OVERVIEW

UX Design Process

EMPATHIZE

Background

Po'ahu is a small island nation in the Pacific with a population of approximately 22,000. It has beaches, rainforests, mountains, and an active volcano. The local population is about 22,000 people. The tourist industry has skyrocketed in the last 10 years. Prior to this, the economy relied on agriculture and fishing. 

Po'ahu has approximately 15 restaurants, focusing on various types of cuisines, 4 hotels, a bustling short term rental market, and many local events/business catering to tourist experiences. The majority of tourists visit to relax at the sandy beaches, explore the lush tropical forests, or visit the active volcano at the center of the island. 

User Story

Persona: Rady

​Story: As a tourist researching in preparation for my trip to Po'ahu, I want to gather updated information about hiking and the volcano on the tourism website.

DEFINE

IDEATE

Competitive Analysis

I conducted a competitive analysis comparing four island tourism website to determine what components were most common and to examine design choices. I analyzed two islands with very successful tourism industries (Hawaii and Tahiti) and two islands who are similar to Po'ahu in size and relative recentness of popularity (the Marshall Islands and Samoa). 

I consolidated my findings into a table, summarizing what features were and were not present on each website. 

All four websites had some type of large graphic at the top of the page that was either a picture of video of the island. Given that all four places are reliant on their natural beauty as an attraction to tourists, it makes sense that they would want to highlight the visual beauty of the place. All four websites also had the menu at the very top of the website for easy and quick navigation. While all four websites did link to external websites, only two provided direct booking services for either hotels or attractions. While all four websites had links to their own social media pages, only two had links to the social media sites of local businesses. Three of the four categorized attractions by interest and type of visitor (ex. Romantic, Nature Lover) rather than type of activity alone (ex. snorkeling, shopping).

Based on my findings, it appeared to be important to have a menu at the top of the page followed by a large, eye-catching photograph or video of the island's beauty to draw users in with its natural appeal. There should be links to the official social media pages of the island as well as links to local hotels and attractions, but not necessarily to their social media pages. There should be a map of the island in addition to flight and airport information. Attractions should be categorized by interest for increased ease of navigation. 

Sketches

I began my brainstorm session with the Crazy Eights exercise. I wanted to create a visually stunning design with simple navigation and a lot of pictures. 

Based on my research, I made sure to include a large graphic at the top of every frame just below a menu bar. 

I conducted a preliminary usability test with five users and received the following feedback:

1. The font is too large.

2. The large header images take up too much space and don't provide any new information.

3. The buttons are too large relative to the text in them.

PROTOTYPE

User Feedback on the first iteration

I conducted usability testing with three users. They were asked to complete the following tasks:

1. Find a hotel to book. 

2. Find a restaurant to make a reservation at.

3. Locate the hours of operation for the public transportation system. 

4. What currency is used on Po'ahu?

5. Where is Ponolulu located?

I received the following feedback:

1. Users were unclear about what information would be presented in the menu item called "The Island."

2. Users had a difficult time finding the section in the top menu where information about restaurants would be presented.

3. Users wanted a separate section for travel information as they felt it was the 2nd most important piece of information after finding a hotel to stay at.

4. The "Plan your stay" menu item included information users didn't expect (information about currency and culture) and did not include information/functionality they did expect (the ability to book hotels, plane ticket, etc.)

I made the following changes for the second iteration based on user feedback:

1. Changed "The Island" to "About Po'ahu"

2. Added two new sections: "Restaurants" and "Transportation"

3. Changed the title of "Plan your stay" to "FAQ" to better describe the information present on this page. 

The Second Iteration of the High-Fidelity Prototype

View interactive prototype on Figma

Final Usability Testing

To evaluate my final design, I conducted a usability testing session with five users. They were asked to complete the following tasks and then answer follow up questions regarding ease of use and design. 

1. Find a hotel to book. 

2. Find a restaurant to make a reservation at.

3. Locate the hours of operation for the public transportation system. 

4. What currency is used on Po'ahu?

5. Where is Ponolulu located?

Each user was then asked the answer the following questions:

1. Would you use this website to find information about a vacation to Po'ahu?

2. What would you change about this website?

3. What do you like about this website?

4. How difficult was it for you to use this website?

In general, users liked my design. All of the five users stated that the app was easy to use and that they would consider using this app to plan a trip to this island. 

Final Thoughts

This project was very entertaining to work on. I learned a great deal about working with Figma and being aware that what I am seeing on my screen in Figma doesn't necessary translate well into what the design looks like when placed on a properly sized prototype screen. 

This is also the first project I have worked on in which I have conducted three rounds of usability testing. User feedback was IMMENSELY helpful in ensuring the flow of the website was intuitive and all information was where users thought it should be. 

I enjoyed being able to incorporate a bit of humor into this design, since I am from Hawaii. All in all, I am very happy with the final outcome. I feel that this would be an effective website to bolster a growing tourism industry.