ABOUT

Ace Hotel is looking to pilot a new program that will allow guests to plan and book local experiences, making it easier for them to get to know a place through the eyes of those who live locally.

Working as part of a team of three designers we researched and designed an entirely new section of the existing website to allow guests to browse, book and reschedule local experiences such as a a guided tour or a class during their stay.

Research consisted of surveys, interviews, competitor analysis and contextual inquiry. Using affinity mapping to synthesise all the raw data we had collected and identified key factors and habits of individuals when planning trips.

Inspiration- People often look at an experience booking website without a particular experience in mind, so access them not only to book but to browse too.

Expertise- People want to be assured of the quality and knowledgeability of the experience and person leading it. This decision is often made based on customer reviews and ratings as well as clearly and well-presented information on the page. People also stated they held the opinions of hotel staff and other locals in high esteem compared to what might be best or most prominently advertised. What you might call a “tourist trap”.

Flexibility- People often decide against making a booking based on the fear that their trip will become too regimented. They want to be allowed the chance to adjust plans without penalty.

We created empathy maps, experience maps, user flows. We also built a persona and created scenarios using the insights and user needs identified during research.

Running design studios proved a particularly useful tool to effectively collaborate on and solve more complex problems such as the rescheduling flow and how users communicate staff when they have any queries.