yahoo! travel ethnography study - may 2007 kivilcim boztepe beth goldman sarah cooper 06/12/07...

Yahoo! Travel Ethnography Study - May 2007

Kivilcim BoztepeBeth GoldmanSarah Cooper

06/12/07

Confidential - Do Not Distribute

Yahoo! Inc. . Confidential| Ethnographic Research:: May 2007

Overview

• Goals & Methodology

• Participant Profiles

• User Types

• Key Insights

• Travel Research & Planning Process & Other Insights

• Design Implications

• User Experience & UI Concepts

• Appendix


Objectives

Methods

Process Researcher, designers and travel team members collaborated throughout process

Overview & Methodology

Field study• Explore and observe travel planning behavior in context

Diary study• Qualify participants

• Determine talking points

• Explore daily planning activities longitudinally

1. Travel UED members visited travelers in their homes

2. After each field study, travel team extracted key insights during interpretation sessions

3. After all sessions, travel team built an affinity diagram from key insights

Identify user needs, current pain points, and opportunities within the travel research and planning process to inform the product and design strategy for Yahoo! Travel


Overview & Methodology

I can’t believe they don’t want an

itinerary!


• 9 participants in the Bay Area

• Passionate travelers • Recruited based on Passionate Traveler & Inspired Planner market segments

• Currently in the process of planning travel

• Demographics• 25-54 years old

• 6 female, 3 male

• 1 single, 3 single (w/boyfriend), 3 single (w/living girlfriend/partner), 2 married w/kids (one separated)

• Mixed income w/minimum: $50K

• Mixed # of trips w/minimum: 4 leisure trips/year

• Intermediate – Expert level of Internet

• Current online methods• Online Travel Agencies

• Travel Suppliers

• Hotel/Destination Research sites

• Travel Search Engines / Meta-search sites (less awareness)

The Participants

Toni Cleopatra Julie Nat CurtAlyssa Nina John Kathleen


Motivation:

Enrich life by experiencing her own & other cultures (“gypsy”)

Planning Behavior

• Research to maximize the experience

• Enjoys research as lives the trip before the trip

Needs

Have and research best possible travel experience • Find “off the beaten path”

• “Feed hunger” for research and excitement

• Get info locally

• Pain Point: Not finding info (Verona, Italy)

• Pain Point: Can’t find info prior to trip (discounted lift tickets from grocery store)

Allow flexibility and relaxation • Have “not to miss/maybe/extra” lists

Trip within budget• Cheap flights

• Due diligence on boyfriend’s flight search

• Without stepping on his toes while making sure he finds the best price

• Pain Point: Not knowing where to find a good fare and anxiety in booking

Toni 35-44 year old | SingleSan Bruno, CAOffice Managercosmetic dental office

TripsNew DestinationsItaly & Panama

Opportunistic friends’ invitations, time-share trade-in


Motivation:

Achieve sense of accomplishment from unique travel experiences

Planning Behavior

• Happy to tag alone with others and benefit from opportunities

• Doesn’t want to put a lot of effort into planning

Needs

Trip within budget• Cheap flights with convenient schedules (recurring trips)

• Cheap hotels (Denver & Berlin, better price than conference hotels)

• Pain Point: Too much time spent to find cheap flights & hotels (“hard part”) & difficulty in finding hotels near the conference hotel

Have a unique experience (new destinations) • “Step off the carousel”

• Sense of accomplishment (trip alone to South Africa)

• Safety, security concerns

• Pain Point: Too much time and info on internet (to figure out basics like distance between cities in Germany)

Flexible accommodations• Will only book first few nights, then walk around to find hotels

Have a unique experience (new destinations) • Know what’s nearby and walkable

• Pain Point: Can’t find that info on the internet

Cleopatra45-54 year old | SingleSausalito, CACounselorcrisis center

TripsRecurring Dallas to visit boyfriend

Business Conferences - Germany

New Destinations South Africa, Germany

Opportunistic Germany with boyfriend, benefiting from conference & frequent flyer miles


Motivation:

Spend time with family and friends

Planning Behavior

• Follows kids’ advice

• Happy to not put in too much effort

Needs

Make sure all travelers needs are fulfilled

• Find accommodations with required criteria for self and travel partner families (space and amenities for 3 families for Lake Tahoe cabin)

• Pain Point: No good cabin websites.

• Pain Point: Can’t book for 5 people online, and can’t easily see flight and stop-over options

Trip within budget

• Cheap flights (recurring trips - Jordan) to be able to visit family

• Pain Point: Having to use travel agent to get a good deal (Jordan - lack of info, lots of back/forth)

• Pain Point: Can’t book for 5 people online, and can’t easily see flight and stop-over options

Accommodate kids’ desires for new experiences

• Maximize existing trips to take advantage of layovers (Paris during Jordan trip) to plan for experiences learned at school, heard about from friends (Paris for French class, Italy for Lamborghini, Staple Center)

• Pain Point: No easy way to see activities on a map (printed map for LA)

Allow flexibility for trip

• Hotel found by chance while at a beach

Julie45-54 year old | Married, kidsFremont, CAHomemaker

TripsRecurring Yearly vacations with other families, Jordan to visit family

New Destinations Layover in Paris, short excursions

Opportunistic Layover in Paris


Motivation:

Have fun with friends, relax, and explore nature

Planning Behavior

• Doesn’t like to put a lot of effort except for camping

• Wants to put minimal effort to recurring and work trips, expects friends to plan things to do (e.g. local breweries)

Needs

Find info for new camping destinations

• Find specific info within camp sites (e.g. toilettes, seclusion)

• Pain Point: No detailed info or good sources for info on camps (can’t call park rangers and websites can’t answer all questions)

• Pain Point: Too much time spent to find good information

Efficiently and easily book recurring trips

• Find reasonably-priced flights and detailed fight information easily• Wants flight recommendations (comparing flights for $ & services)

• Pain Point: Not knowing how to find deals

• Pain Point: Ads on travel sites

Allow flexibility for relaxation

• All planning can’t be done beforehand (need to talk to park rangers for more info, B&B place for bus & beach in San Diego)

Nate25-34 year old | SingleSan Francisco, CABookkeeper

TripsRecurring Rochester, NY to visit family

New Destinations Camping trips with partner

Business Trips for work


Motivation:

Plan recurring trips as efficiently as possible

Planning Behavior

• Puts very little effort in recurring trips planning, expects others to plan activities; “At work I’m responsible for planning”

• Books and plans for others visiting her (sister & friends)

Needs

Efficiently and easily book recurring trips

• Minimum time and effort (e.g. auto-fill on AA.com)

• Wants maximum value, considers FF miles

• Wants guidance on best time to buy

• Pain Point: Having to re-enter info on multiple sites when checking fares

• Pain Point: Flight becomes unavailable and price goes up before booking, and miles don’t always apply

• Pain Point: Can’t choose individual depart/return flights on AA

Find, book, and plan for visitors

• Cheapest flights as incentive for others to visit

• Things to do (baseball schedule and tickets)

• Pain Point: Takes too long to find cheap tickets

Relax and get away from daily life filled with planning

• Wants trips to be convenient, little effort to plan (AAA Hawaii package deal)

• No itinerary, “Went to Europe and I had every hour scheduled and it was exhausting and I didn’t feel like I was on vacation…some place like a beach town, where you’re supposed to relax, I don’t need to have my day booked.”

Alyssa25-34 year old | SingleSan Francisco, CATextile Designer

TripsRecurring Long Island, NY to visit family; business trips to NYC

New Destinations Hawaii

OpportunisticFrequent flyer miles


Motivation: Experience new things to become a “more well rounded person” and cure “travel

Planning Behavior

• Excited about planning, lives the trip before the trip

• Researches to maximize the experience

Needs

Easily plan romantic, relaxation trips

• Find romantic cottage only in Sonoma, the rest of the experience will

• Friends do planning for her trips to NY

Research to maximize experience for new destinations

• Comparing Fiji to NZ for short stay

• Find a romantic cottage that will make Sonoma trip a success

• Pain Point: Can’t search for airfare without dates

• Pain Point: Having to re-enter info on sites

• Pain Point: Difficult to coordinate schedules, logistics

Allow flexibility for relaxation and adventure

• Some things can only be found locally (find restaurant while walking around, hostel bulletin board with “American couple in jail”)

• Depends on mood (dine out only if feel like it after wine tasting, may decide to stay 2 more days, decide on activities at the resort)

• Had planned every detail in past, now, “have a place to stay (booked 1st night only in S. America), that’s it…I want to feel like I have a plan but don’t spend hours to stress about details”; “not an itinerary” as it takes away from adventure

Nina25-34 year old | SingleSan Jose, CAReal estate agent

TripsRecurring Australia to visit fiancé's family

Romanic excursion Sonoma

OpportunisticStop-over to Fiji or NZ during Australia trip, move to Italy or France for fiancé's work

New destinations Ecuador in past, Sonoma

bug”


Motivation:

To relax, see places “as is” (“Paris leaves Paris in summer”) as a reward for working

Planning Behavior

• Plans necessary elements (flights, hotel) and researches to be educated beforehand

• Doesn’t like planning, lets girlfriend do it, waits to get to destination for daily planning (“You have to be on the ground before you know where to go”)

Needs

Find detailed info for destination, activities, and transportation

• Decided to find camp by driving around

• Believes he can’t find fishing spots on the internet and needs to ask people with fishing poles

• Find travel info between cities/countries (train in Eastern Europe)

• Pain Point: Not finding the perfect map for Big Sur

Travel within budget

• Find cheap airfare (decided to go to Mexico instead of Europe)

• Pain Point: All sites have the same airfares, wants suggestions (e.g. “fly here instead and take cab”)

• Pain Point: Entering same info on all sites

Relax on trip• Booked one night hotel only for Big Sur which he had found by driving last time. • Does not want “like an itinerary”, wants to “leave it open to a point” “for

spontaneity” and “relaxation”, so he “(doesn’t) feel like clock is ticking”

John25-34 year old | SingleOakland, CAMath tutor

TripsShort Excursions Big Sur fishing trip

New Destinations Europe, Mexico


Motivation:

Enrich life by experiencing other countries; travel is a way of life

Planning Behavior

• Excited about planning

• In-depth research for some activities (scuba diving, Cancun day trips)

Needs

Travel within budget

• Find cheap airfare (Cancun, Australia)

• Pain Point: Time consuming to review many OTAs to find good fare

Find detailed activity information

• Scuba-diving information for Cancun (water temperature, options for renting vs. bringing own equipment, visiting student programs for Australia, day trip options to ClubMed Cancun

• Pain Point: Unable to find specific and local information

Allow for flexibility and relaxation on trip• Only booked one day-trip in Cancun (used to keep a round-the-clock

itinerary with parents, 7:00am Arc De Triomphe”, “so stressful”. • Once found a concert in Germany by chance (“local info is much

better”)

Find detailed and logistical information for short trips• Cabin, weather traffic, and driving directions

Curt25-34 year old | SingleOakland, CAReal estate manager & student

TripsNew Destinations Australia, Cancun

Short Excursions Lake Tahoe with partner

Opportunistic ClubMed Cancun vacation with inherited money, student programs for Australia, dorm keeper at Lake Tahoe, couchsurfing.com


Motivation:

Maximize the experience, travel is a major part of life, “sustains me”

Planning Behavior

• Excited about planning (trip before trip, “intrinsically relaxing”)

• Spends time to research must-do activities to maximize the experience

Needs

Maximize the trip experience

• In-depth research for new destinations (Peru, Chile, Bolivia excursions)

• Find information for off-the-beaten-path and unique experiences (pottery in Peru)

• Research to supplement family, local info (don’t know everything she’d like)

• Pain Point: No / inaccurate information for non-mainstream places (no steam train schedule online)

• Pain Point: Too much info online

Allow flexibility for adventure

• Some things can only be planned locally (steam train in Peru, silver makers in the farmers’ market, potential dangers of a remote village trip for a woman traveling alone)

• Depends on mood, went to village in Peru for 1 night, stayed 1 week

• Pain Point: Takes too long to find cheap tickets

Flexible Booking

• Search for airfare without dates

• Pain Point: Can’t do airfare search without dates

Kathleen35-44 year old | Married, 3 kidsSan Francisco, CADirector of fundraising for college

TripsNew Destinations

Recurring Visit husband’s family in Peru, family in Detroit

OpportunisticFrequent flyer miles

Business


User Types

Passionate Travelers

• Want to experience new destinations

• Interested in “off-the-beaten-path” destinations and activities

• Consider booking a necessary evil, “things to do” is the fun stuff

• Perceive themselves as savvy travelers, not tourists; however not necessarily using the most effective methods to research, plan, and book their trips

Ellen the Explorer“Travel is a way of life for me. I want to make sure I have the best possible experience”

Takes the lead in researching and planning to make sure they get their desired experience

Tag-along Tyler“Someone who knows what I like will plan it for me. I’d rather not do it.”

Will still research and plan for activities and experience related to interests

Toni

Cleopatra Julie Nat

Curt

Alyssa

Nina

John

Kathleen


Key Insights

• I just “google” it

• I don’t want an itinerary

• I don’t want what’s touristy

• I want to know what it’s really like

• Locals know insider information

• I have some ideas about my trip

• Are they travelers like me?

• Make my recurring trip easy


I just “google” it


I don’t want an itinerary


I don’t want what’s touristy


I want to know what it’s really like


Locals know insider information


I have some ideas about my tripI want to go away for the

weekend with my boyfriend somewhere

nearby so we can drive, but I want it to be a

different experience than I can get at home. Maybe

Napa or Sonoma?


Are they “travelers like me”?


Make my recurring trip easy


Key Insights - Recap

• I just “google” it

• I don’t want an itinerary

• I don’t want what’s touristy

• I want to know what it’s really like

• Locals know insider information

• I have some ideas about my trip

• Are they travelers like me?

• Make my recurring trip easy


Travel Research & Planning Process & Other Insights

Explore destinations

• Inspiration comes from many sources (friends, newspapers, tv, passions, photos, journals)

Research destination

• Official site is seen as good starting point for destination research (source of truth, good coverage)

• Destination research requires geography research

Find and book flight(s) and hotel(s)

• Multiple sites are checked for airfare for due diligence

• Book online if possible, book offline if can’t book online or if it’s complicated

• Low confidence in deals

Plan activities

• Planning info is rarely saved and organized

• Some travel planning is done for visitors

Share experience

• Photos and captions only, minimal effort

Research and plan - general

• Lots of consumption of UGC, but little contribution

• If activity or accommodation is important for the experience, more efforts will be put into planning it

• Ads/Sponsored results affect trust of site

• Some trips are planned with multiple parties


Design Implications

Explore Destinations

• Relevant recommendations

• Alerts and notifications (email triggers)

Decide where to go

• Guidance to help decide where to go

Research destinations

• Access to all relevant, useful info

• Know what it’s really like

• Access to locals and other destination experts

• Qualify travelers (like me?)

• Discover hidden gems

Acquire and retain target segment by designing a site / user experience that meets their needs

Find and book flight(s) & hotel(s)

• Guidance to find best fares

• Quickly and easily book recurring trips

Plan activities

• Flexibility in planning

• Easily collect and share ideas for activities

Prepare for trip

• Minimal effort

Share trip experience

• Share photos and captions with minimal effort


User Experience Concepts

• Demonstrate key interaction points for acquiring and retaining target users.

• Focus on main use cases

Plan and book trip to new destinationacquire and retain new Y! Travel user | engage and retain existing user

Deciding where to go, open to new ideasacquire and retain new Y! Travel user | engage and retain existing user

• Not covered

• Finding and booking flights and hotels

• Finding and booking flights for recurring trips

• Sharing trip experiences

1

2


User Experience Map: Trip to Verona

1 Plan and book trip to new destination

acquire and retain new Y! Travel user


UI Concepts: Trip to Verona

1 Plan and book trip to new destination

acquire and retain new Y! Travel user


UI Concepts: Research destination


UI Concepts: Plan activities & prepare for trip


Deciding where to go, open to new ideasengage and retain existing user

User Experience Map: Deciding where to go

2


UI Concepts: Deciding where to go

Deciding where to go, open to new ideasengage and retain existing user

2


UI Concept: Deciding where to go


Appendix• User Types & Key Insights Cards

• Also available at: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/UserTypesKeyInsightsCards.doc

• Key Insight Details

• Insights List • Also available at: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/InsightsList.doc

• Design Ideas (collected during Interpretation Sessions)

• Key Insight Video Highlights: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/travel_movie_final.mov

• Affinity Diagram Notes: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/AffinityDiagramNotesFinal.doc

• Screener: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/screener.doc

• Test Plan: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/testplan.doc

• Test Script: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/testscript.doc


User Types & Key Insights


Key Insight Details


I just “google” it

• Starting point to travel research is: Google

• For all, airfare, hotel, deals, even “travel sites” & especially for destinations

• Google casts a wide net, gives links to travel sites anyway & more honest picture (by popularity)

• Travel sites are not efficient starting points

• e.g. easier to find Yahoo! Travel destination info link from Google than from Yahoo! Travel

• Users have negative perceptions about travel sites

• Good for airfare and hotel but not for destination info

• All the same (price, content, format/layout)

• Marketing focus (they try to steer you, sell you packages & have ads)

• Not good for “off the beaten path” (see I don’t want what’s touristy slide)

• No favorite site for travel research

• Review & community sites (personal accounts & blogs) are better for destination info

• Trip Advisor, Tribe.com, gay.com, Zagat, concierge.com

• Which are found through Google search


I don’t want an itinerary

• Only plan the basics (air + 1st night’s hotel)

• Learn/collect some ideas about things to do beforehand but don’t plan day by day

• What are must dos, logistics for it if needed, e.g. Machu Picchu in Peru

• Otherwise just know that “Louvre is still standing”

• One day would be on the beach and one at Disneyland

• Flexibility allows adventure, spontaneity & fun

• Might be disappointing to plan & not do

• e.g. concert ticket wasted vs. concert to favorite punk band was found by chance

• Can’t plan all online

• Info is not always available & only available locally (especially for “off the beaten path” places)

• Can get a better feel in person, e.g. need to see in person to decide whether you’ll like the restaurant or hotel, “sleazy” hotel

• Can’t anticipate to what mood you’ll be in (may not feel like doing what you had planned for)

• I did it in the past, it was stressful, I know better now


I don’t want what’s touristy

• Desire to find “off the beaten path”, unique experiences

• e.g. no need to go to Cancun to see a line of resort hotels, do the Spring Break, Senior Frog thing

• Motivated by finding different experiences than current/daily life experiences

• e.g. no need to go to a gay theme weekend in Miami if all they do is get drugs & party as I can do that here


I want to know what it’s really like• Understand the experience

• For destinations, accommodations, activities

• e.g. remote village in Peru, will it be dangerous for a woman alone?

• e.g. will the cottage really be as romantic as I want?

• e.g. how cold the water temperature be for scuba diving in Cancun? Should I take my wet suit I use in SF Bay? Should I bring my own equipment or will they have quality equipment to rent?

• e.g. I want to know about the leg room in the plane

• Info on the internet is limited

• e.g. no info for a small town (Verona in Italy)

• e.g. all hotel pictures look the same

• e.g. no info on local pottery maker in Peru

• Only online resource is personal accounts from other travelers

• e.g. found scuba diving info only on scuba forums

• e.g. prefer “quirky” hotel photos taken by travelers

• Plan logistics

• Need to learn what’s nearby/walkable

• e.g. can I walk from the hotel to San Diego Zoo/metro station in Paris?

• For attractions’ planning, what’s around & drivable/doable is important

• e.g. Staple Center & Disneyland

• For destinations, what’s doable is also important

• e.g. train options in Eastern Europe


Locals know insider information

• Only locals know about obscure places & adventures

• e.g. silver makers are in the farmers’ market today and not at their regular village (in Peru)

• Can’t find them online

• e.g. fishing spots in Big Sur

• Closest resource is people’s online accounts that work sometimes

• Need to allow flexibility in planning as some trips and activities can only be planned locally


I have some ideas about my trip• Some criteria is clear for my trip

• Be relaxing (e.g. at a very romantic cottage in Sonoma)

• Introduce me to a new destination (e.g. I know I want to go to Australia)

• Help me experience a new culture (e.g. I want to learn about my father’s heritage who is from Mexico)

• Be affordable (e.g. We can only go to Jordan if we can find flights we can afford for five people)

• But, I don’t know the rest

• I booked the cottage but that’s it (the events for that weekend may not all be published)

• We’ll drive to Big Sur for fishing but don’t know where to fish and camp & there is not a good map

• We need to figure out what’s doable by train in Eastern Europe in 2 weeks

• I have 2-3 days for stopover, not sure if I can/should go to Fiji or New Zealand

• And would love help

• I’d love to have a travel site that would guide me in finding out:

• When to fly to get the best fare

• Which days & which airlines fly to Jordan

• Which stopovers are available to Australia

• What is the cheapest/most convenient routing (e.g. recommend to fly to a different city in Europe & take another quick flight or the train)


I have some ideas about my trip

• My trip starts once I book flight and/or the hotel

• Booking flight and/or hotel is the “hard part”

• Great anxiety around booking, getting a good fare, not booking when seeing a fare and missing out & booking and finding a better fare later

• Anxiety was very observable during the diary & field study

• Especially searching for airfare (16 hours of looking around, “Expedia hell”)

• Usually accommodations is next but trip planning might start with that as well (e.g. invitation to friends’ villa in Italy, gay theme week in CubMed Cancun)

• Things to do are “fun” things to plan & could be planned once I got there


Are they travelers like me?

• Desire to learn from travelers who are like me & after similar unique experiences

• That’s why friends’ opinions count more, as my friends know me, know what I like & they like the things I like

• Need to know whether reviewer have same interests

• e.g. Are they watching TV in their RVs or are they into the wilderness/hiking like me?

• Some travel sites are not for me

• e.g. Orbitz is not for me, it’s for mainstream

• Reviews are too short to judge and can be too opinioned

• e.g. wrote only if they were very upset with the waiter

• Personal accounts are better to judge the traveler

• As the reader can tell more about who wrote it and whether they are similar in their interests


Make my recurring trip easy

• I always take a similar trip:

• Fly to the same destination

• e.g. to visit my family in Long Island, Rochester, Peru, Australia, Jordan, boy friend in Dallas

• From the same airport

• Have the same preferences

• e.g. price range, schedule, using FF miles vs. purchase

• Why do I have to go through the same process each time and why could it not be easier?

• Remember my preferences

• Auto-fill

• Guide for best fares, FF & stopover options

• Expectation of less effort in booking compared to trips to new destinations


Insights List


Insights List

GENERAL/OVERALL PROCESS

• Process steps quite separate – decide on destination, book, plan

• Use different types of travel sites for different tasks (book flight, book hotel vs. destination research vs. detailed planning)

• Some trips are planned with multiple parties.

• Trip criteria is clear when deciding on destination, flight, accommodations (e.g. drivable, nice hotel, etc.)

TRIGGERS/MOTIVATION

• UC: Opportunistic travel

• Inspiration from many sources – variety of passions

• Inspiration – trip before the trip – via photos and journals

• Travel to get different experiences from their daily life


Insights ListRESEARCH

• Where to go? Usually have destination or possible destinations in mind…not doing much for this UC.

• When researching, cast a wide net, search via google rather than one travel site

• Destination, accommodations, activities – want to know what it ’s really like.

• Want unique/non-tourist, hidden gem experience

• Frustrated by lack of information on less-traveled destinations

• Destination research – need to understand geography, what is nearby, etc.

• Destination research – people are looking for the “official site” because it’s considered

• Personal accounts are helpful for researching and planning activities and accommodations

• Need ground transportation information

• Destination research UC: what’s nearby and walk-able?

• Locals know – desire for information from locals

• Information saving – very ad hoc

• Official sites - the source of truth, with good coverage

• Travelers like me – attempt to qualify travel sites and UCG with respect to travel habits, etc.

• Lots of consumption, but minimal contribution to UCG

• Ads /sponsored results affects trust of content

• Sense of pride in research, knowledge and travel experience


Insights List

BOOKING

• Key process step for booking flight – first about setting cost expectations (how much should I expect flight to cost?).

• Anxiety around booking and getting good price.

• Book flights – check multiple sites for due diligence

• Want help determining the best time to go – flexible date search for flights

• Deals vs. Best prices – low confidence in deals, people are looking for the best prices

• FF miles – important consideration when booking

• Recurring trip vs. new destination

• Book online if possible, book off line if not possible to book online, or complicated situation


Insights List

PLANNING/SCHEDULING

1. Planning and Flexibility (will make sure key things happen, like to leave the rest flexible)

1. Some things you just gotta see live first before booking

2. Planning – if activity or accommodation is part of the experience, they will invest (more) time in planning it to make sure it happens

3. UC: Planning for visitors

SHARING

• Sharing - minimal effort, share photos and captions with friends and family


Design Ideas


Design Ideas (collected during interpretation sessions)

• Going home? Check out what’s new since you’ve been there last!

• Tie in official tourist bureau sites to our regional pages

• Feature of temporal type trips “good for X and when, foliage travel, snow travel, cherry blossoms” (P3)

• Integration with Y! movies – Movies that were shot in that location/about that destination

• Travel news/articles for inspiration. Integration/syndicate from Y! news.

• Polls to elicit “top 10” info

• “Culture and history” as an interesting theme (distinct from modern art)

• Trips to find out about your heritage

• Make your mark on locations – feature profile of last person to have been there

• “Concierge recommends” on hotel detail page



• Solicit local feedback/content - local communities/forums for destination pages.

• Psycho-analytical profile to see who you are like (other travelers). I plan travel like 50% of population, or like 5% of population.

• Things to do, hotels, etc. by theme/type of traveler/interest (travelers like you might like…)

• Types of people that stay at this hotel (sub-groups of people)

• Have a way for users to file away online alternate payment methods (voucher, coupon, miles, companion pass)

• Track FF miles from different airlines

• Provide alternate routing ideas – e.g. SF – Berlin, try SF-NY with miles, NY – Berlin, try business class!

• Can create loyalty if we add details like “snacks are good”, most leg room, when comparing flights

• Toolbar “auto-fill” for address forms, cc info, etc.

• Things to do list, grouped by must do, maybe, and extra



• Solution for locals planning travel arrangements/things to do for friends and family visiting them

• Users are thinking about equipment need in trip (snowboard, snorkeling) – shopping integration with trip planning

• For short getaways, restaurant is important activity – emphasize that in “near me” and driving directions

• Recommendation and deals for things to do at destination (e.g. concerts, sporting events)

• Lists of local events about traveling (talks, etc.)

• Tailored recommendations by certain selections (e.g. I want cheap hotels)

• Giving indication on whether prices could change/drop more (averages, trends last year, etc.)

• Alert for flight price fluctuation

• Show local travel agents or other offline sources to get expert travel information

• Going home? Check out what’s new since you’ve been there last!

yahoo! travel ethnography study - may 2007 kivilcim boztepe beth goldman sarah cooper 06/12/07...

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