USER FEEDBACK

TRENDS

Aviation Q1 2016

INTRODUCTION

The aviation industry is changing; the days

of visiting a travel agent to browse through

brochures or booking a trip over the phone

are gone. Advances in and adoption of

smartphones and tablets mean that online

users have the freedom to search for (and

even book) flights how, when and where

they want.

With websites that revolve around this

search and booking process, designing and

optimizing with the user in mind is vital for

the aviation and travel industry. Your users

expect a seamless experience at every step

of their journey, and in 2016, it starts online.

We analyzed over 24000 user feedback

items from some of the biggest airlines in

Central Europe to shed some light on what’s

happening in the industry. We did this

through a combination of word mining,

metadata and keyword analysis, as well as

user sentiment evaluation. Usabilla has a 5-

point rating scale that we refer to as

‘satisfaction score’ in this report.

So how are online users interacting with

airlines in 2016? We looked at the top

problem areas, general satisfaction and how

users’ moods are affected by things like

device type and browser.

1. FEEDBACK BREAKDOWN Aviation Q1 2016

What we found From 24,045 feedback items collected, we found that a huge 60% majority was negative, with the average satisfaction being 2.4 out of 5. Of course, you can assume that people are more likely to complain than give praise, but this also means that they’re willing to highlight problems that need to be fixed.

What it means While this negative majority might suggest that airlines are getting things wrong, it presents a huge opportunity to address and fix the issues that are causing the negative response. By collecting this kind of qualitative feedback, you can immediately identify bugs, errors or simply things that don’t work the way your users expect them to.

Average Satisfaction Score

FEEDBACK BREAKDOWN –

24,045 Items

60%

10%

30%

PositiveNeutralNegative

2.4

2.1. SPECIFIC AND GENERIC FEEDBACK Aviation Q1 2016

What we found With Usabilla, users have the option to give specific or generic feedback i.e. they can highlight one particular element or give an overall opinion on the entire site/page. From the total feedback analyzed, we saw that over 82% was given as specific feedback.

What it means Users of airline websites are willing (and actually more inclined) to pinpoint specific issues they are experiencing; they can immediately show the context of their problem without having to waste time and effort. Giving your users the option to leave specific feedback quickly and easily will result in more focused, qualitative data, which in turn, will result in bugs and errors being identified and fixed faster.

57%

10%

33%

PositiveNeutralNegative

Specific feedback –

19,755 Items

64%

8%

28%

PositiveNeutralNegative

Generic feedback –

4,278 Items

2.2. SPECIFIC AND GENERIC FEEDBACK Aviation Q1 2016

“CX pros should collect detailed customer feedback to gain insights into problems with elements of the digital experience.” How to Measure Digital Customer Experience, Forrester Research, Inc., March 2016

As mentioned in the Forrester report, How to Measure Digital Customer Experience (March 2016), KLM makes use of the specific feedback and screenshot functionality on their site to collect detailed information from their users.

Image Source: How to Measure Digital Customer Experience, Forrester Research, Inc., March 2016.

3. KEYWORD ANALYSIS Aviation Q1 2016

time

numbertimessite

flight

checkpage

bookbooking website

flights

impossible

seat

change

online

information

findworkeasyreturn

optiongood

select

seats

make

date

backemail

boarding

serviceclear

unable

error

price

pay details

user

difficult

add

flyingdatesmessage

ticket

card

passprint trip

friendly

button

travel

app

mobile

choose

phone

airport

fly

enterbaggage

booked

click

reservation

prices

frustrating

web

hours

link

account

airline

system

4. TOP 4 PROBLEM AREAS Aviation Q1 2016

What we found We identified the most common user problems with airline websites, meaning these are the top 4 things you should focus on when conducting tests and making improvements. The most common issues were around search and navigation, and with booking and payment also in the top 3, it suggests that UX and booking flow optimization are key issues for airlines.

What it means Optimizing search and navigation (i.e. the first step of the booking flow/conversion funnel) should be top priority for travel and aviation sites; if your users can’t find the journey they’re looking for, they’re certainly not going to book it. If you’re not investing in UX, you’re missing out on customers, sales and ultimately, revenue.

Top 4 Problem Areas

1 Search / Navigation 37%

2 Manage My Booking 25%

3 Booking / Payment 22%

4 Check In 14%

5. PROBLEM AREAS IN CONTEXT Aviation Q1 2016

What we found Regardless of device type, search and navigation remains the top issue. This suggests that users are turning to their smartphones and tablets more and more to search for flights i.e. starting the booking process on mobile.

What it means Optimizing the search functionality of your mobile site means that users are more likely to progress through the booking flow, even if it happens over multiple visits across multiple devices. The more easily they can find what they’re looking for, the more likely they’ll be to book it.

Desktop Mobile Phone Tablet

Search 32% Search 34% Search 57%

Manage my Booking 30% Check In 31%Booking/

Payment 19%

Booking/ Payment 25%

Manage my Booking 26% Manage my Booking 18%

Check In 13%Booking

Payment 9%Check In 6%

6. USER SATISFACTION BY DEVICE TYPE Aviation Q1 2016

What we found Overall, the majority of feedback items we analyzed were given via desktop and the majority were negative. Mobile feedback items, however, came out on top with the highest percentage of positive feedback and an average satisfaction score of 2.8 out of 5.

What it means Airlines are taking their mobile user experience seriously. They’re recognizing that users will often favor visiting a site, and even booking travel from their smartphones. Email marketing initiatives also aim to engage customers on mobile. However, with the majority of feedback on mobile being negative, there’s still some work to be done.

“People are increasingly using their phones to plan travel, but when they do it's happening in smaller moments across more sessions on their phones.” - Source: Think with Google

65%

9%

26%

PositiveNeutralNegative

Desktop – 14,241 Items 2.1 Satisfaction Score

Mobile Phone – 5,089 Items 2.8 Satisfaction Score

47%

10%

43%

PositiveNeutralNegative

Tablet – 4,702 Items 2.6 Satisfaction Score

53%

10%37%

PositiveNeutralNegative

7. USER SATISFACTION BY BROWSER Aviation Q1 2016

What we found With Apple products reigning supreme, it’s no surprise that the main browser used is Safari. It’s followed closely by Chrome with both browsers having relatively high satisfaction scores.

What it means Just as users will use multiple devices, it’s also likely that they won’t be bound to one browser. Make sure you have rigorous cross-browser testing for all changes, updates and design choices.

Browser % Feedback Average Satisfaction Score

Safari 31 2.5

Chrome 29 2.4

Internet Explorer 14 2.0

Firefox 10 2.1

8. USER SATISFACTION BY OPERATING SYSTEM Aviation Q1 2016

What we found The mobile operating systems, iOS and Android, scored highest in the satisfaction ranks with 2.7 each. Almost a third of feedback came from iOS, meaning that users are visiting airline sites using iPhones and iPads, and what’s more, they’re willing to give feedback via them.

What it means Again, this further highlights the need for mobile and cross-device optimization. Browsing via smartphone is no longer an alternative option, it’s now the first choice for many users. If you already have a feedback solution in place, make sure it’s fully responsive and gives your customers the option to give their opinion anytime, anywhere… because chances are, they will.

Operating System % Feedback Average

Satisfaction Score

IOS 28 2.7

WIN7 25 2.1

MacOSX 12 1.9

Android 11 2.7

Win8.1 6 2.3

Win10 6 2.3

SUMMARY AND KEY FINDINGS

From our analysis, we found that airline website users expect a

smooth browsing and booking experience across multiple

devices, meaning you have to optimize every step of their

journey with this in mind. A user may well search via mobile,

book via desktop and check in via tablet. Airlines need to pay

attention to this shift in user behavior and make sure they invest

in the cross-device user experience.

We also found that users are willing to (and may actually prefer

to) give specific feedback over generic, meaning they will

actively highlight and pinpoint problems for you. If something

isn’t working the way your users expect, let them tell you.

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