Vacation Preview Redesign

UI/UX Design

Redesign and enhance website to attract prospects and drive $100M in VOI new owner timeshare sales in 2024.

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OVERVIEW

Vacation Preview serves as a marketing tool as a digital prospecting initiative to funnel new prospects to tour our clubs and become new owners.

Sales and Digital Marketing organization(s) need to digitally deliver $100M in VOI new owner timeshare sales in 2024, website improvements and new features are needed to improve the experience and mini-vac package purchase conversion rate.

My Role:
User Research, Interaction, Visual design, Prototyping & Testing

Duration:
Nov 2022 - Dec 2023

Tools:
Figma, Sketch, Abstract, InVision, Userfeels

THE CHALLENGE

The current website was built as an MVP in late 2019 and later development was put on hold, due to Covid and our resorts not accepting tours. The current site is very transactional and does not support all that is needed in a prospect user journey to increase qualified leads into the site. Our overall objective is to develop a program that leverages data, media, and digital marketing to deliver $100M in VOI new owner timeshare sales in FY24.

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USER RESEARCH & BEST PRACTICES
Travel Tours & Experience Booking UX Insights from Baymard

Baymard’s tours and experience UX research is based on more than 300 qualitative participant/site usability test sessions following the “Think Aloud” protocol. During testing, the participants encountered 1,200+ medium-to-severe usability issues on the Travel Tours & Experience Booking websites while searching for, comparing, and booking tours and experiences for their next trip. A few insights are highlighted below from this study.

Search and Book

Make the “Booking” Search Feature the Primary Content on the Homepage. 99% of participants shopping for travel accommodations on OTA, large-brand hotel, and whole property rental sites sought out the “Booking” search feature to enter their destination, travel dates, and the number of guests.

Provide Full Order Cost

Users provided with only some of the order total will be reluctant to proceed from the cart and begin filling out multiple form fields. Baymard’s quantitative study found that 17% of US online shoppers abandoned orders in the last quarter because they couldn't see the total order cost upfront.

Offer Guided Product Browsing

Aim for a minimum of 40% of product types displayed on the homepage to give users an overall sense of the site's product range. Offer thematic or guided product browsing through paths on the homepage and in category navigation. Product-finding wizards and filters can assist users in finding suitable products.

Google Analytics Metrics
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Westgate Reservations

Westgate Resorts is a Florida-based timeshare group that owns nearly 30 resorts and is the largest privately held corporation in central Florida.

Strengths
  • Central, prominent Search Widget on home page
  • Simplified Booking flow
  • Sense of urgency and deal highlights above fold
Weakness
  • Too much content on pages
  • Lack of personalized, guided deals on home page
  • Site looks outdated
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Holiday Inn Club Vacations

Holiday Inn Club Vacations is a timeshare brand that’s part of the IHG Hotel and Resorts.

Strengths
  • Clean Interface with intuitive design
  • Simplified checkout process
  • Emotional imagery and layout
Weakness
  • No central search widget or CTA on home page
  • Too much content on certain pages
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USER PERSONA
Understanding the User

Meet Julio and Julie Perez, an adventurous couple seeking a timeshare that blends seamlessly with their dynamic lifestyle. Their love for traveling drives their quest for a flexible and luxurious haven. Together, they aim to transform each getaway into a tapestry of unforgettable memories, valuing both exceptional experiences and smart investments in their timeshare journey.

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RESEARCH INSIGHTS
Identify the problems and opportunities

According to Sunpass, only 81% of users participate in the Sunpass program. Participation peaked in urban areas where there are more commuters.

Painpoints
  • Inconsistent design with brand and design system
  • Website was not very functional
  • Lack of functionality to search and book packages
  • Lackluster booking flow
Opportunities
  • Create new UX experience, that better communicates, the how, what and why the prospect should purchase a mini-vac and take a tour
  • Increase qualified leads into the site with unlocking the prices by collect prospect data needed for soft scoring
  • Enhance booking flow and offer transparency around the tour requirements and allow user to book their tour at the time of checkout
New Features
  • Dynamic Content based on user interaction and interest
  • Itinerary Builder to customize package deals
  • Allow users to create account to view dashboard
  • Simple, multi-step booking flow with accommodation, tour details, and incentives
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
User Flow Diagram
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Business Capability and Tech Landscape
Business Challenges

Business decisions such as Microsite that cause development/design delays. Legacy UX “Debt” and transitioning from Legacy to Modern Systems. Tech stack that can’t accommodate designs causing iterations in design.

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VISUAL DESIGNS
High-fidelity Prototype

The left showcases the original Vacation Preview site designs and the Right is the new equivalent prototypes for MVP.

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USER TESTING
We tested the prototype through seven unmoderated sessions with the Userfeel platform and below are result highlights.
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Strengths
  • Number of users like the UI design. Thinks it’s very modern and functional
  • Easy access to make automatic payments and view information
  • The Illustrations lends to a distinct brand
Opportunities
  • Some users commented that the prototype was confusing as well.
  • 2 of 7 sessions were unable to complete the test. They got stuck on the homepage and search and unsure how to proceed with the test.
  • Most pain points were on confusing flows for the prototype. Overall, the prototype needed to go through further iterations to obtain more conclusive results.
THE PROTOTYPE

Here's a prototye that I built in Invision for usertesting and interaction.

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REFLECTION
Lessons learned

The Vacation Previews website redesign project aimed to enhance user experience and modernize the platform. The project followed an agile methodology, incorporating regular demos to gather feedback from diverse stakeholder groups. However, the journey was marked by significant delays and hurdles stemming from technical challenges and funding constraints.

Despite proactive planning, unforeseen technical difficulties, such as integration issues and development complexities, led to adjustments in the project timeline. Funding constraints added further complications, impacting the project's speed and scope.

The team's adaptability, demonstrated through transparent communication and collaborative problem-solving, was pivotal in overcoming these challenges. Despite setbacks, the project ultimately delivered a more user-centric and visually appealing platform. Key takeaways emphasize the role of agility, collaboration, and strategic decision-making in navigating unexpected hurdles and achieving successful outcomes.

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