Comments on: First impressions matter when Booking a Holiday Online http://www.travel-rants.com/2007/09/22/first-impressions-matter-when-booking-a-holiday-online/ - Discussions on travel consumer issues Fri, 30 Jul 2010 20:20:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Darren Cronian http://www.travel-rants.com/2007/09/22/first-impressions-matter-when-booking-a-holiday-online/#comment-52105 Darren Cronian Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:07:45 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/2007/09/22/first-impressions-matter-when-booking-a-holiday-online/#comment-52105 Anthony, I'm on the 'day job' right now, so I'll respond better later. If you want a tester I'd be happy to offer my services, from a consumer perspective [I'm not a techie!] Anthony,

I’m on the ‘day job’ right now, so I’ll respond better later.

If you want a tester I’d be happy to offer my services, from a consumer perspective [I'm not a techie!]

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]]> By: Anthony Hook http://www.travel-rants.com/2007/09/22/first-impressions-matter-when-booking-a-holiday-online/#comment-52102 Anthony Hook Wed, 03 Oct 2007 11:43:11 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/2007/09/22/first-impressions-matter-when-booking-a-holiday-online/#comment-52102 Well I dont find budget is an issue here, it is more of an issue that without conducting extensive user testing, the kind where you haul them off the street and give them money for their time etc, where do you focus your efforts. When providing the best user experience (regardless of SEO), is it on well written, gramatically perfect content and accommodation descriptions. Is it big, quality pictures of the accommodation, is it simple 3 step booking processes, is it user reviews integrated from trip advisor or else where? What really sells it to the customer, i suppose most would say, its a mixture of all of them. I do agree with you that online agents such as ourselves do have to walk that fine line. I hope i am able to take our sites to that line quickly! Another thought is, do those bigger sites like Expedia, Lastminute and TUI with their endless budgets really make great user experiences that are accessible, simple and friendly? I beg to differ, I tried talking my father (on the phone) through booking a Eurostar trip on Expedia, after 10 mins he got so annoyed he just phoned up one of my call centre staff to book it for him, he was clearly not given a good experience by them, he's no computer idiot, bearing in mind he uses one in his job every day, he paid £40 more in the end, but ended up a happy customer. I do find larger sites with dynamic packaging sometimes very complicated (no names) and with out feeling to cocky, being a young guy who generally understand all web things this must mean a lot of people who are just like my dad probably experience the same woes. Its a shame because those smaller online agents and sites who offer great, friendly online booking experiences backed up by good call centres and administration teams are losing out to those bigger sites who set the tone for the majority of people who are just discovering online booking. Anyway enough ranting for now, back to trying to find the online booking user experience equilibrium... Well I dont find budget is an issue here, it is more of an issue that without conducting extensive user testing, the kind where you haul them off the street and give them money for their time etc, where do you focus your efforts.

When providing the best user experience (regardless of SEO), is it on well written, gramatically perfect content and accommodation descriptions. Is it big, quality pictures of the accommodation, is it simple 3 step booking processes, is it user reviews integrated from trip advisor or else where?

What really sells it to the customer, i suppose most would say, its a mixture of all of them.

I do agree with you that online agents such as ourselves do have to walk that fine line. I hope i am able to take our sites to that line quickly!

Another thought is, do those bigger sites like Expedia, Lastminute and TUI with their endless budgets really make great user experiences that are accessible, simple and friendly? I beg to differ, I tried talking my father (on the phone) through booking a Eurostar trip on Expedia, after 10 mins he got so annoyed he just phoned up one of my call centre staff to book it for him, he was clearly not given a good experience by them, he’s no computer idiot, bearing in mind he uses one in his job every day, he paid £40 more in the end, but ended up a happy customer.

I do find larger sites with dynamic packaging sometimes very complicated (no names) and with out feeling to cocky, being a young guy who generally understand all web things this must mean a lot of people who are just like my dad probably experience the same woes.

Its a shame because those smaller online agents and sites who offer great, friendly online booking experiences backed up by good call centres and administration teams are losing out to those bigger sites who set the tone for the majority of people who are just discovering online booking.

Anyway enough ranting for now, back to trying to find the online booking user experience equilibrium…

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]]> By: Colin Maddocks http://www.travel-rants.com/2007/09/22/first-impressions-matter-when-booking-a-holiday-online/#comment-52079 Colin Maddocks Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:42:53 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/2007/09/22/first-impressions-matter-when-booking-a-holiday-online/#comment-52079 I think the problem we, as web-based travel agents, face is walking a fine line between ALL of the things we want our potential clients to see or be able to access and the important subject of good design, user-friendliness and accessibility. Most of us, (web-based travel agents) are usually reasonably "net-savvy" which is why we went online to begin with, but we're not all experts in design and web-technology etc, to the extent that we would like to be. A lot of the big names in web-travel, TUI, Last Minute, etc, have budgets that we can only dream of. So creating a user-friendly, well-designed website is really an on-going process. Hopefully improving all the time, but never ending. Hope that made sense? :-) I think the problem we, as web-based travel agents, face is walking a fine line between ALL of the things we want our potential clients to see or be able to access and the important subject of good design, user-friendliness and accessibility.

Most of us, (web-based travel agents) are usually reasonably “net-savvy” which is why we went online to begin with, but we’re not all experts in design and web-technology etc, to the extent that we would like to be.

A lot of the big names in web-travel, TUI, Last Minute, etc, have budgets that we can only dream of.

So creating a user-friendly, well-designed website is really an on-going process. Hopefully improving all the time, but never ending.

Hope that made sense? :-)

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]]> By: Darren Cronian http://www.travel-rants.com/2007/09/22/first-impressions-matter-when-booking-a-holiday-online/#comment-51998 Darren Cronian Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:58:27 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/2007/09/22/first-impressions-matter-when-booking-a-holiday-online/#comment-51998 Well, alot of my pet peeves with sites are included in the post, but my advice would be put yourself in the eyes of a holidaymaker, and try and get people who are not internet saavy to test the site out. Well, alot of my pet peeves with sites are included in the post, but my advice would be put yourself in the eyes of a holidaymaker, and try and get people who are not internet saavy to test the site out.

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]]> By: Anthony Hook http://www.travel-rants.com/2007/09/22/first-impressions-matter-when-booking-a-holiday-online/#comment-51944 Anthony Hook Tue, 02 Oct 2007 08:55:35 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/2007/09/22/first-impressions-matter-when-booking-a-holiday-online/#comment-51944 Hi Darren I agree, i sometimes find that sites dont offer a good user experience, we have found our user experience on Packyourbags.com to be quite user friendly, however we are now launching into our winter season where we have just completed a new flight search and will be re-launching holiday early next year. What advice can you give to a web developer who is making user friendliness, accessibility and design his main focus over technical gadgetry? Look forward to hearing from you. Anthony Hi Darren

I agree, i sometimes find that sites dont offer a good user experience, we have found our user experience on Packyourbags.com to be quite user friendly, however we are now launching into our winter season where we have just completed a new flight search and will be re-launching holiday early next year.

What advice can you give to a web developer who is making user friendliness, accessibility and design his main focus over technical gadgetry?

Look forward to hearing from you.

Anthony

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