Observing authentic needs

UX research for Cres.co’s Re:Treat to design experiences in nature that support personal growth and transformation

#UXresearch #Servicedesign

2026

THE CHALLENGE

Support Cres.co in understanding its current and potential audience for the retrea to make confident strategic decisions about positioning and experience design.

The retreat lacked clarity on who participated and why, specifically missing qualitative insights into participant motivations and transformation needs.

Without understanding what "transformation" meant to different people, the retreat couldn't design experiences that truly served them or differentiate in a crowded wellness market.

THE OUTCOME

Through interviews, surveys, and competitive analysis, personas and journey maps revealed who the retreat should target: people seeking introspective transformation in nature and what transformation truly means to them.

The fundamental insight: participants aren't looking for holidays, escape, or relaxation but they seek guided, intentional experiences that support genuine personal growth. This understanding reshaped how Re:Treat could communicate, position itself, and design better experiences.

The research went deeper through extreme personas, detailed archetypes that defined specific participant needs and expectations. This segmentation enabled the retreat to design experiences not for everyone, but for people with distinct transformation goals. Each workshop could be calibrated to the actual participants attending.

The deliverables empathy maps, personas, journey maps, and strategic insights gave organizers the frameworks to confidently make decisions about tone, positioning, communication, service design, and growth strategy.

APPROACH & METHODOLOGY

The research combined qualitative and quantitative methods to build a comprehensive understanding of the different types of users and possible users.

01 Desk Research & Competitive Analysis

Mapped direct and indirect competitors. Analyzed how similar retreat experiences are positioned, priced, and communicated. Conducted market research: trend analysis on tourism, wellness, retreat.

02 Survey Design & Distribution

Developed a targeted survey reaching both current participants and people interested in personal transformation-focused retreats.

03 Qualitative Interviews & Empathy Mapping

Conducted in-depth conversations to beter understand them. Interview findings were translated into empathy maps to capture emotional and psychological dimensions.

04 Data Synthesis, Extreme Personas & Journey Mapping

Synthesized research into personas representing key audience segments, then mapped the journey from initial interest through post-retreat reflection to identify key needs, barriers, and opportunities.

  • 36 survey responses capturing needs, barriers, and motivations across 4 user segments

  • 4 qualitative interviews synthesized into actionable insights

  • 4 core personas + 2 extreme personas defining distinct audience segments

  • 3 empathy maps capturing emotional and psychological dimensions

  • End-to-end customer journey maps identifying critical touchpoints and opportunities

  • Competitive landscape analysis informing positioning strategy

  • Trend research grounding the work in market context and consumer behavior

05 Co-design & Strategic Delivery

Brought the research findings into a collaborative co-design session to explore and prioritize opportunities. The results were translated into actionable tips for the experience, communication and positioning.

KEY DELIVERABLES FROM RESEARCH

IMPACT

The research became the strategic foundation for how Re:Treat now understands and designs experiences. Leadership uses personas and journey maps to make positioning and service design decisions grounded in real participant needs.

Workshops are now calibrated to specific participants, ensuring experiences serve their actual transformation goals. The segmentation enables targeted communication that speaks directly to what different audiences seek.

Looking ahead, these frameworks position the retreat to expand thoughtfully, measure success against user needs and build sustainable growth aligned with authentic value creation.