Overview
Norwegian Cruise Lines is the third-largest cruise line in the world by passengers. As part of an entire site redesign, my team and I designed an end-to-end customer journey including the Homepage, Search Results, Booking Flow and the Booked Guest Experience (BGE).
Tools
Sketch
InVision
Abstract
CHALLENGE
The previous website was lacking in digital innovation within the competitive space. The design was 10 years old and had many outdated design patterns.
In addition, the feature offerings were not up to date and not aligned to customer needs. We were tasked with a complete site re-design to give NCL the competitive advantage they needed.
We began the project with initial research. We looked at the competitive space and learned who the target audience was.
Norwegian had been trailing behind its main competitors in market share and revenue but their growth was starting to climb. This presented a great opportunity to reinvent NCL's brand and digital experience.
CUSTOMER ARCHETYPES
After we finished the discovery phase, I focused designing the following areas of the site.
Task: Simplify the filtering experience and upgrade cruise cards to achieve a premium feel while creating more focus for primary actions that push guests toward the path to purchase.
First, we built out numerous filter states to accommodate guests need for search customization.
And explored variations of cruise cards that met our client's requirements while being cognizant to not overwhelm guests with information.
We ended up with a robust filtering experience and cruise cards filled withcontent and aspirational imagery.
Task: Incorporate new features to accommodate guests needs to gain a competitive advantage. Reduce complexity in the process by minimizing the number of steps and decisions guests have to make.
Task: Incorporate new features to accommodate guests needs to gain a competitive advantage. Reduce complexity in the process by minimizing the number of steps and decisions guests have to make.
First, we identified a number of painpoints guests experienced through research.
Quick book path and group booking did not exist
Information density and amount of decisions
caused friction
No contextual promotion information and non-interactive deck plan provided little value to guests
Component usage often
did not follow best practices
Next, we looked at the landscape to uncover gaps and opportunities. To have a competitive advantage in the cruise industry, NCL wanted their online experience to be inspirational and conversational.
We also audited the number of steps and decisions points from our competitors to inform how NCL can simplify their experience.
After we conducted our user research and competitive analysis, we mapped the new booking flow. We reduced the number of decisions within each step to create more focus and to make it feel quicker and easier.
After we solidified the hi-level flow, we began designing our new experience with new features such as an "I choose", "We choose" model and multi-room reservations.
The "I choose" path offered guests a customized and interactive experience where they could specify which location, deck and room they wanted to reserve. This path was especially important for guests who know exactly where they want to stay and for families who wanted their rooms to be close together.
For guests who were new to cruising and wanted a quicker booking experience, the "We choose" path offered guests the best available room in any room category with one simple click.
We designed a progress bar to guide guests through the experience to ensure visibility and to create a sense of place for the guests.
Step 01: Guest Select
On the first step of the experience, we were able to add a lot of new features that met users needs. We added the ability to select multiple rooms in one booking and the ability to request for connecting and ADA accessible rooms. Previously, guests had to call to request all of these.
In addition, we added the option to rename your stateroom to make it easier for guests to keep track of information if they were booking multiple rooms.
Step 02: Date Select
This particular step went through a number of rounds to get just right. It was a fine balance of client requirements and design execution.
Step 03.1: Quick Book Path
This is the point in the experience where guests can choose their own room or select one that NCL recommends.
Step 03.2: Choose your own room
This path was a completely new addition to the booking flow. Experienced cruisers wanted the ability to choose the exact location of their stateroom. They are able to select the location, deck and room number in an interactive deck plan.
Step 04: Summary Details
This step acts as a moment for guests to pause and confirm their selections. They also have the option to add offers.
Step 05: Guest Information
52% of dropoffs occured at this step. To improve this issue, we removed the requirement for guests to create an account before proceeding to the next step. We also reduced the amount of form fields required.
Step 06: Payment
This step presented a lot of barriers for NCL's guests. This was due to hierarchy issues and cognitive overload. Guests needed a clearer picture of what they were paying for, how they were going to pay for it and when.
We solved these issues by simplifying the layout and design and condensing information under a tabbed structure that asked guests if they wanted to "pay now, pay monthly or pay later."
To answer how they were going to pay, we added a payment method section that asked guests if they wanted to pay by "credit card" or "other" which included digital payment methods.
We spent about 6 months perfecting the UX and design with over 50 detailed states and 3 rounds of testing.
Step 07: Confirmation
The old confirmation page acted as a "dead end" for guests. The page did not provide any next steps nor did it try to get them excited for the cruise they just booked.
We wanted to design this page to do the exact opposite. We added primary next steps and secondary options for guest to start exploring.
EMAIL
stephaniegough09@gmail.com
