PASSAGE
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ROLE
UX Design Student at iXperience
TEAM
Gabby Hoefer
TOOLS
Wireframing
Benchmark Analysis
Prototyping
User Interviews
Logo Creation
DURATION
Summer 2017
(2 months)
OVERVIEW
Passage is a fictitious keycard application.
Challenge: How might I optimize guest's lodging experience across multiple hotels?
Design Goals
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Create an entirely new app concept to optimize hotel efficiency
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Identify pain points travelers have when staying in hotels
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Develop an app that can be modified to work across multiple hotels
Personal Goals
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Push myself creatively to develop an entirely new application from scratch
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Center my design around the consumer through testing
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Gain a better understanding of the UX design process as a whole
BACKGROUND RESEARCH
I surveyed 31 frequent travelers to better understand their needs, and identified pain points users currently have during their hotel experience.
Before I begin designing, let's figure out who I'm designing for.
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How might I develop an app to help travelers have a more relaxing stay?
How might I develop a versatile app that works across multiple hotel companies?
Will an easy check in app stimulate delight in adults staying in hotels?
USER PERSONAS
User personas and journey mapping enabled me to design an experience centered around the user.
Based on the data, I developed personas of a typical user.
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4x
Participants travel 4x per year on average
100%
All participants have hotel experience
20
Mean age of users surveyed was 20
DESIGN EXPLORATIONS
Starting with a pen and paper, I developed wireframes which eventually lead to A/B testing of different features.
A/B TEST RESULTS
Find the Settings?
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In both versions of the design, 100% of users struggled to find the Do Not Disturb settings.
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Recommendation: Simpler design layout is needed
Slide or Tap?
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60% of people prefer the button over the slide up.
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Slide is a better visual design, but worse user experience.
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Recommendation: Keep the tap
Multiple Hotels?
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Users wondered about checking in to multiple rooms, such as when families stay in adjacent rooms.
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This was a current feature, but users still questioned it.
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Recommendation: easily accessible keycard switch and implement methods to increase user trust
Next I designed and tested the initial mockups.
USER RESEARCH
Users consistently reported several pain points in their hotel experience, which Passage can help alleviate.
Some things I learned along the way. And some ways to fix them.
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EXPERIENCE
ENTERING THE HOTEL
Problem: Waiting in Line to Check In
When on vacation, guests want to maximize their time. Users reported frustration throughout the entire check in process.
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Solution: Guests check in directly on their phone, so they can begin sightseeing right when the plane lands.
Problem: Lugging Around Luggage
Users struggled finding a place for their luggage while waiting for their room to be available.
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Solution: Guests reserve in advance, so they can skip stopping at the hotel first if the room is unavailable.
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EXPERIENCE
STAYING IN THE ROOM
Problem: Losing the Key
Our study revealed 44% of users lost their keys in the past month. This wastes time and hotel resources.
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Solution: Room keys are digital. Everything is conveniently located online, at any time.
Problem: Housekeeping disturbances
After an exciting night in the city, users forgot about do not disturb signs and were woken up the next morning.
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Solution: Digital do not disturb with a notification just in case guest's forget to set preferences the night before.
Try Out My Prototype!
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Click through the Passage prototype to the left, or view the screens more closely below.
DESIGN OUTCOME
Big takeaway: for travelers, time is worth more than gold.
My research revealed travelers value their time above all else. As a result, simplicity and efficiency were key components of my design.