Seabird Sailing Excursions
booking re-design
A more personal project, updating and modernizing the booking website for a boating tour company.
Not only improving the UX/UI and flow of booking, but also addressing users concerns when it came to booking sites in general.
1
Working at an airport, and being around travelers every day, I know how stressful a vacation can be before you get to your destination
2
I have had many trips break down during the planning stages, and I know the struggle that can crop up when things get confusing or don't make sense
3
As someone who has taken more than a few flights in my life, and is always ready with a work around, I felt capable that I could bring clarity to a sometimes confusing process
The first step is to take stock of what you've got, and the second is to check out what's already on the market.
RESEARCH
There were some good things going on for SeaBird, and also a lot of room for improvement
DEFINE
After organizing participants remarks into manageable groups...
The best way to understand a problem is to ask a lot of people who encounter it every day.
Recruiting interview participants who had varying levels of experience booking travel plans was important.
I needed to see the issues that well traveled users faced as well as those less familiar with these processes to get the full scope on where I could be most effective
I had Alex, and Alex had a hypothetical scenario to figure out
Instead of a feature list, an impact/effort matrix was utilized to better structure the path forward and keep the users needs in sight.
...I had a framework to further refine these issues and create a viable persona.
...and designating a workable problem, I had a framework to further refine these issues and create a viable persona
DESIGN
A long flow was necessary to incorporate all possible entry points and system checks that would be present
Starting on paper is always easier, allowing me to quickly and sporadically get my thoughts out
They're messy and unrefined but what makes them so great is their potential.
Using the various sketches as inspiration, a rough prototype was generated, enough to test certain aspects while not sinking too much time into the details
Both user testing, and usability testing took place, and many iterations were developed along the way
Checkout and payment screens were made more clear and navigable, and overall UI quality was increased.
Tile size, CTA design, and copy typeface were all drastically changed.
The most drastic changes took place with the calendar/availability screens. A lot was learned about the use of color and inactive states, progress bars, and the importance of a back button.
Changes were made, and opinions were gathered, all leading up to the final hi fidelity prototype
DELIVER
A fully functional prototype consisting of a homepage, photo gallery, and tour booking flow was complete.
This re-design has yet to be pitched to the business officially, but it has received interest from employees of the company.