Hotel Booking

Improving hotel booking process for users

Project goal and overview

This case study was done as part of the UX Design Professional Diploma program by the UX Design Institute x Glasgow Caledonian University. My role was to carry out the whole UX Design process to get deep insight into the hotel booking process and then create a mockup of an improved hotel website that includes the homepage, search, booking process, and payment.

Problem

The hotel booking process cause challenges for users due to various factors such as confusion on the homepage with the calendar, lack of map features to visualize location and distance, and a confusing booking and payment process. As a result, users are not confident enough to continue with the payment process, leading to a drop in conversion rates. There is a need to identify and address these issues to improve the user experience and increase conversion rates.

Solution

Meeting the basic needs of the users on the booking process and payment options to make it a fun and easy journey. Some of these include adding the map feature, more filtering options, easy add-on options, and payment with a summary to make it clear for the user.

Tools

Miro
Figma

Team

Solo

My Role

UX Research
UX Design

Timeline

Overall: 8+ weeks
Discovery & Research: 2+ weeks
Design & testing: 6 weeks

My Design Process

Competitive benchmark

Online survey

Usability tests

Affinity diagram

Customer journey

Flow diagram

Surveys

After the project kickoff, I defined the research strategy and objectives. My priority was to understand the target audience and their challenges. First, I built an online survey and shared it on various platforms and communities. In just a few days, I received 70+ submissions. Based on the results, I identified 5 common pain points, which led me to the next step.

The survey included open-ended and multiple-choice options
70+ people filled out the survey
Users find hotel booking slow, complicated, and lacking clarity
Used my findings to design a user journey map and an improved hotel website for a better booking and payment process.

Interviews

During the ideation phase of the project, I conducted user interviews to build new personas and to inform the design. I prepared open-ended questions, focusing on the target audience’s values, motivations, and booking a hotel process. I referenced the user interview findings throughout the entire design process.

User insights from the survey

Customer Journey

To gain insights into how customers interact with the website and complete their hotel bookings, I developed a customer journey map. By analyzing the map, I identified several user challenges and opportunities that exist at the consideration and loyalty stages of the customer journey. As a result, I prioritized these stages during the design process to address the identified issues and improve the user experience.

Learnings

Throughout this project, I improved my skills in user research, particularly in conducting user interviews and usability testing. I also learned to use new tools and software such as Figma and Miro to create flow diagrams, wireframes, and prototypes, which helped streamline the design process. Additionally, I experimented with a new design practice of creating journey maps to gain deeper insights into the user experience.

This project challenged me to think critically about the user's needs and behaviors, and to design solutions that address their pain points. Through this experience, I learned to be more empathetic towards users and to consider their perspectives in all aspects of the design process. This project has greatly contributed to my growth as a designer and has helped me to approach design problems in a more thoughtful and user-centered manner. It also challenged some of my preconceptions about what makes a good design and helped me to see the importance of simplicity and clarity in creating effective designs. Overall, this project has influenced the way I approach design and has encouraged me to continue learning and growing as a designer.

By successfully completing this design process, I gained the confidence to apply my research background and create a visually appealing and functional user experience that effectively solves complex human problems.