Hotel Booking Website • UX Case Study

Greetings!

As both a UX Designer and UX Researcher, I embarked on a 4-week journey to craft a website for Tagidor Garden Luxury Resort, an exquisite destination in Cameroon. The resort didn't have a website before this project, so my primary mission was to develop an intuitive user experience for booking bedrooms. I also needed to ensure that the website was visually appealing and reflected the resort's luxurious atmosphere.

My target audience for this project was affluent travelers who are seeking a luxurious and relaxing vacation experience. I wanted to create a website that would be easy to navigate and allow users to quickly and easily find the information they need to book a stay at Tagidor Garden.

One of the key challenges I faced in this project was the lack of existing resources. Since Tagidor Garden didn't have a website before, I didn't have any historical data or analytics to draw on. Additionally, some participants in Cameroon had trouble accessing the Figma prototype during my unmoderated usability study due to a slow internet connection. I provided a download link so they could complete the study offline and made a note to test the prototype link on a variety of devices and internet connections in the future.

Despite these challenges, I was able to successfully design and develop a user-friendly and visually appealing website for Tagidor Garden Luxury Resort. I am confident that the website will help the resort attract new guests and provide them with a seamless booking experience.

The problem: Business and leisure travelers needed an interface to get all the information they needed before booking a residence at Tagidor. 

The solution: Design a website for Tagidor that allows users to easily book and pay for a residence (Bungalow or villa) for their short-term stays. 

Two. Competitive audits

Target websites

Discoveries

By analyzing 4 hotel booking websites located in Cameroon (Cities of Yaounde, Douala, and Bana), both direct and indirect competitors, I realized that :

• First impressions: The visual design lacks consistency and quality, mainly in the low-resolution images, typography choices, and color palette. 

• Interactions: The absence of intuitive navigation, a clear visual hierarchy, and prominent call-to-action buttons contributes to a less engaging user experience.

• Visual design: Overuse of brand colors results in visual clutter, along with the use of outdated or irrelevant design elements that contribute to an inconsistent branding experience. 

• Content: The inconsistency in tone and messaging leads to a lack of coherence and clarity in the information presented, while the absence of comprehensive details and relevant information hinders users from making well-informed decisions. 

Why do users frequently experience frustration when navigating a hotel website?

Current situation

During my research, I found out that Hotel booking users generally face issues when trying to book a room online:

Taking the time to sketch multiple iterations of each screen on paper ensured that the elements included in the digital wireframes effectively addressed user pain points. When designing the home screen, my priority was to create a streamlined and efficient booking process, saving users valuable time. This approach helped deliver a user-centered solution for a seamless user experience. 

And then, I went for these as digital wireframes on the main user flow :

Third pain point.

Users are often misled by inaccurate information about room descriptions and prices. 

How might we ensure that the information on the Tagidor Garden website is accurate so that users can make informed decisions about their booking and avoid being misled? 

I created a comprehensive room description system with accurate pricing and detailed information, while also incorporating user-generated content such as reviews and ratings. 

One. The information architecture, navigation bar, and home page are essential components of a user-friendly website. The information architecture organizes the website's content in a logical and intuitive way, making it easy for users to find the information they need. That's why I created an IA that facilitates easy navigation between pages. 

Two. For simplicity and convenience, I created a fixed bar above all the pages the user will visit. This will allow users to change the dates, number of rooms, and guests without having to go to a new page.

Three. Because users are sometimes misled by inaccurate room descriptions, I provided comprehensive room descriptions with high-quality photos and detailed information. I also added user-generated content like reviews and ratings.

Four. During the interview phase, I noticed that one of the biggest frustrations for users was having to enter their card and payment information before their personal information. To address this issue, I decided to change the order of the information that users are asked to provide. First, users will be asked to provide their personal information, followed by their payment information. This allows for more flexibility and helps to avoid trust issues on a website that new customers may not be familiar with.

Overview.

This user testing study was conducted to evaluate the usability of a new prototype website for Tagidor Garden Luxury Resort. The study involved 6 participants, who were asked to complete a series of tasks on the website. Here were the actions:

• Prompt 1: Access the Hotel Website via a Desktop/Laptop Browser and find a residence you want to stay in. 

• Prompt 1 follow-up: How easy is it to find the residence you want to stay in? Is there anything you would like to change in that process? 

• Prompt 2: Select the residence you want to stay in (Bungalow or Villa). Also, choose the dates of your arrival and departure. 

• Prompt 2 follow-up:  How easy was it to select the residence? Is there anything you would like to change in that process? How easy was it to select the dates? Is there anything you would like to change in that process? 

• Prompt 3: Proceed to the booking of your selected residence. 

• Prompt 3 follow-up: How easy was it to proceed with the booking? Is there anything you would like to change in that process? 

• Prompt 4: Proceed to the payment and checkout of your residence. 

• Prompt 3 follow-up:  How easy was it to go all the way to check out? Is there anything you would like to change in that process? 

Key findings.

Overall, the participants found the website to be user-friendly and visually appealing. However, there were a few usability issues that were identified. For example, some participants found the checkout process to be confusing. Of course, those issues were fixed.

Evidence.

One participant said, "I had trouble finding the booking form at first. It was hidden behind a menu."

Another participant said, "The checkout process was a bit confusing. I had to scroll back and forth to enter all of the required information."

Recommendations.

Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made:

• Make the booking form more visible on the homepage.

• Simplify the checkout process by reducing the number of required steps.

Takeaways.

Conclusion:

In my portfolio project for the Tagidor Garden Hotel, I created a new website from scratch using insights from studies about users and competitors. The goal of the new website was to provide a user-friendly and informative experience for guests, making it easy for them to book their stay and learn more about the hotel.

Here are some of the key features of the new website:

• Well-structured information architecture

• Fixed bar for convenience

• User-friendly booking process

• Comprehensive room descriptions

• User-generated content

I also recommend that the Tagidor Garden Hotel implement a Content Management System. A CMS would make it easier for the hotel to keep its website information up-to-date and accurate, which would improve the user experience and make the website more reliable.

I am confident that the new website for the Tagidor Garden Hotel will provide a positive user experience for guests and help the hotel to attract new customers. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked on this project, and I am excited to see the new website benefit the hotel and its guests.