The Ideal
Booking Experience
Design Research
What is the ideal user experience for booking a hotel or short term rental (STR) property?
Project Overview
Booking a hotel or STR online can come with a lot of uncertainty and confusion. For my Contextual Research Methods class, my group chose to research the ideal hotel booking experience, comparing the UX of popular sites such as: AirBnB, VRBO, and hotels.com
I owned and led
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I led the group through our research and affinitzing phases
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Helped to develop user interview questions
Outcome
We developed an Ideal Experience Model that takes into account the emotions one wants to feel while booking online, the benefits of accomplishing these feelings, and what some features might look like that tackle these opportunities.
I supported
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Expert interviews
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In depth user reviews
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Graphic and editorial design
Methods and tools used
Gained a certificate in design research and insight translation from design research organization, Lextant.
The Big Problem: Hotel and short term rental booking websites lack clarity, information, and support.
Ideal Experience Model
This is the ideal experience model we developed based off of 10 week of secondary and primary research. We utilized user interviews, expert interviews, field studies, and surveys to gain a complete picture of what peoples thoughts, opinions, and attitudes are around the online booking experience of a hotel or short term rental property (STR).
The Emotion
How do people want to feel when using online booking platforms to book their travel accommodations?
When I travel, I want to experience new things and feel relaxed and carefree. I want to be certain about pricing, locations, and amenities. I want to feel confident in my booking decision in order to set my trip off on the right foot.
The Benefits
What does a booking platform need to do to make users feel confident?
The Features
How does a booking platform offer the benefits: being informed, at ease, and safe?
01
It has transparent pricing
Show total pricing breakdown per night up front, including service fees, cleaning fees, and taxes.
03
It has pricing guarantees
Offer price matching and best pricing guarantees. Offer reward programs and other incentives for repeat stays.
05
It is aesthetically pleasing
Ensure an up-to-date look and feel of the website. Create a modern booking experience. Clearly defined visual branding.
07
It has information security
Keep the website up-to-date with the latest security protocols. Clearly communicate the website privacy policy and cancellation policy.
09
It has location information
Ensure consistent quality in property and room photos. Offer professional photography services for hosts
02
It has live customer support
Utilize chatbots or virtual customer support on websites to provides a travel agent experience for help with booking
04
It has a customizable search
Include more search filters so that all instances are accounted for. Include search filters based on location.
06
It is easy to use
Provide and intuitive experience that does not hide information behind extra clicks. Clearly communicate policies and terms.
08
It has safety standards
Create and communicate policies for vetting rental property hosts.
Reflection
This was the first time I had done a project entirely committed to research. Thanks to the guiding hand of my professor, my group was able to navigate this unknown territory and provide the class with useful information on how the hotel booking experience can be improved for users. Here is my one key learning from this project:
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Research is the foundation
Upon entering this course, I was skeptical as to how useful research would be in the development of interfaces and overall experiences. Once I started to dig into the process and the data we were collecting, it became immediately evident that research is the foundation for good design. Understanding users wants and needs, and what it is currently available, is critical to developing thoughtful design. This course would go on to shape the way I view the design process and product development as a whole.
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"Research is creating new knowledge."
-Neil Armstrong