I completed two projects over ten weeks as a User Experience design intern at Expedia Group, working on the identity team to bring Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo pages and flows together to create a cohesive user experience.
Project 1: Communications Preferences
Project 2: Universal Profile
Project 1: Communications Preferences
Project Summary
Overview
Designing pages for Expedia Group (EG) users to be able to unsubscribe from email communications. The pages are accessed via email for users who have given Expedia Group their email information but have not created a full account.
Conducted competitive analysis and collaborated with product managers and legal team members to create a more concise user flow.
Goals
• Make a design that applies to all Expedia Group brands, including Brand Expedia, Vrbo, and Hotels.com.
• Allow users to change their email subscription preferences and unsubscribe from all emails.
Role
User Experience Design intern assigned to the XD Identity team within Expedia Group.
Problem Statement
Expedia Group owns multiple brands but there are not currently consistent, concise, and updated versions of the communication preferences across brands.
Span
This project took two weeks during a 10-week summer internship at Expedia Group.
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Miro
Research
Completed competitive analysis to see how other brands allow users to change their email communication subscriptions.
Main takeaways
• Present what email communications were being unsubscribed from to improve transparency for users.
• Clearly show when the user has unsubscribed.
• Create a concise flow.
Initial pages
The original pages for email communications consisted of two separate flows. The first is directly related to deals and promotions and how often a user wants to receive this type of communication. The second covered preferences of all types of communication the customer could receive.
One goal was to simplify this into one flow because choosing the frequency of communications is no longer an option. The other goal was to update the language and types of communications being presented to users to make it more user-oriented and clear that unsubscribing from all was separate from the other three individual marketing categories.
Final designs (Web and Mobile App)
The updated pages are simplified to one flow that includes a three-screen process. Users can choose to unsubscribe from specific categories of marketing emails that have been renamed. If a user chooses to unsubscribe from all, the other options are disabled to clarify that the user has opted out of everything. Finally, the user receives a success screen that relays specific legal information about how long the changes may take to be implemented.
Project 2: Universal Profile
Overview
Designing and building pages for Expedia Group (EG) as they transition to combining the various brands they own, including Vrbo, Expedia, and Hotels.com
Working with researchers, product managers, and content designers to develop reasoning behind design decisions and product goals. Exploring amongst the multiple EG brands.
Goals
• Make a design that applies to all Expedia Group brands.
• Allow users to delete their accounts on this new universal design and within each individual brand.
• Give users the freedom to control their settings for Expedia Group brands.
• Create prototypes using high-fidelity wireframes that can be used to test specific user preferences.
Role
User Experience Design intern assigned to the XD Identity and designed the universal profile pages for an MVP launching in Q1 of 2023.
Problem Statement
Expedia Group owns multiple brands, but there is no correlation between them, and their user base has to create separate accounts. Users should have one profile and one site structure to allow for more intuitive user interfaces across the company.
Span
This project was assisted during a 10-week summer internship at Expedia Group.
Tools
Figma, Miro, Prototype software
Current MVP
The initial launch of Universal Profile will include some of the updated designs such as the settings, delete the account, profile, and rewards pages, but other pages, including the majority of level 3+ pages, will link to the existing brand page that corresponds with the user flow. I prototyped a Figma interaction applicable for Expedia Brand, Hotels.com, and VRBO to show the Universal Profile version of each brand. It is the current MVP being built and tested for launch in January. This version was presented to stakeholders and used to show how we can begin implementing the new screens while linking to existing ones.
Research
Competitive analysis was conducted to determine what information was needed and where it should be included in the new mobile and web interfaces for Expedia Group's universal profile. I researched brands, including Airbnb, Booking.com, Hopper, and others that are competitors or have similar pages to Expedia Group brands. Both mobile app pages and web pages were compared.
Web & Mobile Page Designs
The profile page stores the user's basic information, which will be identical across all brands involved in Universal Profile, which currently consists of Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo. Users can add extra travel information and add/remove extra travelers in this section.
The settings page allows users to change account information, view privacy information, and alter brand-specific preferences since each brand has different backend information for each category (for example, Expedia does not offer a change in currency). Privacy and legal documents are also placed in settings based on the need for transparency of information to users. To change passwords, change emails, or delete an account, the user has to verify their identity before proceeding.
Reflection & Feedback
Universal Profile is an ongoing project that I was able to work on. It was a lot of information to tackle within ten weeks, but I was thankful for the experience of researching, prototyping, designing, and presenting the various screens and user flows. I learned a lot from the product managers, content designers, researchers, and other user experience designers I worked with from all over the globe. I hope to continue building on my ability to conduct competitive analysis and support my designs using reasoning, including usability heuristics. I built communication skills, learned how to take the initiative, and built professional connections throughout my 10-week internship.
