Role
User Research
Tools
Zoom
Notion
Otter
Timeline
1 week
Resarch Goals
Understanding how users browse and select activities on the platform
Evaluating the platform's ability to match users' needs and expectations
Assessing the likelihood of users booking activities via the website
Methodology
Remote usability testing of the website
Customer Interviews
Given the time constraint and the limited understanding of Viator's user base, conducting user interviews was a logical research method for this project. The objective of these interviews was to gather insights into users' day-to-day activities, their process for booking activities, pain points encountered, and their preferred platforms for making bookings, both online and offline.
Our decision to conduct usability testing aims to gather ongoing feedback from users and promptly identify any pain points or delightful moments they may encounter. By utilising an iterative approach, we can repeatedly assess the effectiveness of any improvements made to the website.
Cohort
Mums who plan activities for their children.
Sample size
sample size: 4
3 based in the UK, 1 based in the Netherlands
none of them has used the website before
Why mums?
The cohort for this research study is mums who plan activities for their children while on holiday. This cohort is relevant to Viator because mums often represent a significant portion of the target market for family-friendly activities and experiences. Mums typically take charge of planning, budgeting, and managing the household, which gives them considerable spending power. Therefore, understanding the needs, preferences, and pain points of this cohort when using Viator's platform can provide valuable insights into how Viator can better serve this market segment and increase its market share.
Limitations
The lack of insight into Viator-specific business goals and their target customers presents a limitation for this research study. Without a clear understanding of Viator's business goals and target customers, it may be challenging to ensure that the research objectives are aligned with the company's strategic priorities and that the research insights are relevant and applicable to Viator's user base.
Persona
Karen, 37 years old
highly organised, having children motivates her to do planning both day-to-day things and leisure time
wants to ensure that her children remain active and participate in experiences that are culturally rich and fulfilling.
uses internet searches, online communities and recommendations from friends to find activities for her children
budget-conscious and wants to ensure that she gets good value for her money.
Interview Goals
To understand:
users’ processes for finding and booking activities for the children
examples of previous experiences of booking and attending activities with their children (offline and online)
preferences need, and expectations when it comes to booking activities for their children
the emotional meaning of finding appropriate activities for their children
Usability Test Goals
To understand:
How mums feel about the overall experience of using the Viator platform to find and book activities for their children
How easy it is for mums to find and book activities that are appropriate for their children
What is the mums’ experience of finding appropriate activities for their children?
What are the hooks and triggers that motivate mums to book an experience on the platform?
Key Findings
Interviews Key Findings
Context and User Behaviour
Users are more likely to travel locally instead of abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Users prefer free or low-cost experiences that can be enjoyed at home or with their friends and families due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Travelling with children requires additional planning, preparation, and flexibility.
Mothers often use Google, Tripadvisor, and Facebook groups to find holiday activities for their children.
Usability Test Key Finindings
Most mums left the website without the intention of booking motivated by 3 main reasons.
Reason no.1
Users didn't successfully locate kids friendly activities
Users missed the kid-friendly filter.
The kid-friendly filter was sometimes disabled due to a lack of kid-friendly options available.
The experience descriptions didn't provide enough information specific to children, which made it difficult for mothers to plan their trip.
“If I have to book something for my child, I would definitely do the “kid-friendly” (filter). It’s very important to me.”
Karen, mum of an 8-year-old and 12 year old
Design Challenge
/
How Might We make it easier for users to find kid-friendly experiences on the platform and ensure that the kid-friendly filter is always available?
By addressing this challenge, we can improve the user experience and increase the likelihood of mothers booking experiences on our website.
Reason no. 2
Users haven't felt compelled to browse though the expereinces on the website
Users perceived the website as solely focused on getting them to make a booking, which made them less likely to browse.
Some users were uncertain about what they wanted and needed to spend time browsing the website to get inspiration for their trips.
Users missed curated content that could help them plan their trips.
Users found it difficult to browse experiences because they had to scroll through a lot of content.
Users preferred seeing experiences displayed as cards next to each other rather than having to scroll through a long list.
Users missed having beautiful, enticing pictures to help them choose experiences.
One of the users mentioned enjoying browsing content displayed as cards while browsing another website.
“It’s not really seducing me, you know, it looks all very practical. I guess if you know what to book, then this is your website, but if you don’t know London, you just want to be inspired by maybe “10 top things to do” or like an appealing picture or maybe someone’s opinion about it. It doesn’t really spark to investigate.”
Nelly, mum of a 4-year-old
Design Challenge
How might we create a more engaging browsing experience by curating content and displaying experiences in an appealing, easy-to-browse format?.
To encourage browsing, a user suggested moving the bottom section of the page with pictures of different destinations to the top.
Current layout of the top of the page
Reason no. 3
Users haven't found sufficent infromation on the website to motivate them to make the booking.
Users left the website to search for:
Location and addresses of particular destinations
Promo codes and cashback options
Price comparison
Information about the same event on a different website
One of the users mentioned enjoying browsing content displayed as cards while browsing another website.
“Depending on what it was, I would probably try and search for the same activity somewhere else as well. Not only just on one website.”
Nelly, mum of a 4-year-old
Design Challenge
How might we improve the user experience of Viator's website by providing users with the necessary information and tools to make a booking decision without leaving the site?
Conclusion
It is unclear whether mums are the appropriate cohort for Viator's target customers, and further research is needed to validate this assumption.
The research results indicate that Viator may not be effectively catering to mums as a potential target customer segment. The challenges mums faced in discovering kid-friendly activities on the website suggest a need for improvement in the discoverability of these experiences and the availability of a kid-friendly filter. It would be valuable for Viator's research team to investigate these findings further and consider ways to better cater to this segment while also attracting other potential customer segments. Ultimately, addressing these issues could lead to increased bookings and revenue for Viator. However it is also unclear whether mums are the appropriate cohort for Viator's target customers, and further research is needed to validate this assumption.