Case Study: Enhancing Usability for CAA Travel Booking System
Project Context: During my time at Inspiritec, CAA Travel was one of the organisation’s key accounts. As part of our partnership, we conducted an annual usability review of their travel booking system. This comprehensive review aimed to evaluate the system's design, usability, and user interactions, with the ultimate goal of identifying areas for improvement that could drive business growth.
Challenge
User feedback and analytics highlighted significant frustration among users when trying to find offers that matched their search criteria. This issue not only impacted the user experience but also had potential implications for conversion rates and user satisfaction.
Research Methods
Cognitive Walkthroughs: Conducted step-by-step analysis of user journeys to identify pain points.
Analytics: Reviewed user behavior patterns, search abandonment rates, and interaction logs.
User Interviews: Engaged with end-users to gather qualitative insights into their challenges and expectations.
Insights
Through this research, I identified a recurring pain point: users struggled to locate travel packages that matched their specific needs, particularly when their search criteria yielded limited or no results.
Proposed Solution
To address these issues, I proposed two key enhancements to the travel booking system:
Enhanced Date Flexibility
Introduced a new feature to view availability and pricing for travel packages within a two-week window on either side of the selected dates.
This provided users with greater flexibility and options without requiring them to manually adjust search dates repeatedly.
Advanced Search Options
Enhanced the search functionality by allowing users to specify rating and package type at the time of search rather than as post-search filters.
Added a new search widget featuring:
Rating Dropdown Options:
5-star or better
4-star or better
3-star or better
2-star or better
Package Type Checkboxes:
All-Inclusive
Family
Adults Only
Design Implementation
Developed low-fidelity wireframes and prototypes for the proposed enhancements.
Conducted usability testing with a sample group of CAA users to validate the new features.
Collaborated with the development team to ensure seamless integration into the existing system.
Results
Improved User Experience: Users reported greater satisfaction due to the streamlined and flexible search process.
Increased Conversions: By addressing user pain points, CAA saw a measurable increase in completed bookings.
Strengthened Partnership: The successful implementation reinforced CAA’s trust in Inspiritec as a strategic partner.
Conclusion
By identifying and addressing user frustrations with a “user-first” approach, I was able to deliver a solution that benefited all stakeholders: enhancing the end-user experience, driving business results for CAA, and demonstrating Inspiritec’s value as a partner. Everyone’s a winner.