User Experience
Custome Journey Mapping | Product Strategy | User Flow | Usability Tests | Prototyping | Interaction Design
Hotel Booking. Creating a seamless digital path to purchase
2024 | UX Case Study
Background: As a student at the UX Design Institute, I undertook the challenge of redesigning the hotel booking process. Centered around "The Happy Path," this project aimed to streamline the user journey—from searching locations and selecting dates to specifying guests, choosing room types, and finalizing bookings.
Objective: Create a seamless experience applicable to various hotel brands, addressing common user frustrations and improving the overall user experience.
Focus: Desktop design - optimizing the ideal path from search to checkout
My Role: User Research and UX Desgin
Tools: Figma, Miro, Proto.io
Research. Understanding User Experiences
To build an intuitive user journey, I first needed to understand the existing one. I decided to use a triangulation approach—combining competitive benchmarking, 1:1 interviews, and usability testing—because it gave me a deep understanding of user experiences. This approach validated the data, identified pain points, and strengthened the credibility of the research, leading to more informed design decisions.
Identifying the Problem
Through my research, I found that the hotel booking process can often feel complex and frustrating for users. This is mainly because there’s so much information to evaluate and compare before making a decision. Users are looking for a platform that offers all the information they need to compare options and make informed decisions quickly. If we don't meet these needs, they might just stick with comparison sites like Booking.com or Expedia instead of booking directly through hotel websites.
Analysis. Unpacking The User Journey
With my notes at my side, I created an affinity diagram to identify patterns and issues across users and sites.
Key Findings
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Search Bar Usability Challenges
Users experience frustration due to confusing dropdowns with multiple columns and complicated date selections.
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Importance Of Key Criteria
Users evaluate and compare prices, reviews, photos, location, and policies. If this information isn't readily available, they resort to Google, disrupting the booking process.
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High Value On Photos
Photos serve as a critical first impression. Users highly value detailed images of hotels, facilities, and rooms when making their initial comparisons.
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Unclear Policies
Users find it unclear where to find cancellation and payment policies, which is crucial for their decision-making process.
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"It’s really hard to select the dates...it’s happened so many times, I actually may just move on to a different website.”
“I was going to put in the date and then go back to pick the hotel, but I think I have to pick the hotel first.”
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"I had to do a lot of the rooting around to try to find what I was looking for.”
“If I had to book it, I wouldn't know exactly where I was going and it would require a lot of work to find exactly how I get around or how I get there."
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“Pictures are super helpful. I want to know: What's the energy? What's my first impression?”
“If you didn’t have loads of photos, that’d be very dubious. I wouldn’t go there because I’d say they’re hiding something.”
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“It’s more important that I have the free cancellation, and I still haven’t clicked it, so I’m not ready to pay for it yet.”
“If it’s all just there in front of you, it’s better.”
To organize my research findings and thoughts, I developed a customer journey map that visualized the current user experience, including mental models, preferences, pain points, and opportunities.
This visualization allowed me to identify user goals that directly reflect their needs and expectations during the hotel booking process. These goals served as guiding principles for the design phase to ensure the final solution addressed the pain points uncovered in the research.
User Goals
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Browse available hotel options by location
Users typically have a destination in mind and want to quickly find hotels in that area. Therefore, they expect a prominent search bar with intuitive location suggestions.
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Easily compare hotels by price, location, photos, reviews, and policies
Users evaluate prices, reviews, photos, location, and policies when booking. They need a simple way to evaluate options without opening multiple tabs or endless scrolling.
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Access comprehensive hotel photos
Users place a high value on comprehensive hotel and room photos during their initial comparisons and seek detailed visuals to make informed decisions.
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Navigate the booking process with minimal interruptions
Users will book elsewhere if they face issues during their initial search or can't find the information they need. They seek a smooth, efficient booking experience without obstacles.
Design Thinking. Reimagining The Booking Process
With a clear understanding of users’ goals, I transitioned into the design phase and outlined design objectives, considering features, layout, and information hierarchy that would meet user expectations.
Design Objectives
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Optimize Search Functionality
Ensure intuitive location-based searches.
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Simplify Evaluation & Comparison
Streamline the evaluation of prices, reviews, photos, locations, and policies.
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Provide Comprehensive Visuals
Integrate high-quality photos to support decision-making.
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Increase Transparency of Costs & Policies
Display additional costs and policies upfront.
Visualizing The User Flow
To map out the flow of information and interactions, I created a flow diagram outlining the necessary screen states for the hotel booking site. This step was crucial for planning the overall structure and ensuring all essential information was accounted for before sketching.
Then, with the customer journey map and flow diagram as guides, I began sketching and re-sketching iterations of the “Happy Path,” considering every screen state from the homepage to the checkout confirmation screen. This hands-on approach was essential for establishing intuitive navigation and organizing key information effectively.
Design Solutions. Features & Implications
By aligning user insights and design objectives with actionable solutions, I implemented the following features:
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Homepage: Optimized Search Functionality
Frustrated by confusing dropdowns with multiple columns and complicated date selections, users needed a smoother experience. To address this, I focused on designing a prominent search bar that’s simple, intuitive, and minimizes steps.
Key Features:
• Prominent Search Bar: Positioned above the fold and fixed, with a clear call to action, making it easy to start a search at any point while scrolling through the homepage.
• Single-Column Dropdown: Displays destinations in 'City, State' format, showing only relevant cities and states to reduce confusion and facilitate direct location searches.
• Double Month Date Picker: Shows two months at a time, with simplified navigation through months using intuitive arrows and dropdowns, making date selection quick and easy without excessive clicking or scrolling.
• Pre-Filled Counts: Default settings for room and guest counts (e.g., 1 Room, 2 Guests) streamline the booking process by matching the most common use cases.
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Hotel Page: Intuitive Navigation For Key Criteria
I made all key information accessible on one screen without excessive scrolling, as users often turn to Google when details like prices, reviews, and policies aren't readily available, disrupting the booking process.
Key Features:
• Fixed Navigation Bar: Includes distinct categories (Details, Rooms, Map, To Do, Reviews) for easy access to essential information and a prominent 'Book Now' button to start booking at any point while scrolling through the hotel page.
• Upfront Policies: Cancellation and payment policies are displayed under 'Details' on the hotel page, providing transparency during the booking process.
• Add-Ons: Additional fees and optional add-ons are shown on the hotel page to minimize unexpected costs.
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Search Results: Streamlined Default View
Users evaluate prices, reviews, photos, location, and policies when booking and need a simple way to do so without opening multiple tabs or endless scrolling. Now, they can easily compare hotels in one place, eliminating the need to switch between tabs or external sites.
Key Features:
• Sorted By Price: Results are sorted from lowest to highest price for easier comparison.
• Split-Screen Layout: Default split-screen layout with integrated map view and pop-ups displaying key decision criteria, minimizing the need to switch between tabs.
• Hotel Overview Pop-Up: Provides a clear overview of essential criteria for each hotel, including photos, reviews, starting price, key features and amenities, and cancellation and payment policies.
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Comprehensive Visuals
Because of the emphasis users placed on the importance of imagery, my goal was to integrate visuals at every key stage of the booking process.
Key Features:
• Image Carousels: Integrated throughout the booking process from the homepage through room selection.
High-Fidelity Prototype
Given the importance users place on imagery, the need to easily compare many key details during the search phase, and my interest in learning the design programs, I created an interactive high-fidelity prototype using Figma and Proto.io. This prototype facilitated testing and feedback, with annotations and a design library ensuring that developers and stakeholders understood the user experience for accurate implementation.
Testing. Updates & Improvements
User testing was conducted to assess functionality and seamless flow. Based on insights from evaluative testing and prototype review, these changes were made to enhance usability and improve the overall user experience
Improved Readability: Increased the text size for search bar inputs and payment inputs to 18pt, aligning with accessibility standards for better readability and user experience.
Calendar Interaction Optimization: Addressed a slight delay when populating fields on click within the calendar, ensuring smoother and more responsive interactions.
Design Reflection. Results, Learnings & Next Steps
Results
I passed with flying colors! Here’s what instructors had to say about the work:
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“Huge amount of useful, relevant detail in your affinity diagram and Customer Journey Map. Well done!”
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“Your prototype is really well done! You have provided a really high-fidelity prototype with lots of details interactions! The CTAs are clear, and the mobile interface is simple and intuitive to use. You have demonstrated a solid understanding of the core user flow, and the clickable elements and transitions are smooth and intuitive. The inclusion of realistic text and visual elements enhances both the overall user experience and the look of your prototype. The user flow is easy to follow, with a logical progression through the booking process.”
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“You’ve gone above the requirements and included links to reviews on Trip Advisor and things to do in Nashville. The high level of detail is impressive. Overall, you have submitted a really strong prototype, well done!”
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“Great job on your annotations—there’s a lot of detail here! This document provides all the information the developer needs to build the booking process accurately. Your design intent is clearly conveyed through precise language, and you've included validations and error messages for edge cases.”
Learnings
Competitor Research for Brand Differentiation: While the current website works well for various hotel brands, I’d suggest conducting competitor research for any new brand to help identify market gaps where the brand can really shine and add unique value. Plus, focusing on distinctive branding elements—like logos, typography, and colors—can help the brand stand out visually.
Establishing a Component Library Early On: Looking forward, I would establish a comprehensive component library and style guide earlier in the development phase to ensure uniform design across all pages and streamline workflows.
Prototype Fidelity and Iteration: While the high-fidelity prototype allowed me to explore the design tools, next time I would opt for a medium-fidelity prototype due to real-world time constraints, sprint sessions, and the need for quicker iterations for early testing.
Next Steps
Visual Enhancements: Future iterations should include more comprehensive photo and video elements to enrich user engagement and provide a visually compelling experience.
More Testing: Track metrics using support tickets, analytics tools, and further user testing to measure the design’s effectiveness and uncover areas for improvement.
Brand Identity: For new brands, conduct thorough competitor analysis and focus on unique branding elements that resonate with target audiences.
This project not only allowed me to apply and refine my UX design skills but also provided valuable insights into the complexities of creating a seamless hotel booking experience. The experience gained and the lessons learned will be invaluable as I continue to explore the field of user experience design!
