Design for One (And see who else says yes)

Most travel companies build for the masses.
They run surveys. Study trends.
Ask what people want.

I come from the startup world. Same story.
MVP. Feedback. Iterate.
Ask what people want.
It’s effective UX, but it often leads to boring, average results.

Because if you only build what people expect, you end up with more of the same.
The average.
And tourism doesn’t need more average.

In The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin, a legendary music producer behind everyone from Johnny Cash via Metallica to Jay-Z, writes:
“If you want to make something truly unique, your best shot is to find it within.”

I did that. Back in the day.

I designed trips I wanted for myself.
As an example: five days of powder ski touring in Bormio, Santa Caterina, and Livigno.

Day one started at the SkiTrab factory, where guests built their own skis.
Then two days skiing lifts. Two days of randonée with a local guide.
One night in a remote cabin in the mountains.
Evenings in the Bagni Vecchi hot springs.
Italian food and wine.
Simple. Real. Not for everyone.

We sold out in fifteen minutes.

That’s the thing.
When you design for yourself, with honesty,
you might just create something others didn’t know they were waiting for.

Today, when I help others develop concepts, I don’t tell them what to do.
I help them listen to their gut.
To find the answer within.
Because the answer is already there. Inside.
It’s their thing. Not mine.

Henry Ford supposedly said:
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

Tourism doesn’t need more horses.
It needs someone brave enough to build the car.
And someone bold enough to drive it someplace new.

Pic is by me, from that actual trip by the way.