Activated UX
2021
Unifying a Fragmented Search Experience
Problem area
Increasing acquisition
Fragmented search architecture hindered the boutique hotel platform, creating friction for users before results appeared.
The Solution: A comprehensive UX audit and usability testing program identified key friction points and validated a consolidated, single-stream search experience.
Understanding the Problem: UX Audit
The initial UX audit revealed a critical friction point: the website hosted two separate search experiences with different logic and navigation. This forced users to choose a "path" before they even started searching, causing confusion and drop-offs.
Audit focus areas:
Summary
Maintaining dual search flows imposed a cognitive burden for users. Our primary recommendation was to consolidate these into a single, streamlined functionality.
See the final deck for competitive analysis, audit, & recommendations.
Design goal
Crafting a Unified Search Experience
We replaced the two search journey with a single, intuitive search flow. Our team developed two prototypes focusing on:
Validation
Feedback from Customers
We conducted usability testing with 10 target participants to validate the new search modules and filtering logic. We focused on:
The "Aha!" Moment
Testing revealed that the client’s perceived target audience differed from their actual power users. Many users arrived via promotional ads rather than seeking the "curated experience" the client prioritized. While the client chose not to pivot their business strategy based on this, it highlighted a major gap between brand identity and user behavior.
See the usability results deck for test results and analysis.
Reflection
Lessons in Stakeholder Alignment
While the client implemented the search consolidation, they initially struggled with the research findings. In the future, I would implement more frequent stakeholder check-ins to ensure expectations are managed before the final delivery.
Even when recommendations aren't fully embraced, providing a research-backed foundation allowed the client to make informed decisions for the future.
