For 4 months, we launched a product that transformed the traveler experience
Role
Art-director, Jack of all trades
Year
Few months in 2021
Platforms
Offline & online
The idea was to provide 3-4 star hotels with the opportunity to join a franchise that transformed the guest experience (improving both basic comfort and adding technological features).
As a result, hotels improve their ratings, and thanks to the franchise, a network effect emerges, leading to an increase in bookings and a higher average price per night.
1
Offline design
We and our team selected a few 3-star test hotels in the city center. The main task was to improve the guest experience and create a brand from the scratch to make the hotel recognizable and prepare to scale.
Another designer and I spent 3 months fully developing the hotel’s navigation system, room furnishings, menu, and added small pleasant details (such as pillows and blankets with inscriptions that play on the hotel’s Tone-of-Voice).
To make sure we were moving in the right direction, the entire process was structured according to the HADI cycle.
Why did a do the design, and not someone from my team?
It was necessary to launch the product in 3 months, all designers were busy with the main product (Yandex Travel), and there was no time to search for a person
what I succeeded
Increased the hotel’s revenue by 150%
70% of guests used the technologies we implemented and mentioned these features in their reviews
Increased the hotel’s rating on booking.com from 8.6 to 9.2
Inscriptions on the pillows: “Shall we build a tower? I adore this” and “Make yourself at home. We’re glad to see you”
Inscription at the reception desk: "Ask us anything. For weather and movies, better ask Alice" (this is the voice assistant installed in every room)
The inscription on the card: “Your key to a smart home and sound sleep”
The inscription on the door hanger: “Please clean up, Alisa can’t do it yet”
Several examples of navigation. The naming on the room doors is a reference to the navigation in the office where we were doing the startup. Each room number is a city landmark.
An example of wayfinding navigation on a floor
2
Product design
I was responsible for the entire customer journey in the product, from the moment a person starts searching for a vacation hotel online to the point when they check out of the hotel and think about their next trip.
To ensure the customer journey was well-designed, we worked on all stages (booking - getting ready - experiencing - sharing) of the user path.
Entry points for booking on the Yandex Travel portal were developed, a separate application for the hotel chain was designed, and as a killer feature, we were the first in Russia to launch the self-check-in function, where a person could receive a room card through a special kiosk.
what I succeeded
Designed an application for searching and booking hotels
Designed the interface for a self-check desk
Several screens from the hotel brand website. The task was to design the entire scenario for searching and booking a hotel from start to finish.
Examples of self-check-in kiosk screens. The main idea was to provide the ability to bypass reception, check-in, and receive a room key card, because according to our research, long waiting times in the lobby before check-in significantly negatively affected the user experience.
3
Timing and team
In the photos is the entire startup team - about 10-15 people. With this team, we were able to launch a product in 4 months, from idea to several operating hotels, with a tested and confirmed product hypothesis that the product is successful and can be scaled
