Research Plan

Research:

• Go through competitor hotel chain loyalty programs,
  sign up and experience the journey and note what works and what doesn’t.

• Go through loyalty programs of other services, like retail and restaurant.

• Interview hotel chain loyalty program producers and designers.

  • Learn assumptions. - Assumed users, motivations, desires, frustrations of users.

Explore: 

• What do users find essential? 

• What do users need more or less of?

• What do others do that we can learn from?

• What matters most to users about loyalty programs?

• How can users feel valued and a sense of loyalty to the chain?

• Do we only want to target those that travel often?

Methods:

• In-person interviews at hotels.

  • Quick lobby or scheduled more in-depth, sit-down interviews

• Online questionnaire on travel booking websites and hotel chain websites.

• Online survey for Facebook travel groups.

• Target customers ranging from ages 28-55, with a variety of education levels and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Interview

”Hi [   ], I’m a design researcher, and I would love 30-45 minutes of your time to ask you a few questions.
We’re conducting research to discover how we can better serve users.
I ask that you be as honest and transparent with your responses, and please feel free to ask for clarification.” 

Background Questions:
What is you name?
How old are you, and what city do you live in?
What do you do for work?
Do you live alone or with others?
What do you do outside of work? [hobbies, etc]
What stores do you purchase from the most?

Traveler Identity Questions:
What are your primary reasons for travel?
How often do you travel?
For how long do you travel?
Do you enjoy travel? What do you enjoy /not enjoy?
Do you often travel alone or with others?
What would encourage you to travel more?
Are there any times when you usually travel more?
How do you spend your disposable income? [Outside of rent and bills]

Hotel Experience Questions:
Can you tell me how you use hotels?
Have you stayed with this hotel chain before?
What are 3 factors that led you to choose this hotel chain?
What are 3 factors that may have led you to choose another hotel chain?
After staying at one of the hotels, what are some things that made your experience great?
What could be improved?
Would you recommend this experience to a friend/family member? Why?
Why do you return to these hotels?
Why do you choose other hotels instead?
What are other hotel chains that you use?
What hotel chains do you use the most? 
What are other types of accommodations that you like to use? (Airbnb, BnB’s, etc)
What do you like about those accommodations?
What frustrates you about the hotel experience?
What would an ideal hotel experience be like?

Loyalty Program Questions:
What do you like about loyalty programs?
Can you tell me how you use the loyalty programs?
What are ways in which those loyalty programs could be improved?
What frustrates you about the loyalty program that you’ve experienced?
What would an ideal loyalty program be like?
What do you think could be improved with loyalty programs?
What are 3 loyalty programs that you enjoy? Why?

Personas

user journey

Pain Points

Paradox of Choice
Selection Insecurity
Hidden Fees
Lack of Communication vs. User Error
Buyer’s Remorse

How do we create an experience
that allows users to research with confidence,
book with a sense of security,
stay with comfort, and depart with delight?

To create experience that imparts a sense of pride
in loyalty members.
To encourage members to return.
To show people that travel is possible and within reach.