Davis Door Services

Discover Phase

I began with a feature and user interface analysis between the web versions of Expedia, Kayak and Orbitz to identify any common denominator so it would help me understand the business. The user interfaces were all very similar with inputting dates and travel locations and the features that they all shared was the option to compare rates between other websites and airlines.

With a better understanding of the major travel resources business model, I created a discussion guide to begin user interviews so I could gather a wide range of insight. I made sure that I had relevant users by screening out anyone who hasn’t reserved any travel accommodations within the last six months. I conducted six user interviews but screened three of those six users.

I discovered that many users do not reserve travel accommodations on their mobile devices because they are not able to compare rates.

“I just don’t see enough information on my phone, you can’t even compare rates on the Expedia App so how do I know I’m getting the best price?”

Diana P.

Problem Statement

Users are not comfortable booking their travel accommodations through their mobile device because they don't have an easy way to compare rates with other online resources.

Define Phase

I began the define phase by creating an affinity map because it’s a simple method to gather insight from my user interviews and identify patterns by using "I" statements.

Those patterns were:

I’m a savvy shopper - 10 sticky notes

I desire the easiest method - 7 sticky notes

I need transparency - 6 sticky notes

I want to be informed - 4 sticky notes

The "I" statements provided me with my users biggest pain points, "I desire the easiest method to be a savvy shopper."

Solution Statement

I believe by creating an app for users to compare air travel rates between major online resources will improve the users trust, I will know this to be true when users are reserving more air travel accommodations through their mobile device.

With a solution statement defined, I was able to develop a storyboard so I could build more empathy and understanding with my audience for my presentation.

Develop Phase

My design centered around the least amount of effort for users to compare rates. I began sketching lo-fi wireframes because it’s the most efficient way to begin developing the interaction design in a low commitment manner. Since this was my first time designing an app, I wanted to go with a quick and simple method in case I decide to scrap the the design due to unforeseen discoveries during usability testing.

After two usability tests, I discovered many flaws with my design because I focused too much on creating a “do it all” type of app. With all the features, there were many tasks the users were not able to complete. I created a task flow to help me understand what steps needed to complete a task and reiterated my design based on my findings.

Refocusing back on the solution statement, I developed wireframes using sketch to continue usability testing. The task flow helped me realize how many steps it should take for a user to complete their tasks of reserving their travel accommodations.

After an additional usability test, I found that my user did not want to have the option to compare rates, he is using this app as a tool to compare rates so I removed that option to choose in my final iteration.

Deliver Phase

With a minimum viable product complete, I designed one Hi-Fi comp.

Additional Considerations

Challenges I Faced

The biggest challenge I had were time constraints, I had less then one week to deliver this project and create a deck. Due to the time constraints, I elected to reduce the number of usability tests I had initially wanted to conduct and focused on providing a minimum viable product.

Next Steps

If I were to continue developing this app, I would like to conduct more usability tests and address additional pain points with the current design. The time constraints didn’t allow me to test a diverse range of users. After additional testing, I would like to continue more research on additional features to compete with other major online resources such as hotel and car rental.

What I learned

My biggest take-away from this project was making sure that I designed for the user and keeping an eye on the big picture. There were many instances where I believed my designs were a great idea but during usability tests, my users weren’t able to complete their tasks. If I had tunnel vision on all the features and competing with the other apps then I would have missed my deadline by a long shot. Reminding myself to develop a minimum viable product and provide all my deliverables were the keys to my success with this project.