Virtual Travel

Overview

Delta Locals is an immersive travel experience for the Apple Vision Pro that lets users explore destinations through the eyes of a local guide. Blending 180 and 360-degree video with interactive elements and 3D content, the experience brings global travel to life through storytelling, spatial video, and intuitive navigation.

This is part of a broader initiative by Delta Airlines to bring destination storytelling to new platforms, including Roblox and Apple Vision Pro.

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My Role

As lead UX designer for the Vision Pro application, I was responsible for shaping the interaction model and experience flow. My contributions included:

• Designing wireframes and story-driven interaction flows
• Defining transitions between windowed, 180°, and 360° video content
• Introducing a mini-map / 3D map system to support spatial navigation
• Creating scalable design structures for future locations beyond the LA pilot
• Collaborating with creative directors and developers to align design with Apple Vision Pro platform conventions and immersive best practices

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Experience Design

The experience was designed to feel effortless and cinematic, while still offering moments of optional interaction.

• Users begin by selecting a destination and local guide
• The journey unfolds through a sequence of immersive video clips using a mix of formats
• A 3D mini-map allows users to revisit scenes and explore non-linearly
• Spatial sound, 3D effects, and ambient animations enhance immersion beyond the frame of traditional video playback

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Design Challenges

Creating an intuitive and comfortable experience for a headset-based platform required thoughtful testing and iteration.

• We minimized camera movement to reduce the risk of motion sickness
• Transitions between content formats were carefully designed to feel natural and consistent
• The 3D mini-map served as a lightweight form of interaction that complemented the passive viewing experience
• The ending sequence included a soft prompt to guide users back to Delta’s platform for travel planning, tying the experience back to the brand

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Outcomes

The project is currently in production. It was soft launched at CES 2025 and is scheduled for public release in January 2026.

Delta Locals lays the foundation for a scalable, immersive storytelling system that can grow with new destinations and formats. It demonstrates how mixed reality can elevate travel marketing by combining narrative, interaction, and presence.