Skyscanner

Service

UX Resarch

Industry

Travel

Year

2024

This exciting project was conducted during my 8-week UX Research Bootcamp with Memorisely, a renowned school for Product Design, where I was tasked with working on a comprehensive UX research case for the Skyscanner app. Throughout the process, I engaged in various research activities, including Stakeholder Interviews, Research Planning & Screening, User Interviews, User Surveys, Usability Testing, Data Synthesis, Affinity Mapping, and Scenario Creation. The culmination of this work is a detailed Research Report, presenting actionable insights on how the app could be improved.

*Please note that this project was conceptual and not an official collaboration with Skyscanner. It was completed as part of a bootcamp at Memorisely, where I aimed to strengthen my UX research skills.

Business goal
Skyscanner is a leading global travel search site that allows people to compare and book flights, hotels, and cars. However, the travel industry is constantly evolving, and user expectations are continuously changing. This brief outlines the scope of a UX research project aimed at assessing and improving the user experience on Skyscanner.com.

Increase Conversion Rates: Identify friction points in the user journey that prevent users from completing bookings
on Skyscanner's web application.

Project Timeline | 8 weeks, tools:

Stakeholder Interviews 💬

The research began with conducting stakeholder interviews, which were a crucial initial step in understanding key stakeholders and identifying core challenges. The interview script was strategically designed and sent to stakeholders to elicit insights in the following areas: 1) Success metrics, 2) Stakeholder experiences and insights, 3) Key focus areas, and 4) Communication & workflow dynamics.

Research Goals 🎯

The following goals were identified to guide the next steps in the research process.

🛩️

User Purchase Behavior Analysis

Investigating the reasons behind users not completing their flight purchases on Skyscanner.

🚧

Friction Point Identification

Identifying key usability barriers that obstruct users from successfully completing their bookings.

📊

Competitor Benchmarking

Evaluating whether competitors provide

a more streamlined and enjoyable

booking process.

💳

User Experience Optimization

Improving the overall user experience
to encourage and facilitate seamless purchase completion.

🔍

Booking Journey Assessment

Assessing potential issues across the booking journey for flights, hotels, and car rentals to enhance user satisfaction.

Research Questions❓❓❓

These research questions were formulated based on insights gathered from stakeholder interviews and identified as the key focu s areas for this study.

Why do users with high intent fail to convert
(make a booking) ?

What aspects of
the web and mobile app
do users find intuitive
and user-friendly?

Which specific factors

can make it easier for
users with high intent

to book a flight?

What specific factors cause users to abandon their bookings on Skyscanner?

At what point do
users drop off in
the booking process?

Participants 🙋‍

Participants were selected based on stakeholder insights, representing a diverse range of demographics, usage patterns, and device preferences to provide comprehensive feedback on Skyscanner’s user experience.

Diverse age range (18–45): Participants from various age groups to gather a broad perspective on usability.

Empty Nesters (65–80):
Older users offering
insights and feedback
on accessibility.

Mix of Skyscanner usage: Frequent and occasional users to evaluate
platform familiarity.

Varied access methods: Users accessing via PC, mobile apps, or mobile
web (Android and iOS).

Cross-platform users: Participants who also
use other flight search platforms for comparison.

Methodology 👩🏻‍💻

These are the key research methodologies used in this UX research study to gather comprehensive insights
into Skyscanner’s user experience.

Online Surveys:

To gather quantitative data on overall user experience, including both positive and negative feedback, from a diverse global audience.

Online Interviews: Facilitating real-time video interviews, recording, and transcribing them using Otter.ai for detailed note-taking and analysis.

Usability Testing: Organize real-time, task-based sessions where participants perform specific tasks, such as searching for flights, using filters, and booking a flight. Sessions can be recorded with the user’s permission, using video for deeper insights.

Online (Screening) Survey 📋

To identify suitable research participants, a screening survey was developed using Google Forms and distributed across multiple networks to collect demographic information and insights from individuals about their travel and online booking habits, specifically targeting those who have used Skyscanner before. It also aimed to identify participants interested in follow-up one-on-one interviews and prototype usability testing.

🗣️ 20 participants worldwide

🇮🇹🇷🇸🇨🇦🇳🇱🇹🇳🇲🇽🇺🇸🇦🇺🇮🇳🇧🇷

Online Interviews 💻

After identifying the appropriate candidates, who were Skyscanner users, and confirming their interest in further participation, we crafted a more detailed research survey to gather deeper, focused insights. We conducted three live online interviews with Skyscanner users and sent five additional in-depth surveys to participants who were interested but unavailable for one-on-one interviews.

🗣️ 3 Online interviews+

5 in-depth surveys

*Faces are covered with emojis because our surveys and interviews were anonymous.

Usability Testing 🤳

A prototype of the Skyscanner app, utilizing current app screens, was created in Figma and imported into Maze for testing. Participants were tasked with booking a trip from London to Paris, with follow-up questions presented after each step to assess whether any part of the process was confusing or unclear.

🗣️ 30

participants completed

task-based tests

using Maze

Heatmaps 🥵

In addition to collecting direct responses from users, we also utilized Maze heatmaps to track how participants interacted with the app using their fingers. This helped us identify what elements captured their attention first.

Competitor Benchmarking 📊

Competitor benchmarking was carried out to evaluate both direct and indirect competitors of Skyscanner. The objective was to identify their strengths and weaknesses, analyze their content, design, and user experience (UX), and define opportunities for Skyscanner. The goal was to assess whether any strategies or approaches from these competitors could be leveraged to enhance Skyscanner's overall user experience.

strengths

opportunities

weaknesses

content

design

Indirect Competitors

Skyscanner opportunities 🌟

⚡ Improve performance
in high-traffic areas like flight searches and booking processes. Airbnb excels in fast loading times and smooth interactions, which Skyscanner can emulate.

🧹 Simplify content
on detailed product pages
to reduce cognitive load and improve user experience.

🎒 Offer personalized

travel experiences

by integrating more unique
or non-traditional travel options, enhancing user choice and diversity in offerings.

✅ Develop a more
trustworthy review system
to enhance user confidence, drawing inspiration from TripAdvisor. Its strength lies
in credible user-generated reviews, which Skyscanner
could adopt to improve trust
and transparency in the
booking process.

📝 Leverage
user-generated content
to incorporate authentic
feedback and visuals for
flights and accommodations.
Like TripAdvisor, Skyscanner
can balance marketing with
real-world perspectives to enhance transparency.

🎁 Incorporate loyalty
and rewards programs
to encourage repeat bookings and boost user retention.
Booking.com’s effective loyalty program helps retain users through offers and rewards. Skyscanner could adopt a similar approach to build user loyalty.

💰 Improve price transparency
to avoid user frustration with unexpected costs or additional fees. Booking.com provides
clear pricing and transparency,
which Skyscanner can mirror
to reduce user frustration regarding hidden fees.

Direct Competitors

Skyscanner opportunities 🌟

🔍 Enhance filtering design: Skyscanner can improve its filtering options by simplifying the design and making it easier to navigate, based on Kayak's success with its advanced filtering system.

🧭 Improve discoverability
of flight search:
Make the search tool more intuitive and accessible, possibly by integrating it into the bottom navigation bar for quicker access.

💸 Integrate price
comparison features:

Add a feature that allows users to compare competitor prices without having to re-enter their details, like Kayak’s price comparison screenshot.

⏱️ Reduce loading times:
Focus on optimizing refresh
and loading times to create a smoother user experience.

📝 Detailed Travel Information
Expedia excels at providing detailed information about hotels, flights, and activities, making
it easy for users to understand what they’re booking.

📱 Optimized Mobile Experience
Expedia’s mobile app is highly intuitive with smooth transitions and clear travel options, which creates a streamlined experience

🗺️ Better Menu Navigation
Expedia's well-structured
menu and sub-menu system ensures that users can quickly navigate between key sections. Skyscanner can refine its navigation system to make pathways clearer, especially
for users returning to previous pages or sections within
deep-linked content.

🔄 Seamless Booking Flow
Expedia offers a logical user
flow from search to booking with minimal steps and clear options.

🔮 Predictive Flight &
Hotel Pricing
Implement a feature that predicts future prices for flights and hotels, helping users plan and make informed decisions based on projected cost changes.

🔔 Simplified Price Alert System
Introduce a more streamlined, user-friendly interface for setting and managing price alerts
with minimal steps.

🏨 Focused Flight &
Hotel Booking
Prioritize flights and hotels
more clearly in the app layout
to reduce distractions and help users complete bookings
more efficiently.

📢 Concise Communication
on Price Predictions
Provide clear and concise descriptions for predicted price changes, similar to Hopper’s approach to help users trust
the data and understand
potential savings.

Analysis & Synthesis with Dovetail 🗂️

In this stage, I used Dovetail as the research repository to effectively manage all my data. I uploaded both qualitative and quantitative data gathered through interviews, surveys, and usability testing. To better organize and classify my research findings, I developed a specific taxonomy that facilitated easier categorization. The tags were organized into the following categories: Behavior, Pain Points, Motivations, Emotions, Features, Opportunities, and Platforms used, making the classification process more structured and insightful.

I then identified trends and recognized recurring patterns, themes, and insights, distilling meaningful information from the large dataset. This information was clustered into groups, allowing me to present and visualize my research findings clearly in my research report at the end.

Persona 👤

This empathy map represents Nina's thoughts, feelings, actions, and concerns as she plans her workation trip to visit her brother in Paris. It provides insights into her motivations, challenges, and expectations during the planning process, helping us better understand her needs and preferences for a smooth and enjoyable travel experience.

NINA RAJ

Traveling is my way of exploring the world and connecting with people. I rely on tech to make it seamless and enjoyable

“

”

🌍 Demographic

Age:

Location:

Education:

Job:

Income:

Family:

London, UK

Bachelor's degree in Marketing

Marketing Manager ata mid-sized tech company

$30,000 - $45,000 annually

Single, no children. She has one brother and two parents who are together. Her brother lives in Paris

for work purposes.

🎯 Goals

Relaxation and an Active Life: Nina looks for fun new experiences that offer a balance of relaxation and exciting adventures. 

Seamless Travel Booking Experience: Wants an easy and efficient booking process on both mobile and desktop. 

Explore New Destinations with Minimal Hassle: Aims to discover new places without unnecessary complications. 

Find the Best Deals: Looks for the best flight deals quickly and easily to save money. 

Trustworthy & Transparent Information: Values clear and reliable information when planning travel.

💭 Psychographic

User Values:

Family Unity: Nina values spending quality time with
her family and often travels to different countries to stay connected with them despite her busy schedule.

Educational Growth: She believes in continuous learning, valuing formal education and life experiences gained from meeting new people and exploring different cultures while traveling.

Adventure: Nina values new experiences and embraces the excitement of exploring unfamiliar places and trying new activities. 

Reliability: Dislikes misinformation and values being surrounded by trustworthy people. She avoids services that are not transparent or reliable, especially for travel arrangements, to ensure a smooth and stress-free experience.

Lifestyle choices:

Balanced Living: Seeks a balance between relaxation and new experiences. 

Budget-Conscious: Prefers budget-friendly travel options without compromising on quality. 

Cultural Sensitivity: Respects and embraces
local cultures, valuing cultural diversity and understanding. 

Social Influences: Highly influenced by the recommendations and advice of friends, family, and trusted online reviews when planning trips. They often choose destinations or experiences based on the experiences of their close social circle and community, frequently integrating visits to family members, such as their brother in Paris, into their travel plans.

Attitudes:

Tech-Savy Optimist: As a remote worker, she embraces technology to streamline her travel planning, relying on efficient and user-friendly apps and tools to enhance her travel experience while saving money. 

Adaptable & Curious: She is open to embracing new challenges, eager to explore different experiences, and always ready to see what life has in store for her.

🎯 Motivations

Adventure and Exploration: Nina likes to experience new things, new hobbies, different cultures. It gives her
a rush. 

Maximizing Value: Motivated to find the best deals to travel more frequently and enjoy quality experiences. 