June 12, 2023

Market Research: Looking at the User Experience

Designing better online experiences for travelers requires a deep understanding of our users and their needs. That's why Rocket Travel by Agoda continually conducts research to understand our user’s needs and enhance our travel booking platforms. One form of research we conduct is user experience research (UX research), which allows us to listen to and learn from the customers using our technology, and build or adjust our platforms to meet their needs.

We want to hear from the end users

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Beautiful Rust - Noel F.
‍WINNER

Sukhothai - Tham W.

A Glimpse into the Past with Grandma - Fernanda R.

Sunrise Moment in Bagan - Justyna S.

The Sound of Vinyl - Bruna R.

Sacre Coeur at Dawn - Rubens J.

Laundry Day - Daniel B.

Old Town - Tim C.

Punch it, Chewy - Wesley T.

Old World (in the new) - Yvonne P.

Braveheart - Trim Castle 1200 BC - Joseph N.

Sesame Street - Hannah H.

We came to this place for magic -
Maure L.

1965 Apollo Test Capsule - Erica A.

I can remember this place - Zainab L.

Retirement post school runs - Sravya M.

Let's Play - Ying Q.

Real Alcazar de Sevilla - Arun V.

Nostalgia gives us perspective and, maybe, objectivity- Valentina O.

Love lights life- Diana F.

UX research explores human behaviors, motivations, pain points, and overall experiences to then inform our product design. At Rocket Travel by Agoda, we explore these factors through the lens of our target user groups such as travelers and brand loyalty partners. We take our end users feedback and look at the usability of our products and how we might be able to innovate on larger, future initiatives. We also look at missing marketplace opportunities and implement product enhancements.

How we conduct our research

Rocket Travel by Agoda’s UX research program delivers an early-and-often research practice that regularly conducts usability tests, exploratory interviews, and more. The first step in one of our UX research studies is to understand the scope of what has already been done on the topic by looking at previous research studies conducted by our team, competitive analysis, benchmarks, surveys and more. Our team then identifies what the study will achieve, how it will affect the user and what impact it will have on our products and technology. Before rolling out a study, we take a careful look at the different methodologies we can use to help us find answers and learn.

In-depth consumer journeys drive engagement throughout every phase of the customer lifecycle. A robust suite of transactional emails ensure customers have all the information needed at their fingertips from booking, to check-in, and post-trip. Dynamic cross-sell strategies allow us to drive high attach rates with other travel products offered by our partners, generating incremental bookings and boosting the value of each trip, and abandoned search and welcome series ensures customers understand the value of our partners’ travel platforms and stay loyal to our partners’ brands.

Personalized content leveraged throughout our emails, delivering a unique experience for the consumer. Our personalized email communications ensure each customer has all the information they need throughout their travels, easy ways to contact our customer loyalty team for assistance, and suggest travel destinations based on their personal travel preferences. This adds a level of convenience to the consumer experience and drives engagement with our partners’ brands.

Utilizing AI is quickly becoming a cornerstone of email marketing. Using artificial intelligence allows our marketing teams to quickly drive innovation through A/B experimentation. In testing, we have found it to be very effective at driving results and are developing new ways to leverage this emerging technology as email marketing services continue to expand.

Segmenting audiences based on previous engagement data to deliver new messages to the customer and drive continued engagement with our white label platforms.

Robust reporting enables us to continually optimize the performance of our campaigns, and keep partners informed of success and areas of opportunity at every phase of a partnership.

Sample research at Rocket Travel by Agoda

Our teams are always interested in learning more about each type of traveler - solo travelers, travelers with children and families, long-term travelers, etc.

We are currently conducting a large discovery research effort around business travelers in particular, to learn more about the different types of business travelers and how their needs differ from other people. This study will aim to uncover what major pain points they are experiencing and how we can help alleviate them with our products. After this study, we will be able to determine how to meet their needs through product design.

About the author

Nova Martin is head of design at Rocket Travel by Agoda where she oversees the UX design practice for the company. She has years of experience in UX research, interaction design and product management.

Zainab Lodi assisted Nova in developing this story as she leads the UX Research practice for Rocket Travel by Agoda.