Case Study: Improving User Experience on Expedia.co.uk
Role: UX Researcher and Designer
Methodology: CIF Usability Testing, Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA), Accessibility Evaluation
Background
The Expedia website is a global platform for booking flights, accommodations, and activities. Despite its extensive user base, usability testing highlighted several issues impacting user experience, particularly in navigation, interface clarity, and task efficiency.
Key Obervations
Users struggled with unclear search functionalities and confusing filters.
Accessibility issues for visually impaired users were identified​
Critical details like pricing breakdowns and baggage policies were hard to locate.
Project
Overview: Usability Testing and Redesign for Expedia Website (expedia.co.uk)
Objective: Enhance navigation, efficiency, and satisfaction for desktop and mobile users.
Research Goals
The Expedia website is a global platform for booking flights, accommodations, and activities. Despite its extensive user base, usability testing highlighted several issues impacting user experience, particularly in navigation, interface clarity, and task efficiency.
Identify navigation and usability challenges.
.png)
Evaluate the accessibility of the platform based on WCAG standards.
Improve user satisfaction by addressing key pain points
Redesign critical flows to streamline user interactions.
Methodology
Participants:
-
6 users (3 desktop, 3 mobile)
-
Ages 18-41, mix of students and working professionals.
Demographics:
Techniques:
-
​Usability Testing: Five core tasks including account creation, booking flights, and currency changes.
-
Card Sorting: Closed card sorting with five participants to refine information architecture.
-
Accessibility Evaluation: High-contrast modes, magnifier tools, and WCAG-guided analysis.
-
Prototyping: Dynamic and responsive designs created in Axure RP 10.
Metrics:
-
Effectiveness: Task completion rates.
-
Efficiency: Task time and error rates.
-
Satisfaction: System Usability Scale (SUS).
Findings
Effectiveness
-
Desktop users had higher completion rates; mobile users performed better on time-sensitive tasks.
-
Task 3 (currency change) had a 100% failure rate due to unclear navigation.
Task 3
Imagine you live abroad and are planning to visit your hometown Chennai in India, for a month.
TASK: Book a flight from London to Chennai via Dubai from 23rd August 2023 for a month and change the currency to INR to check the total cost. Proceed to checkout and enter the total cost in INR, including taxes.
Completion Criteria
If the user finds a way to change the currency first and then book the flight using appropriate filters and informs the moderator the total price in INR before the expected time, the task is successful.
Efficiency
-
Users faced issue finding vital information like check-in - check-out time and location of the hotel.
-
Accessibility tools revealed insufficient contrast and misaligned forms.
Satisfaction
-
​Average SUS score: 36.6, indicating a need for substantial design improvements.
Key Points
-
Confusing hierarchy in search options.
-
Lack of clarity in pricing and baggage details.
-
Overwhelming scroll lengths and repetitive content.
Redesign Solutions
The website was redesigned using the user-centered design principles to address the identified pain points and improve the overall experience. Key solutions included:
.png)
Simplified Navigation: Redesigned search functionalities to clarify categories and reduce redundancy. Improved the visibility of the currency change option and streamlined steps to complete tasks efficiently.
Enhanced Information Architecture: Reorganized the homepage to remove redundant features and optimized filters for intuitive usage.
Accessibility Improvements: Ensured high-contrast modes, added "Go to Top" buttons for long-scroll pages, and integrated clear labels for better usability by visually impaired users.
Dynamic Prototyping: Utilized Axure RP 10 to create interactive and responsive prototypes featuring dynamic panels for search flows and enhanced breadcrumb visibility for mobile users.
New Functionalities: Introduced a basket feature for booking multiple items together and added clear breakdowns of pricing and baggage details to enhance transparency.
Outcomes and Future Work
The redesign addressed major usability and accessibility challenges, improving:​
Navigation Efficiency
Visual clarity for disable users.
Overall user satisfaction
