DATE

08/2022

Expedia- Making trip cancellation accessible for our travelers

Expedia- Making trip cancellation accessible for our travelers

Navigating through the chaos that COVID created for the travel industry and users and helping them regain confidence.

Workshops

Workshops

User Research

User Research

Services

Commercial

Client

Expedia

Location

Seattle, US

Why?

Why?

Why?

Covid Chaos Cancelled: Designing Flexible Travel Booking

December 2021 saw travel bookings plummet by 30-50% due to Covid concerns, leaving many frustrated with inflexible policies and lost funds. This case study explores the design of a revolutionary travel booking platform that prioritizes flexibility and affordability. We tackled the challenge of empowering travelers to easily change or cancel trips while ensuring they maximize the value of their travel budget. Discover how we designed a user-centric solution for a post-pandemic world, prioritizing both freedom and financial security.

How?

How?

How?

Introducing CFAR- Cancel For ANY Reason

December 2021 saw travel bookings plummet by 30-50% due to Covid concerns, leaving many frustrated with inflexible policies and lost funds. This case study explores the design of a revolutionary travel booking platform that prioritizes flexibility and affordability. We tackled the challenge of empowering travelers to easily change or cancel trips while ensuring they maximize the value of their travel budget. Discover how we designed a user-centric solution for a post-pandemic world, prioritizing both freedom and financial security.

Research

Research

Research

A Travel Industry Catastrophe

2M

Bookings Cancelled

Reduced claim processing time (From 2 weeks to 3 days)

$500M

Revenue losses

CFAR specific revenue Generated in 2021-2022

103,000

Flights cancelled

Percentage of trips booked with CFAR that were subsequently canceled

77%

Less air travellers

From the pool of people who bought insurance

Secondary Research

Secondary Research

Secondary Research

Looking at what everyone’s doing

Top Competitor

Top Competitor

Top Competitor

Hopper

Refunds:

100%: Select flights ("Made refundable by Hopper")

Flexible: "Cancel for Any Reason" & "Change for Any Reason" (both ways)

CFAR: 100/80% refund (roundtrip, applies to entire booking)

Refund Method: Airline credit (1 year) or cash

Method: 

Airline credit (1 year) or cash

Research Workshop

Research Workshop

Research Workshop

Unite, Understand, Unfold

We conducted a three-day research workshop for the product stakeholders to come together, understand the user problems, reframe the problem statement into achievable How-Might-We's, and run a robust feasibility analysis with the experts to find the best UX approach.

Customer Insights

Customer Insights

Customer Insights

Inflexible Bookings & Frustrated Travelers

We conducted a three-day research workshop for the product stakeholders to come together, understand the user problems, reframe the problem statement into achievable How-Might-We's, and run a robust feasibility analysis with the experts to find the best UX approach.

Research Workshop Process

Research Workshop Process

Research Workshop Process

Research Workshop Process

A Collaborative Research Odyssey

  • The workshop included the following:

  • Defining User Journeys

  • Value Proposition Mapping

  • Grouping Insights

  • Value Proposition Canvas

  • How Might We

Research Workshop Process

Research Workshop Process

Research Workshop Process

Research Workshop Process

The journey before CFAR

Step 1

Home Page

This is where the user journey begins. The users decides the kind of trip they want to explore.

Step 2

Flight Details

The next screen is all about the trip and passenger details.

Step 2

Flight Details

The next screen is all about the trip and passenger details.

Step 3

Product selection

This is where the ticket type is selected from an array of choices namely Saver, Super saver, Flexi, Economy etc.

This looks like a potential place to introduce CFAR in the form of an alternate fare type.

Step 4

Checkout

The checkout page deals with coupons, promotional offers, insurance coverage, and payment-related options.

This is where we're integrating CFAR, which could be done either in the form of an extension of Insurance or a parallel product. Let's explore!.

Impact?

Impact?

Impact?

Impact?

Oh, we made some impact!

80%

Reduced claim processing time (From 2 weeks to 3 days)

$15M

CFAR specific revenue Generated in 2021-2022

8%

Percentage of trips booked with CFAR that were subsequently canceled

15%

From the pool of people who bought insurance

Performance Indicators

Performance Indicators

Performance Indicators

Performance Indicators

Key Learnings

We conducted a three-day research workshop for the product stakeholders to come together, understand the user problems, reframe the problem statement into achievable How-Might-We's, and run a robust feasibility analysis with the experts to find the best UX approach. 

Cashback over Credits

We learnt that even the frequent fliers were deeply interested in cash-back over credits of any kind. they'd rather have their money in their hand, even though the credits could have been more value for money and hassle-free.

Users won’t pay more than 20%

As a matter of fact, we saw that user interest started declining substantially over the 17% premium mark and pretty much disappeared around the 20% premium mark on top of the base ticket price approached.

Future-proofing

COVID was a phase, and once it's gone, it might never return. We learnt that building the product so that it could merge seamlessly with the insurance product in the future without causing substantial user confusion was a great move.

Future of CFAR

Future of CFAR

Future of CFAR

Future of CFAR

Questions to answer in future

The CFAR product was later merged into the Expedia Insurance Offering. In case CFAR becomes an independent product sometime in future, the following questions would need to be answered:

Ancillary Coverage

Does the product cover additional charges like paid seats and bags, or just the base fare?

Flight Upgrades

If a user upgrades after booking and then cancels, will the product reimburse the upgrade cost?

Airline Credit vs. Cash Refunds

How does the product handle airlines offering credit instead of cash for cancellations to avoid double compensation?

Travel Season Pricing

Should the product consider peak seasons and holidays when determining pricing?

How We Work?

How We Work?

How We Work?

How We Work?

Frequently

Asked Questions

Have questions? Our FAQ section has you covered with quick answers to the most common inquiries.

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What sets us apart from others?

Do we specialize in content creation for any particular industries?

How does your process work, from understanding our needs to content delivery?

Do you offer services beyond content creation, such as SEO and social media promotion?

What is your design process like?

How long does a typical project take?

What sets us apart from others?

Do we specialize in content creation for any particular industries?

How does your process work, from understanding our needs to content delivery?

Do you offer services beyond content creation, such as SEO and social media promotion?

What is your design process like?

How long does a typical project take?

What sets us apart from others?

Do we specialize in content creation for any particular industries?

How does your process work, from understanding our needs to content delivery?

Do you offer services beyond content creation, such as SEO and social media promotion?

What is your design process like?

How long does a typical project take?

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Each Project we Undertake

is a Unique Opportunity.

Ready to take the next step? Join us now and start transforming your vision into reality with expert support.

Join Us Now

Each Project we Undertake

is a Unique Opportunity.

Ready to take the next step? Join us now and start transforming your vision into reality with expert support.

Join Us Now

Each Project we Undertake

is a Unique Opportunity.

Ready to take the next step? Join us now and start transforming your vision into reality with expert support.

Join Us Now

Each Project we Undertake

is a Unique Opportunity.

Ready to take the next step? Join us now and start transforming your vision into reality with expert support.