visuals that emphasize the fun of travel and refocus the brand on a community of real people sharing real stories. I carried those key ideas into the visual direction of my concept.
Photos of Tripadvisor's rebrand from Koto's website
Concept
Let's dive into how I utilized my insights!
Trip Quest
.jpg)
The Journey
Each city’s scavenger hunt features 5 to 6 stops within a short walking radius of the event. Locations are chosen to capture the city’s character and culture, highlighting staple spots that make the place feel unique. In Pittsburgh, for example, this could include landmarks near the Roberto Clemente Bridge like PNC Park or the Andy Warhol Museum.
Central Location
It takes the form of a colorful luggage, which sparks curiosity and reinforces the travel theme. This is where participants can get onboarded into the experience with a TripAdvisor representative. Having a real person lead this moment reflects the brand’s focus on authenticity and human connection. Visually, the installation pulls from TripAdvisor’s updated identity while keeping core elements, like its signature green.
Scattered Signage
Signs scattered throughout the surrounding area let people onboard themselves into the scavenger hunt from any starting point by following simple instructions. From there, they can join the quest, track their progress, and view AR hints. Each stop features a location-based icon and real user reviews, highlighting a core TripAdvisor feature.
AR Clue
AR uses technology people already have access to, inviting them to experience familiar places in new ways, all while reinforcing TripAdvisor’s focus on discovery and exploration. Each scavenger hunt stop reveals an AR clue that links the city to a mystery location abroad. This invite participants to think and discuss their observations while also presenting TripAdvisor as knowledgeable.
The clue here ties the Allegheny River to Lagos Lagoon, drawing a geographic connection between two river landmarks and highlighting the iconic boat races in Lagos, Nigeria.
The clue here ties the Allegheny River to Lagos Lagoon, drawing a geographic connection between two river landmarks and highlighting the iconic boat races in Lagos, Nigeria.
This is another stop that shows how signage and AR elements can vary across the experience. Outside the Andy Warhol Museum, the AR hint (Nigerian traditional textile, Adire) is layered onto the existing window pattern.
Last Stop
After completing all five clues, participants submit their guess for the mystery location, which automatically enters them into a travel package giveaway. They don’t have to guess correctly to participate. The focus is on discovery, encouraging people to explore and learn about another city’s culture rather than rewarding only the right answer.
Keepsakes & Extension
After completing the quest, participants receive a small Tripadvisor travel kit and stickers as a fun, practical reward that extends the experience beyond the event.
Tripadvisor can push photos and updates from pop-ups in other cities, letting visitors continue the journey and see how the experience shows up elsewhere.
Tripadvisor can push photos and updates from pop-ups in other cities, letting visitors continue the journey and see how the experience shows up elsewhere.
Modeling
I made a full scale sign to show how the graphics and content would feel like in space.
Taking a moment to reflect...
This was my first client-focused project, and it pushed me to think more deeply about research and developing meaningful insights. Working within brand constraints was challenging, especially designing an experience that felt authentic while functioning as an activation. It was also my first time building a full-scale physical model. it took multiple Home Depot runs and long hours in the spray paint lab, but seeing everything come together was incredibly rewarding!!
.png)
