With experts emphasizing the importance of UX, and consumers responding to well-designed products, it’s more than just a nice-to-have. An intuitive user experience is critical in today’s competitive environment. Especially on mobile, where smaller screen sizes require more easier-to-use products.
This week, Google is rolling out improvements to its mobile experience for its flights, hotels, and discovery products. The company, which has long made for anxious hand-wringing with its travel products, has made navigating on mobile much more straightforward. From searching through reviews to exploring hotel room categories to the actual bookings, the next iteration is a tighter, more integrated experience.
In a product demo with tnooz, director of travel product management Eric Zimmerman shared how the product has been streamlined from previous versions, which were much more query-focused.
This makes it much easier to switch between discovery mode, flights, and hotels. A user can select a flight, and then click over to hotels or discovery. The same search will be shared across the tabs. Previously, this was accomplished by typing a query for each specific category.
One of the most visible changes is on the hotel product, where room categories can quickly be viewed while browsing. This is especially handy for travelers, as they no longer have to head to another site to view which room categories are available and at what price. It’s a great way to decide which hotel to book, as each room category can now be compared across hotels.
Google has been smart with the way it integrates travel into its existing products. For example, flight and hotel reservations sent to a Google email address can be routed automatically into Google’s travel ecosystem. These trips are now pulled right into the mobile experience, making a sort of homepage for travel within Google’s ecosystem.
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