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2022

Second Nature

Spec Work

We built an outdoor experience for those who want to explore nature, but lack the PTO, or are new to the experience.

Team Members

Jamie Ikley (XD) | Ryan King (CW) | Alex Fried(AD)

Capablities

Experience Strategist, 3D Design, Environmental Design, Photoshop,  Illustrator, 

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PROBLEM

People Want to Connect with the Outdoors, but don't know where to start.

OPPORTUNITY

Remote and Hybrid work creates new possibilities for vacations that don't burn through PTO.

SOLUTION

Second Nature: An outdoor-focused camp for the adventure curious.

Girl Hiking in Nature

26% Increase in Outdoor Participation Since 2020

People Want to Connect With Nature

People have a renewed interest in getting outdoors. They are consuming more content oriented around nature and outdoor hobbies on tik-tok.

 

There was a large increase in interest during Covid lockdowns which has maintained a high degree of interest even after lockdowns.

There are Barriers

There are many people who have an interest in the outdoors but are faced with barriers when entering the hobby, such as having access to land, having a mentor, or even not having room in an apartment to justify keeping equipment. 

In addition to cost or geographical barriers, there are also mental ones, such as fear of being judged when first entering a hobby, or not knowing where to start. This can inhibit people from enjoying the out doors.

Not everyone has the same access to the outdoors.

OPPORTUNITY

The workforce now has more opportunities to travel with remote options, but it can still be challenging with vacationing outdoors while still staying connected.

Working in Nature
The Remote Workforce

With remote work comes new travel opportunities. While people may be hesitant to burn through weeks' worth of PTO, it's easier to travel and work during the day and vacation in the evening and on weekends with remote work.

While this is a breeze if your traveling to another town if you want to get outdoors many people run into trouble when trying to work connection may not be strong or you're competing with others in a cabin for an outlet. 

Solution

Second Nature: An outdoor escape for all skill levels, that still supports the remote worker, because PTO is limited.

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Campers Recieve a Warm Welcome

When campers arrive they are sent a welcome package. In the spirit of summer camp, they are given a camp t-shirt, water bottle, and a field notepad. They will also receive a welcome letter and a schedule of activities for their weekend.

The Lodge

Based on the layout of viking longhouse with a camp cabin inspiration, The Lodge is a space meant to bring campers closer together. While Second Nature focus is to get people to reconnect with nature the space still offers support for remote workers.​

Camp Adventures

Based on location and time of year campers are provided a schedule of guided activities. From things like Bee Keeping to archery campers can safely dip their toes into new hobbies. To encourage participation guests can earn patches on completing activities or being a good team player enhancing the experience for all. If campers want to collect all patches they can try other locations or try different seasonal activities.

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Social Outreach

We want to engage with people on social who want an escape from the day-to-day and the constant screens.

Expansions

The location we created was in Sedona, however, we believe there are multiple locations this would be successful.

 

We want to focus on locations that are still accessible from major cities but enough of a distance where it still is a retreat.

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Partnerships

Second Nature can also partner with the following in the off seasons:

  • Companies: Team building retreat

  • Non-Profits: Local workshops & activities

  • Schools: Field trips 

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Reflection

This project initially started as a concept to bring hostels to the US market. It grew into a much larger project when we wanted to make a travel opportunity for remote employees. People want a break from screens but it is also necessary to recognize the limitations of taking time off from work, so this experience was tailored to them.

If you would like to learn more about this project or see my process, I would love to talk. I can be reached at jikleydes@gmail.com

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