Expedia Price Drop Protection
Industry
Travel Financial Technology
Client
Expedia Group
Tags
UX Design
|
App Design
Overview
An Expedia assurance product offered at a small fee on some Expedia.com flight bookings, Price Drop Protection (PDrP) tracks the price of a traveler’s flight through Expedia until the day they take off to guarantee that they have the best price possible. If the price were to drop, the traveler will get a refund of the difference. The feature offers a post booking experience consisting of a dashboard that allows for checking latest prices, a live push notifications system, and email check-ins. However, travelers expressed dissatisfaction with the product due to misinterpretation of the product’s intent. Thus, my team aimed to improve the post booking experience of PDrP through bridging the gap of understanding between the product and the user and through making the experience more delightful.
Final designs. Design details cannot be disclosed due to project confidentiality.
Double Diamond Design Approach
My team and I used the double diamond method as a guide. Using compression and expansion, we were able to solidify an understanding of our users before delving into solutions for them. In addition, as the project was to continue past my internship date, prioritization was needed to ensure the best organization of which redesigns to prioritize for the development milestones. The discover phase consisted of analyzing the work of UX researchers who previously worked on this product, then taking a look at the statistics of the product. We also looked at traveler reviews on PDrP to better understand user pain points. We then drew out ideations through a Miro brainstorming session. After discovering the problems, my team defined the problem statement through key insights developed during the ideation stage. In addition, we identified certain root causes of the disparity between the product and its user. Moving into the development stage, we formulated a core strategy consisting of three target areas for improvements. We also factored in levels of impact to better understand which areas of the product to prioritize for each milestone of the project. Finally, my team delivered different solutions correlating with the various product touch points, such as terms and conditions, emails, and applications. While we generated many creative and effective ideas, we also considered prioritization of efficient and effective ideas.
My Learning Curve
As this internship was my first opportunity to work in a fast-paced large corporation, my mission during onboarding was to make sure I not only understood the complexities of the PDrP product but also how Expedia Group operates. Thus, I exhausted the plethora of resources offered in understanding how to utilize Expedia Group’s design system (EGDS), the many learning videos, and webinar series provided, and scheduled coffee chats with people across my team and in positions I was interested in.
Learnings
This past summer was a rigorous yet exciting learning experience I undertook. I was able to grow significantly as a designer at Expedia Group since my design team provided a nurturing environment. I learned the importance of backing up my design choices with solid logic, thorough research, and storytelling. Well-reasoned choices not only help build the credibility of my designs, but they also ensure the designs are user-centric and purposeful. Presenting my team’s design choices in various meetings, especially to those not directly involved in our project, taught me the significance of a narrative that showcased our entire double diamond design journey. In addition, I refined my design and corporate jargon. Gaining new vocabulary not only empowered me to express my thoughts more accurately but also facilitated more effective collaboration within the team. As I became better at using design and corporate terminology, I noticed an improvement in the efficiency of group discussions, as my coworkers more easily understood my design rationale and objectives. I also learned to utilize a comprehensive design system. Expedia Group had an expansive design system that was constantly updated. During onboarding, I spent a lot of time watching tutorials and reading documentation. This was particularly exciting for me, as I did not have much exposure to design systems in the past. Through my efforts, I was able to learn how to use it efficiently in my designs, as well as see the inner workings of a live design system. Finally, I learned to be proactive with communication and to use research effectively. There were many instances when I was unsure about certain tasks, so I reached out to my team when I needed help. Additionally, I learned that being clear about the progress I had made helped keep our project on schedule and fostered productivity in the team. I also made an effort to reach out to other designers and people in roles I was interested in for coffee chats, which helped me better understand the roles I might explore in the future.