Machu-for-Picchu-ever

For the Challenge 3: Usability Evaluation and Site Redesign I had to step into shoes of specific user type and find adequate travelers to interview in order to explore ways in which site redesign would make sense and enable easier functioning. As a destination I took Machu Picchu, not only because I would personally love to go there but also because it is one of the most important and well-preserved symbols of Incan empire.

User Type

Scenario: Young couple — 20–40 y/o (2) “You and your partner decide to go to a special place next summer. You realize you have both saved enough for the tickets and are planning to save as much as possible for the next 6 months to do this trip. You want to be efficient and have everything you need organized to enjoy at 100% while there. Even if you’re young, you want to have special moments to celebrate being together.

I choose this user type because I myself never traveled with my partner outside Europe and I wanted to understand and hear what my interviewers, a fresh young couple that enjoys traveling together, has to say on this subject.

Research

For the research part I had to find specifics about Machu Picchu: How to get there, what is the climate, Currency, recommendations etc. Best way to reach Machu Picchu is to come from the nearest city of Cusco. If you are traveling from Europe (as geographical notion) there are only several options for direct flights to Lima, the capital of Peru. From Lima you can reach Cusco either by plane or bus. Cusco is located at an altitude of 3,400 meters and it is recommended to have some acclimatization days before starting any kind of activity. Altitude sickness is not only more common than seasickness but can be fatal if untreated. Many travelers suffer mild symptoms, including headaches, dizziness and vomiting, but these will usually subside after you’ve acclimatized. Wardrobe recommendations for Peru may differ on the area that you are traveling through. For Machu Picchu accomfortable walking boots with good ankle support are needed as well as comfortable clothes for trekking and hiking, rain jacket or poncho, hat and sun blocker to protect from the sun, water to stay hydrated, insect repellent and a basic backpack. When it comes to Travel documents you will need flight ticket, passport and entrance ticket for Machu Picchu historical site. Peru is an easy country to enter. People from most countries in the Europe do not need a tourist visa to enter Peru. The maximum length of stay that the authorities grant to tourists is vary between 90 and 183 days, which cannot be extended. If you wish to stay longer for other reasons, such as business, studying or working, you need to request the relevant visa at a Peruvian consulate in your own country. Currency is Peruvian Sol. Some vaccines are recommended or required for Peru and WHO is suggesting following: hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, Rabies and Tdap. As you need some time to acclimate, the coca leaf tee, which has been the part of traditional medicine in the Andes for centuries is recommended for drinking. If you are planning to hike long Inca Trail, the traditional method of chewing coca leafs will help you fight symptoms of altitude sickness.

Benchmarking

As I identified the user profile, I selected three travel apps and performed Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics Evaluation. I picked Tripadvisor, Kayak and Skyscanner. Using ten basic principles: Visibility of system status, Match between system and the real world, User control and freedom,Consistency and standards,Error prevention,Recognition rather than recall,Flexibility and efficiency of use,Aesthetic and minimalist design,Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors,Help and documentation, I compared apps and choose most suitable one for my target group. Although Kayak and Skyscanner have more minimalistic design and are easier to use, Tripadvisor offers more diverse touristic actions and activities that are focus interest of my users.

Usability Testing and Insight

In the 5 seconds test both of users answered similar, recognizing homescreen of Tripadvisor app as a traveler app that offers multitude of possibilities. They both were familiar with Tripadvisor as an excellent source for Restaurant recommendations, but they never used the app and explored possibilities for vacation.

In the 20 min app test and interview, I asked following questions: What do you think about landing page? Is it clear how the app can be used? What is the first thing you searched for? Did your wish correspond to search results? How do you find app? Is it easy to move through it and find stuff you are interested in? What were the issues you faced during your search? What did you miss? What can be improved?

They both liked the fact that the app is practical and offers a variety of different touristic activities. They had two different approaches on moving through the app: Bobo choose to go directly to “Things to Do”, while his girlfriend tended to have more structured cruise, starting from searching for a flight, then checking hotels, restaurants and at the end other touristic activities. They both underline importance in reading reviews and base their choice on recommendations of other users. Main problems they found are:

Bobo — confusion between “Where to” search field and search icon (they gave him different second screen and different search results). He was desiring photos of the reviews to be easily accessible as he believes from his own experience, written word is ok, but photos of users are much better match in deciding to book.

Bobo’s girlfriend — she didn’t understand if pricing for tickets and hotels is per day or for the whole stay. She said she wanted to have a bit better map and explanation of how to, by local transport reach for example, a restaurant that she liked from hotel that she will be staying in. She also said that it would be easier for her to have a kind of “statistical filter” that would enable her to get more concreate results. That filter would define how old are you, which gender, what is the reason for your trip, romantic, sport, adventure etc.

What to redesign

After the interviews I listed the pain points and friction areas. Most important redesigns that I choose for now were landing page (so that Bobo could easily get to his results), filter categories (so that his girlfriend could dive into exciting world of touristic exploration) and picture adaptation for reviews that they both like. Tripadvisor is a travel app that really offers a lot of possibilities for various activities and it is amazing to have a pool from which a singular user could pick. A idea to have a “statistical filter” would potentially do a miracle for these two users. Here I will present the wireframes tryout.

First / Landing page

1. As my user couldn’t easily approach search function and was lost between two options that take you to different search results, I decided to change that and relocate all searches into upper-middle part of the page.

2. When you open app there are also two possibilities for searching things to do nearby your location. One is just right under main search and another is when you click on the map. I decided to merge that into one version too. By clicking on the map, you would land on the search results for the activities, hotels, restaurants nearby.

3. Plus button that enables you to post photos or write reviews is blended into a map and was source of extra confusion for my user. That is why I relocated out of the map area and to the place where was search icon.

In my opinion landing page is where user initially decides to continue with the app or not. As my interviewed user was having troubles already on the beginning, I focused my first redesigning assignment there.