Research
I started with user interviews because I wanted to hear directly from families about their real struggles when booking accommodations. I interviewed parents with children of different ages to capture a range of needs.
Families with young kids cared most about safety and convenience, while families with older kids prioritized activities and flexibility.
To deepen this, I created affinity maps to group insights and identify recurring themes. I also ran a competitor review (Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia) to see how existing platforms handled family-specific needs.
Filters were often too generic (e.g., “suitable for children”), and information about equipment was missing.
User interviews
User personas
Ideation
With this data, I mapped user journeys to understand emotions and frustrations during the booking flow. This exercise helped me see exactly where families felt stress, like unclear information about bathrooms or activities.
The flow needed to reduce decision fatigue and highlight “family must-haves.”
Recommendations and Opportunities
Research shows that traveling families have different needs when booking accommodations. Solving these pain points can improve satisfaction, simplify decisions, and increase bookings.
Families have different motivations for their trips.
Allow users to set trip intent (e.g., family getaway, adventure, cultural experience) to refine accommodation suggestions
Helps users find relevant stays faster, reducing drop-off rates during the search process.
Travelers use multiple tools (booking platforms, maps, guides, YouTube) to find nearby activities.
Integrate activities and accommodations on one map for a smoother search process.
Enhance social proof by highlighting authentic reviews.
Reduces friction in the research phase and increases user trust in booking decisions.
Price sensitivity is a common concern.
Provide filtering and sorting options based on pricing.
Helps budget-conscious users quickly find accommodations within their range.
Certain must-haves are consistently important.
Clearly display key details like the number of bedrooms, cleanliness, and available bathrooms.
Increases booking confidence and reduces last-minute cancellations.
What this project taught me…
This project strengthened my ability to align research with business goals, extract meaningful insights, and translate them into actionable design recommendations. I learned how to refine problem statements, improve search experiences for families, and bridge the gap between user needs and business strategy.
