CASE STUDY
BUILDING A HIGH-CONVERTING MOBILE BOOKING PRODUCT
Higher conversion, lower drop-offs, and a new six-figure ARR client.
TLDR
I led the refactor of our flagship online booking product by auditing existing pain points, simplifying flows, and reducing friction with progressive disclosure.
Mobile optimization proved especially impactful: while typical ecommerce conversion rates average ~2.5% (and mobile bookings just 1.8%), our partners now see 6–9% conversion—and those using every optimization reach 11.8%+.
The refactor also cut bounce rates by two-thirds and helped secure our largest client to date, driving additional mid six-figure ARR.
BACKGROUND
My company is a startup that builds booking software for adventure activities - ziplines, whale watching tours, ski resorts, theme parks, etc. Over the last several years, the customer facing booking product had acquired considerable tech debt, and new feature additions were becoming unwieldy and unscaleable. Meanwhile, modern UI trends had shifted, and we were getting left behind.
DISCOVERY
The existing product had been built by the initial startup team, and many decisions were made on the fly to keep up with rapid growth. I began with a robust audit of the existing product, noting all of the usability issues and opportunities for improvment. Next, I dug into user sessions in hotjar to locate recurring pain points.
I found that 70% of users were booking on mobile, and that’s also where a majority of the usability issues were found.
Rather than linear progression, the booking flow required users to make U-turns to the start page after completing selections. Interaction states are not clear or consistent. Calendar does not really feel interactive.
Usability issues were compounded in package bookings, where the sheer amount of information and options on one page became unnavigable.
STRATEGY
Booking flows are similar to onboarding flows in that they often require lots of information, leading to user fatigue. Simplicity often requires a balance - between data structure, user needs, and business requirements. My main priority for UX was to simplify the user journey by creating a sense of directionality and logical progression. I eliminated U-turns and inconsistent advancement controls.
We also made basic UI updates to reflect a more modern aesthetic, significantly expanding the product’s design system and paving the way for future updates.
The best results require frequent collaboration, and I established presentation and revision loops with stakeholders and developers that ended up having a lasting effect on the company's process.
Desktop booking.
RESULTS
New booking flow coverts between 6-9%, outperforming the 2–4% industry average for travel and entertainment ecommerce.
Redesign led to the acquisition of our largest client to date, increasing total product traffic by 300% and adding mid-six figure ARR.
Decreased the bounce rate 2/3 (from 17.2%-7.2%) across devices.
Significant update and expansion of design system.
Positively impacted the company process by creating feedback loops and formalized design reviews.