Firstly, I would like to say that all of these posts about Technology are all part of my assignment in Technology and User Experience Module of my Digital Marketing Course with the National College of Ireland.
In class last night we had to pair off with a classmate and do user testing/observation. We had to book a flight or restaurant. My classmate took the flight and I took the restaurant.
Initially she wanted to look up Swiss Airlines and put this in ‘Google’. This came up and it was user-friendly with a list of destinations. But the dropdown menu was not working. I asked her if this was her usual way to book flights and she said that she would browse on her phone for options but would actually go through with booking on desktop computer as it is easier to see what you are doing especially something as intricate as booking a flight and paying for it.
As she was browsing the search changed from Swiss Airlines to Aer Lingus as she had put in New York as her destination. During the search for specific dates an advertisement for Expedia came up (she thought it was an ad and said it looked like one). There was some confusion as this was where you had to book your trip. The layout was tricky as it asked for your middle name and you automatically put in your surname. It also asked for sex details as in male/female.
All in all Expedia booking on an Aer Lingus flight came through Google search when looking for Swiss Airlines. Confusing layout but it remembered personal details futher down the screen. All in all not a great user experience. But a good user testing/observation scenario for me. I wonder how I was observed booking my restaurant. I was not happy either with my experience.
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