Category:
Mobile Design
Client:
Access Development
My Role
Interaction Designer in a team of 3 Designers
Duration
4 Months From Jan'24 to Apr'24
Methods
Competitor Analysis, Wireframing, Rapid Prototyping, Design Systems, High-Fidelity Prototyping, Usability Testing
About Access Development
Access Development is the largest network of private discounts, offering deals on travel, dining, and lifestyle services. Users can save on flights, hotels, and more, while businesses use the platform to enhance loyalty and drive new customers.
Figure: Access Business Model
The Problem
Users spend unnecessary time navigating multiple disjointed checkout experiences jumping between separate carts for hotels, flights, and attractions, managing fragmented transactions instead of a unified booking flow.
Users struggle with unclear pricing constantly cross-referencing costs across platforms, lacking a transparent breakdown of fees, taxes, and total savings before checkout.
The Challenge
Maintaining technical feasibility while enhancing the user experience, merging multiple checkout processes into one without overcomplicating backend development.
Aligning the new design with the existing design system working within predefined UI components and technical limitations, balancing consistency with necessary improvements.
How might we make it easy for the users to seamlessly book travel in a single, intuitive checkout flow while ensuring clear pricing transparency?
Research and Insights
Objective:
Methods:
Semi-structured Interviews: We conducted interviews and observed 10 participants booking travel on Access Development to uncover usability pain points and behavioral insights.
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Competitor Analysis: We analyzed key industry players (Booking.com, Expedia, Orbitz) to identify best practices in checkout experiences, pricing transparency, and bundling strategies.
Literature Study: To ground our design decisions in behavioral and cognitive insights, we conducted a literature review focused on pricing strategies and consumer psychology. Drawing from academic journals and articles in behavioral economics and e-commerce UX, we explored how users interpret value, respond to price framing, and make purchase decisions in multi-step booking flows.
Key Findings:
Users expect to see all fees and taxes upfront which helps them make confident decisions.
Bundles make booking easier
Users prefer planning everything in one go. Bundles feel efficient and valuable.
Reduce cognitive load
Confusing flows or cluttered UI push users away. Simple, consistent design matters.
Design for mobile first
Most bookings happen on mobile, so that’s where we focused.
Help users compare and save
Users want tools to compare options and spot deals quickly.
User Flow
We analyzed user behavior throughout their journey, from trip exploration to logistics research, and ultimately to the final booking. Our main focus was on optimizing the final booking process by addressing common pain points, such as complex checkouts and unclear pricing, to ensure a seamless and trustworthy experience for users.
Figure: Users can build customized bundles by combining flights, hotels, rentals, and activities into one unified flow.
Solution
Feature 1: Unified Checkout
The platform now offers a cohesive checkout process by consolidating multiple shopping carts into a single, seamless flow. This reduces confusion, builds user trust, and simplifies the booking experience across flights, hotels, car rentals, and attractions.
Figure: A single, streamlined flow replaces the fragmented checkout experiences across services.
Feature 2: Price Transparency
A detailed breakdown of costs, including fees and taxes, is now presented during checkout. This feature not only fosters trust but also allows users to make informed decisions about their bookings.
Figure: Itemized breakdowns of taxes, fees, and services build clarity and trust.
Feature 3: Favourite Bundles
The Favorites feature allows users to save their preferred travel options, such as flights, hotels, and activities, into a personalized list. These favorites are then used to create tailored bundles that reflect the user’s tastes and travel habits. Users can further customize these bundles to ensure alignment with their travel needs, streamlining decision-making and adding convenience.
Feature 4: Trending Bundles
The Trending Bundles feature highlights pre-curated travel packages based on popular destinations, seasonal trends, and user preferences. These bundles serve as inspiration, providing users with ready-to-book options while still allowing for customization to fit individual requirements.
Figure: Smart suggestions from favorites make planning faster and more relevant.
Next Steps
Access Development solution can further address the key insights identified. For example, simplify guest experiences by providing additional customization options, such as tailored travel bundles or incentives for local markets during off-peak seasons.
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The platform could also guide users in decision-making, offering personalized recommendations and enhancing trust through clearer pricing and booking processes.
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A long-term goal could be to expand service offerings, including more booking categories like cruises or multi-city trips, paving the way for a comprehensive travel planning solution.
Design Systems
By leveraging Access Development’s existing design system, we ensured consistency across all touchpoints while reducing design and development time. Using predefined UI components, typography, and color palettes allowed us to maintain visual and functional harmony, aligning with the brand’s identity. This approach improved scalability, facilitated seamless collaboration between teams, and enhanced the overall perceived quality of the platform. Adopting the design system also enabled us to focus more on addressing user needs and improving usability rather than recreating foundational elements.
Reflection
Conducting primary and secondary research helped uncover user pain points and market trends, shaping solutions that aligned with business goals while addressing user needs.
Working with Access Development taught me to collaborate with clients and cross-functional teams effectively, while adopting an agile approach to project planning, ideation, and iteration based on insights and feedback.
Respecting diverse opinions, fostering open communication, and adapting to feedback enhanced team collaboration.