Overview
Kayak.com is a website where users can go for all their travel needs being: flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and packaged deals. Being that they offer so many travel options, Kayak.com wanted to make sure their site was easy to use and successful for the users. To help confirm or address any successes and problems, we conducted remote unmoderated testing on several participants. The data collected will be analyzed and show what is successful about the website and what needs to be fixed.
In order to solve this problem we focused on the process in which the user takes in order to find the service they are looking for.
To help us learn more about the problem we focused on asking participants to perform these tasks:
• Booking a flight
• Booking a hotel room
• Finding a package deal
• Locating tips for low fares
Kayak.com wants to figure out if their search features are easy enough for users to navigate. They are also interested in having users read tips and articles they provide but are afraid they aren’t noticeable enough.
Research Methods
The method that was chosen to gather data was remote unmoderated testing. These tests allowed us to collect data which is then analyzed. From the analyzed data we can find the strengths and weaknesses in the site.
Data AnalysisThe research uncovered that participants had great success in booking flights and hotels set in certain perimeters. Participants had difficulty finding select package deals complying with their task. Lastly 2 of 3 participants failed to locate low fare tips.
Key Findings
• Participants were easily able to select dates and locations for flights.
• There was great success with the way kayak.com lists flight prices low to high.
• The participants utilized the side filter when searching for certain amenities while trying to book a hotel.
• Participants found it difficult to find a package deal for select dates and were dissatisfied with not being able to select amount of time stayed.
• The option for viewing tips for finding low fares was difficult for participants to find and 2 of the 3 participants failed to do so. They selected “More” section in navigation instead of clicking link in footer.
• Participants were more likely to use google or other applications when searching for flights, hotels, and certain deals.
Key Recommendations
• Allow users to select specific dates and a time perimeter when trying to find package deals.
• Fix the way the user selects package deals options and time frames.
• Display tips and different articles on homepage or in the “More” section of the navigation instead of just solely in the footer navigation.
• Add more information about how much package deals will cost based on amount of days stayed. (Can only view once directed to a different website.)
• Kayak.com links out to different websites, there could be a way to keep all actions on the website. This way the user avoids multiple pop-ups and prompts to sign up for different websites.
To see full study click Here
Participant Task Results
