Target User

• Resident of San Francisco

• Adult (>21 and <65)

• No relevant disabilities

• No car — needs to use public transportation

• Reads and writes English

• Primarily uses phone

I conducted an initial usability test and user interview with three users to evaluate how intuitive and user-friendly the current reservation flow. The interviews were conducted on Zoom in order for me to see their screen and track their interaction flow. I asked the test users about specific features of the current flow that they liked or thought needed improvement. From my research, I identified three common pain points:

Confusing CTA button

I went through Airbnb’s flow and noted its succinct and detailed information as well as overall aesthetics. I was especially inspired by its filter and login/signup placement in the flow. This comparative analysis helped me ideate possible features to facilitate a seamless reservation process.

I created a persona that humanizes and aligns with the project context and user goals.

This was my first redesign project that allowed me to go through the entire design process and I found that I enjoyed it very much! Here are the main takeaways I got after completing this project:

I performed a Crazy 8’s exercise and decided to focus on a picnic table selection screen (which I removed later but still used a similar idea for selecting a picnic site). Branching off from these ideas, I roughly sketched a wireframe for the reservation process.

Information hierarchy should be taken into consideration when designing — think about what users first see when they open the design. If a user chooses a picnic site where coyotes were spotted but the coyote warning wasn’t immediately noticeable, their safety might be at risk and their trust in the website would suffer.

I assessed the overall user experience of the Picnic Reservation site and took notes on what worked and what did not work as well. This website audit supported an iterative design process.