The Opportunity
As a UX Designer at iSeatz, a travel tech company, I led an initiative to strengthen the relationship with American Express (AMEX), iSeatz’s top client.
Situation: AMEX sought to refresh the search results page on their Travel site but was dissatisfied with the designs from their external design agency.
Task: My objective was to propose a superior hotel search results page that would impress AMEX stakeholders and establish myself as the UX leader for the project.
Action: I conceptualized design solutions, conducted usability tests, and presented my findings to AMEX.
Result: AMEX was impressed with my designs, resulting in immediate buy-in.
My Process to Earn AMEX’s Partnership
Discovery
Competitive Analysis: Analyzed dozens of hotel results pages from direct and indirect competitors
Usability Test: Launched a usability test focused on AMEX's current hotel search results page to assess user sentiment and identify opportunities for improvement.
Research Questions
Using my research findings, I created a newer, more exciting hotel search results page.
User Quotes: Proposed Solution
Most Mentioned Words: Proposed Solution
Which Design Reigned Supreme?
83% (33 of 40 participants) preferred the Proposed Solution
Preferred Proposed Solution: 83% appreciated the grid format, larger photos, and modern visual appeal.
Preferred Current Solution: 18% preferred the current solution, stating that the list view design felt "more familiar."
Engagement Rating
My proposed solution earned top engagement ratings, meaning the design instantly engaged participants and got them excited about booking a hotel.
Engagement Ratings: 90% (36 of 40 participants) found the proposed solution to be “extremely visually appealing” or “visually appealing,” the highest possible scores, while only 53% rated AMEX's current hotel search results as “average.”
Usefulness Rating
For the current solution, 40% of participants rated it as “average usefulness,” while 35% rated it as “useful.”
In contrast, the proposed solution received high marks, with 88% rating it as “extremely useful” or “useful”—the highest possible scores.
Refer-a-Friend Scores
Current Solution: 45% were “unsure” if they would recommend it; 38% were “not at all likely” or “not likely” to recommend it.
Proposed Solution: 85% were “extremely likely” or “likely” to recommend it—the highest possible scores.
Book a More Expensive Hotel
Participants were asked which design, if any, would most likely encourage them to book a more expensive hotel.
The proposed solution was so compelling that 70% of participants indicated it would likely encourage them to book a more expensive hotel.
Mission Accomplished—AMEX loved the designs!
AMEX was impressed with the designs, resulting in immediate buy-in and the initiation of development in early 2024.
I received company-wide recognition at iSeatz for the successful outcome of the presentation.
