Hostelworld
Client
Hostelworld
Service
UX Research
Industry
Travel
Year
Jul 2023-Oct 2023
Hostelworld is a leading global Online Travel Agent (OTA) focused on the hostel market. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Ireland, Hostelworld is a renowned and trusted brand with nearly 230 employees and hostel partners in over 180 countries. Committed to building a better world, we have focused in recent years on enhancing the sustainability of the hosteling industry.
Summary
Tasked with improving the user experience, I began by speaking with a dozen frequent users of the website to understand their unique pain points. Along with 1:1 interviews, I observed them book sample listings. This research helped me identify what major areas needed iteration.
At first, conducting a competitive analysis for hostel booking seemed unnecessary. However, I soon realized that examining travel and accommodation sites such as Agoda and Airbnb could offer valuable insights. These parallels informed the information architecture and streamlined the user journey on Hostelworld's platform. With this foundational work completed, I proceeded to wireframe and prototype a potential solution, which I then presented to our stakeholders.
46 people booked listings over 1 month and an improvement in drop-off rate later, we came away with some lessons. It's easy to overload a feature or button. Just because we can doesn't mean we always should. With each round of feedback, we were constantly reminded that less is more and the best design is minimal.
