Deals and Discounts
Dread the planning phase? Here's a one-stop shop for the best travel deals
Access Development identified an opportunity to improve their offering by introducing travel bundles or package deals. I conducted comprehensive research, analyzed user behavior, and led the team to design a new bundle creation and booking process. This new feature aims to simplify trip planning, provide better value, and improve overall user satisfaction and revenue.
Jan 2024 - May 2024 (13 Weeks)
Finding Best Bundle Deals
Research | Conceptualizing | User Testing | Visual Design | Prototyping
This was a team effort ♥️
Overview
What does Access Development do?
Access Development is a leading B2B e-commerce platform specializing in travel and lifestyle services. They provide businesses and their clients with a comprehensive platform for booking various travel components such as flights, hotels, car rentals, and activities. Prior to this project, these services were offered as separate bookings, which sometimes led to a fragmented experience and missed opportunities for cost savings.
Research
Understanding the Problem
We recognized that the users were spending significant time booking different components of their trips separately. This not only led to a time-consuming process but also meant that users might miss out on potential savings and the convenience of having all travel elements in one place.
Our Challenge
To design a travel bundle feature that simplifies trip planning, offers clear cost savings and convenience, integrates seamlessly, and meets the diverse needs of business travelers and employers.
What did we find?
Secondary Research
36%
of U.S. travelers prefer to book their entire trip in one place.
79%
of business travelers say booking are the most frustrating parts of travel.
"Expedia Group reports that travelers who book a flight and hotel together stay two times longer and spend two times more"
"A study by Travelport found that 71% of business travelers value the ability to book all travel components in one transaction"
"According to Skift, customized travel bundles can lead to 30% higher conversion rates compared to standalone bookings"
Initial Dive
Understanding the Current Website
To fully grasp the challenges users faced, we first conducted a thorough analysis of Access Development's current website. We did this by reviewing several user testing videos provided by the company.
Here are the insights:
Most use Access Development on their mobile phones instead of on desktops
The users expect pricing transparency and an improved ability to compare costs across platforms
Users want to see a simplified, easy-to-follow breakdown of costs at checkout
Users will make purchases if they can get a promo or deal
What's out there?
Competitor Analysis
We conducted a competitive analysis to understand how other well-established e-commerce platforms like Expedia, Booking.com and Priceline. This analysis provided valuable insights into industry best practices and potential areas for improvement.
Here are a few insights:
What do the gamers have to say?
Contextual Inquiry
To gain a better understanding of how users navigate Access Development, and similar discount travel websites, we performed a contextual inquiry with 12 participants. 6 participants were asked to complete a set task using Access Development, while the other 6 were asked to perform the same task on a popular competitor.
The tasks users were asked to complete were as follows:
Making sense of it all
Through affinity mapping we organized our findings, which we ultimately grouped into three core categories. These three major issues were those related to trustworthiness, price transparency, and confusion.
Key Insights
After grouping similar feedback and observations, it led us to uncover the user journey in three stages—Trip Exploration, Logistic Research, and Final Booking—provides valuable insight into user behavior and preferences.
Problem Statement
How might we provide the users with a cohesive travel booking experience?
Initial Concept | Travel Board
Taking inspiration from "mood boards", Travel Board is a personalized feature that curates a bundle tailored to the user’s travel preferences. It compiles your favorite destinations, activities, and accommodations into a convenient package just for you.
Choices can be added to their customizable travel board based on their trip
A travel board is added to the bundles home page
Travel boards consist of categories based on location, trip like Spring Break, etc.
Validating Travel Board
We further explored the concept through paper prototyping with some peers.
Key Insights
After discussions with our sponsor and gathering feedback from peers, several key observations emerged.
Feasibility Concerns
Validation raised some questions regarding the practicality of the concept, highlighting potential challenges in its implementation.
Research Behavior
Users often research trips on other platforms before booking with Access, highlighting the need for competitive deals.
User Preference
Users find creating a travel board tedious and prefer a more streamlined, booking-focused approach.
Therefore, we made the strategic decision to pivot our approach, focusing on practicality to better meet the needs of our users. This shift led us to develop a streamlined flow that aligns more closely with user preferences and requirements.
The Solution
Presenting Bundles!
Dynamic, user-friendly booking flow with seamless bundle integration.
Quick navigation through pre-curated or custom bundles.
Personalized deals and customization based on preferences.
Streamlined checkout for a clear, satisfying booking experience.
Creating a Bundle
To create a bundle, you can customize a trending bundle to fit your needs or save time by selecting one as is.
Browsing a Category
Here, for instance, when browsing hotels, selecting one offers the option to "Build a Bundle."
Review and Category
After creating your bundle, you can review it and swap elements, with a warning about any price changes.
Checkout Process
The checkout displays a detailed breakdown of all the bookings, ensuring transparency and building trust.
Self-Reflection
This project reinforced the critical importance of user research and continuous user involvement. Understanding users' needs deeply allowed us to create a solution that truly addresses their challenges.
Creating a system that offered necessary flexibility and customization while maintaining a simple interface was challenging. It required constant refinement and creative problem-solving.
The project's success relied heavily on close collaboration between design, development, and business. This experience highlighted the value of breaking down silos and fostering open communication across verticals.
"In the world of business travel, efficiency and value are paramount. By introducing bundled bookings, we're not just simplifying a process – we're giving time back to our users and helping them optimize travel spend. This is the future of business travel booking."
