Tripadvisor Mobile App: A UX Case Study
Creating a better user experience for the modern travel planner.
(full prototype featured below!)
Inspired by the seven wonders of the new millennium, I decided to evaluate a trip planning app using Machu Picchu as the destination for the user. I’ve noticed that Machu Picchu has become an increasingly common destination and place of interest, especially among millennials. I hoped that this wanderlust would capture the interest of my user and keep the testing fun and interesting!
For my user type, I chose to test the experience of a young backpacker, since that reflects my personal audience reach the best.
Worldtrotter, Backpacker — 18–38 y/o
You’ve decided to finally go visit that wonder that has been sitting in your dreams for a long time now. You don’t have a long time to plan but also you don’t need it. You’ll be traveling in 6 months and are open to almost any possibility but have a budget constraint. You are price-cautious and prefer experiences where you have a chance to meet people and make acquaintances to enjoy the wonder together. You are not picky and you can accommodate the most affordable, adventurous, genuine experience.
I then conducted some research on Machu Picchu, so that I could create tasks for my user that would contextually make sense. This research included:
- Nearest airport/most convenient airport to destination |Jorge Chavez International Airport
- Currency and exchange from your own currency | 1 USD = 3.52 Sol
- Medical needs: vaccination, visa, etc. | A passport valid for six months is required to enter and depart Peru. Tourists must also provide evidence of return or onward travel. Travelers to Peru will receive a card from Peruvian Immigration upon arrival stating the length of approved stay (usually 90 days). Extensions are not available, and overstays will result in fines. Peru does not require any immunizations for entry, although it recommends vaccination against yellow fever.
- Wardrobe recommendations | Daypack,Waterproof Jacket, Pants, Tank Tops or Tees, Fleece or Hoodie
- Days needed to visit attraction | 4
Based on my usability heuristics evaluation, I chose to test out the Tripadvisor mobile app with my users to find any flaws that need redesigning.
User Testing
I sent my selected users a document with instructions on how to record their screens, along with the following tasks:
First task — You have 5 seconds to look at the home screen. After 5 seconds, cover the screen and answer: What did you see? What can this tool do for you? Where would you search for a flight?
Main Task — Say you’re traveling to Machu Picchu in mid march (dates are flexible). You’ll need at least 4 days to get the full experience and want to get the best deal possible. Book flights and a hotel/hostel for the lowest possible price.
The five second test results were pretty consistent across the board. The users recognized the app as a method for planning travel, and noticed the option to book flights through clicking on the “flights” button. Trouble began once the users conducted the main task. To start, every user clicked on the flights button instead of the “where to” selection option. When the users went to the flights search, they were not able to search for Machu Picchu, but instead had to know the name of the relevant airport. This resulted in outside googling, questions, and confusion. This confusion could have been resolved had the user started their journey by selecting Machu Picchu directly from the home screen.
The users were tasked with finding the lowest possible prices as that is usually top priority for young, solo world travelers. Tripadvisor has great filtering options, but filters the results automatically without initial input from the user. Further, it’s not obvious to the user how the results are filtered. The users didn’t notice the “sorted by price” indication on the flights results list and attempted to unnecessarily alter the filters. However, when they later went to book a hotel, they assumed results would also be filtered by price even though they were automatically sorted by value. As a result, the users did not select the cheapest hotel room. My goal from here on out was to make filtering more obvious from the beginning.
Lastly, and most importantly… the goal of every tool is to keep the user on the app for as much of their process as possible. Purchasing from outside the app is inevitable in this case, but the biggest flaw I encountered was that the users would accidentally leave the app once they selected “view deal” and then not navigate back or even notice that they had left Tripadvisor! My users were so confused that some even searched for hotels using the website they had been redirected to. None of my users noticed the “Trips” option on the navigation bar which could have been a great tool for organizing their flights and hotel selection.
In order to address these three main issues, I redesigned the flow for booking a flight. The process for booking a hotel would reflect this flow as well, for consistency and cohesiveness within the app. For the purpose of this exercise, I made alterations along the flow that would:
- Make the main page simple and optimize usability
- Help the user sort their results easily to minimize confusion
- Integrate “Trips” into the booking process to keep the user on the app until they are ready to book all aspects of their trip
I created the following wireframes, starting with a new home screen that features the “Where to?” search option, and then takes you to the normal selection of hotels, flights, etc. I also added sorting options on the flights search page, and changed the “View deal” button to “Add to trip” which now adds the flight to your “Trips” section of the app. I altered the “Trips” section to include recommended add-ons such as hotels, vacation rentals, etc. and once the user has selected everything they need for the trip, they can check out and purchase these services individually from the external website. This way, the user doesn’t get distracted by other websites and uses Tripadvisor for all their trip planning needs!
I then created the following prototype to show the entire new flow. I learned a lot about the revelations that come through user testing. I went into the exercise without trying to guess what my users would have issues with and I found that non-bias to be a huge advantage. The users had a lot of consistencies in their issues with the app, which I found interesting since the users did not have a lot in common besides age and travel habits. Being able to help people navigate an app goes hand in hand with aiding a company in retaining business and I found this to be a rewarding and fun experience. Enjoy!
