UX—User Experience—is a term invented by Don Norman. 

UX design is simply a type of design that makes use of products that provide satisfactory and nice experiences to users. 

It involves the design of the entire process of acquiring and updating the product. They include branding, function, and software updates. UX is often confused with User interface design. Although they work hand in hand, A UX design includes more detail. 

UX designers concern themselves with the making and updating of the product. They also add more to the original product. It all begins even before the user purchases or hires the hospitality product. There are different hospitality products, of which one of the most common is hotel marketing.

ux designersSource: https://unsplash.com/s/photos/ux-designers

 However, UX  designs on websites and applications are a bit more complicated. Hospitality marketing is no exception. It is hard to create a seamless user experience for websites that provide services that make a user’s life easier.

There are plenty of options on the design and development front, that hospitality companies can go for. They can either choose to work with specialized digital agencies or take help from freelancers. That there are pros and cons involved, no matter what choice you opt for.

However, many leading digital experts think that hospitality brands should try to employ the services of the best Web Design Companies for their brand websites. Apart from the UI and UX focus, these companies can use their experience and create highly optimized websites.

There are some ways to improve the UX design of hospitality websites. We would discuss them below.

How To Improve Your Hospitality website UX

1. Work on User Understanding 

Most UX designers work on designs and aesthetics that feel and look amazing to them. That is a very biased way to design products. UX designers should look towards understanding more of what the user wants and needs. A biased understanding of your target market would mean bad business for your website, turning your hospitality marketing pages into liabilities. Maze design helps out with this immensely. Maze design is a website that deals with user testing questions

They ask all the right questions of your users, giving relevant feedback to improve the user experience. Maze design asks these questions by taking surveys across your target market. User understanding is essential for the success of your website by making your website reflect the preferences of the users.

2. Look into the purpose of your website 

Most hospitality websites should have the company’s and product’s unique purpose in mind. Having generic answers to your user’s hospitality questions and statements on your website would only make users pass your website and product by as one of the “ usuals.” Defining your purpose for your websites can be planned and thought out using PRDtemplates.

A PRD template is a template that defines the value and purpose of your product. It explains what is being made, your target market, and how it benefits the user. Luckily, Slite is a good website that offers amazing PRD templates. They help teams in writing and organize their information, knowledge, and plans. The PRD templates are retrievable at any time you want. A PRD template is needed to strategize and effectively plan out the purpose of your website and product.

3. Do not forgo basic use and functionality 

website planningSource: https://unsplash.com/s/photos/planning

When UX designers want to create their hospitality website or products, they tend to lean towards fanciness and beauty, ignoring the basic functionality of the hospitality website and product. Consequently, no matter how beautiful the product or website is, it would not matter because users cannot enjoy what is being put out.

To combat this, it is important to use PRD templates, of which Slite would be of good service. This would allow you to plan out everything about your hospital products and digital marketing, including functionality. Breaking the components down would help you focus on them individually rather than as a whole.  

Apart from templates, another great way to ensure your user can use your website is to test the user experience. This means giving actual tasks to complete on your website and measuring if they are able to complete them or not. Such usability testing or user experience (UX) tests can be easily carried out by UX research tools.

4. Focus on responsive software 

Even if your product is the best around, it is still important to consider the responsive software of your hospitality website. People want to be able to have amazing accessibility options. It should be able to be used on the go and across multiple devices. This is a crucial part of an impressive user experience. PRD templates would help out well, a service that Slite–an information company—offers. A PRD template would separate your hospitality product plans into different parts, allowing you to address vital and equally important issues. This includes responsive software. This is what separates a successful hospitality website from a regular one.

5. Staying original

This is a fact that a lot of UX designers tend to overlook. To keep up with and follow the latest trends and information, they neglect the needs and opinions of their users. If your hospitality website and product purpose do not seem in line with your website itself, it would be seen as generic and dull. Consequently, your hospitality website would be very forgettable. It is important to ask questions of your users, and you cannot go wrong with user testing questions. 

Maze design is a very good example of a website that offers this service. Maze design has a user testing question software that would ask the specific target audience what they want and need from a particular hospitality product and website. Maze design brings fast results that would allow you to swiftly input your users’ opinions, boosting uniqueness and brand popularity.

6. Continuity 

Any good UX designer knows that his job is never done. A good UX design can never be perfect. There would always be some sort of fault or problem with the website design; it is a fact. It is a smart move to account for this by providing continuous updates, integrations, and corrections to the original UX design and product. What better way is there to know what needs improvement than providing a platform where users can give their feedback? This can be done by providing a user-testing question platform. 

Maze design is a platform where users can give feedback and answer quick questionnaires and surveys. This information is relayed to the client for swift integration of the opinions into his design. This point is one of the most vital things to remember when improving a hospitality product or website. This is because hospitality businesses are all about the consumer.

user experience design

Source: https://unsplash.com/s/photos/user-experience-design

7. Strategic homepage

Strategic home pages are very important in the overall aesthetic design of your website. Some hospitality homepages scream mediocrity and lack professionalism to the consumers. Some leave users frustrated at the lack of responsiveness and proximity to other buttons. To ensure that your website visitors don’t overlook your products and services, you must have a nice and strategic homepage.

 This would not only capture a user’s attention, but it would allow users to freely navigate through your website and find what they are looking for. To do this, you would need a PRD template. Slite offers PRD template services that ensure adequate planning and documentation.

A PRD—product requirements document— template would help you divide your plans and conquer them one step at a time, one of which would be the delicate home page. A good hospitality website always has an amazing home page, and it is easy to understand how this plays a part in its overall success.

8. Use a captivating headline and subheadings

It is very easy to get lazy about headlines. This may be because a UX designer does not think the headline matters or because users themselves think they do not think it matters. People do not realize that it plays a big role in determining whether or not your hospitality website ushers in new, continuous clients. A boring headline not only undermines creativity but also casts doubt in your target market, making them think twice before patronizing. Although it may not like it, A PRD template is needed. 

Slite has PRD templates that would help plan out your product idea and purpose. This purpose would then help you decide the title you need to complete it. It is very important to reflect on your purpose to decide on a headline that would reflect your idea.

9. Avoid plagiarizing designs 

Speaking on the topic of “keeping up with the crowd,” most UX designers tend to copy other designs made by similar websites due to their high level of patronage. When users recognize the level of plagiarism done to create your design, it brings your creativity and professionalism into question. Instead, what should be done is to ask users what they think and use this information to design your hospitality website. Maze design is a prime example of a website that helps with user experience feedback. 

They have a user testing question platform that allows consumers to give their opinions on a particular hospitality product or website design. This would be relayed to the client, and then necessary improvements would be made. Plagiarism should be avoided at all costs because it only hurts your brand, not improves it. 

10. Improve your SEO

UX designers think of SEO content as an ancient relic and an afterthought. These statements could not be any more wrong. It is very crucial in making initial contact with consumers. When a user wants a particular need met, and searches it up, a good SEO will make sure that your website pops up as one of the first services that could meet this need. A PRDtemplate endures this by separating plans into different parts. 

This separation would bring SEO content to the attention of the UX designer quite easily. Slick does a good job at this. They have PRD template software that allows clients to access this great tool. SEO content could determine if your hospitality company would fruition into something great or be lost in the haystack.

In the end

Products like iPhones are good examples of UX designs. These UX designers are not only concerned with the product’s use but are also concerned about product acquisition, ownership, and even troubleshooting. There is no such thing as a perfect user experience. Instead, a good user experience satisfies a  particular user’s hospitality needs, depending on how they use the product. When this is understood, and all these tips are considered and implemented in your design, the sky is the limit.

We are in this together!

I need to let you all know that we are in on this together.  If you need to vent, talk, cry, or just have someone to talk with then I am here listening. Since I am working part-time at the local Kroger, I will work it out around my schedule to the best of my ability.

But you can reach me here:

Email: hotelblogger@aremorch.com

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We will get through this unprecedented event together! #hotelstrong #hospitalitystrong

For any specific information on COVID-19, I recommend going to CDCWHOAHLAAAHOA, and HSMAI. Also, follow information from your local authorities.

NOTE

We are starting to reopen some hotels again (Yay!!!). Make sure you follow their guidelines and say THANK YOU to those that now show a unique spirit to serve, and help us all get through this!! #hotelstrong #hospitalitystrong

About Are Morch

Hi, I am Are Morch. Your Digital Marketing Coach and Customer Experience Expert specializes in creating effective digital customer experience offer for hotels while growing and scaling customer acquisition and revenue.

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