Yahoo! Travel Ethnography Study - May 2007 Kivilcim Boztepe Beth Goldman Sarah Cooper 06/12/07

1. Yahoo! Travel Ethnography Study - May 2007 Kivilcim Boztepe Beth Goldman Sarah Cooper 06/12/07 Confidential - Do Not Distribute

2. Overview • Goals & Methodology • Participant Profiles • User Types • Key Insights • Travel Research & Planning Process & Other Insights • Design Implications • User Experience & UI Concepts • Appendix

3. Overview & Methodology Objectives Methods Process Researcher, designers and travel team members collaborated throughout process Identify user needs, current pain points, and opportunities within the travel research and planning process to inform the product and design strategy for Yahoo! Travel • Diary study • Qualify participants • Determine talking points • Explore daily planning activities longitudinally • Field study • Explore and observe travel planning • behavior in context After all sessions, travel team built an affinity diagram from key insights Travel UED members visited travelers in their homes After each field study, travel team extracted key insights during interpretation sessions

4. Overview & Methodology I can’t believe they don’t want an itinerary!

5. The Participants • 9 participants in the Bay Area • Passionate travelers • Recruited based on Passionate Traveler & Inspired Planner market segments • Currently in the process of planning travel • Demographics • 25-54 years old • 6 female, 3 male • 1 single, 3 single (w/boyfriend), 3 single (w/living girlfriend/partner), 2 married w/kids (one separated) • Mixed income w/minimum: $50K • Mixed # of trips w/minimum: 4 leisure trips/year • Intermediate – Expert level of Internet • Current online methods • Online Travel Agencies • Travel Suppliers • Hotel/Destination Research sites • Travel Search Engines / Meta-search sites (less awareness) Toni Cleopatra Julie Nat Alyssa Nina John Curt Kathleen

6. Motivation: Enrich life by experiencing her own & other cultures (“gypsy”) Planning Behavior • Research to maximize the experience • Enjoys research as lives the trip before the trip Needs Have and research best possible travel experience • Find “off the beaten path” • “Feed hunger” for research and excitement • Get info locally • Pain Point: Not finding info (Verona, Italy) • Pain Point: Can’t find info prior to trip (discounted lift tickets from grocery store) Allow flexibility and relaxation • Have “not to miss/maybe/extra” lists Trip within budget • Cheap flights • Due diligence on boyfriend’s flight search • Without stepping on his toes while making sure he finds the best price • Pain Point: Not knowing where to find a good fare and anxiety in booking Toni 35-44 year old | Single San Bruno, CA Office Manager cosmetic dental office Trips New Destinations Italy & Panama Opportunistic friends’ invitations, time-share trade-in

7. Motivation: Achieve sense of accomplishment from unique travel experiences Planning Behavior • Happy to tag alone with others and benefit from opportunities • Doesn’t want to put a lot of effort into planning Needs Trip within budget • Cheap flights with convenient schedules (recurring trips) • Cheap hotels (Denver & Berlin, better price than conference hotels) • Pain Point: Too much time spent to find cheap flights & hotels (“hard part”) & difficulty in finding hotels near the conference hotel Have a unique experience (new destinations) • “Step off the carousel” • Sense of accomplishment (trip alone to South Africa) • Safety, security concerns • Pain Point: Too much time and info on internet (to figure out basics like distance between cities in Germany) Flexible accommodations • Will only book first few nights, then walk around to find hotels Have a unique experience (new destinations) • Know what’s nearby and walkable • Pain Point: Can’t find that info on the internet Cleopatra 45-54 year old | Single Sausalito, CA Counselor crisis center Trips Recurring Dallas to visit boyfriend Business Conferences - Germany New Destinations South Africa, Germany Opportunistic Germany with boyfriend, benefiting from conference & frequent flyer miles

8. Motivation: Spend time with family and friends Planning Behavior • Follows kids’ advice • Happy to not put in too much effort Needs Make sure all travelers needs are fulfilled • Find accommodations with required criteria for self and travel partner families (space and amenities for 3 families for Lake Tahoe cabin) • Pain Point: No good cabin websites. • Pain Point: Can’t book for 5 people online, and can’t easily see flight and stop-over options Trip within budget • Cheap flights (recurring trips - Jordan) to be able to visit family • Pain Point: Having to use travel agent to get a good deal (Jordan - lack of info, lots of back/forth) • Pain Point: Can’t book for 5 people online, and can’t easily see flight and stop-over options Accommodate kids’ desires for new experiences • Maximize existing trips to take advantage of layovers (Paris during Jordan trip) to plan for experiences learned at school, heard about from friends (Paris for French class, Italy for Lamborghini, Staple Center) • Pain Point: No easy way to see activities on a map (printed map for LA) Allow flexibility for trip • Hotel found by chance while at a beach Julie 45-54 year old | Married, kids Fremont, CA Homemaker Trips Recurring Yearly vacations with other families, Jordan to visit family New Destinations Layover in Paris, short excursions Opportunistic Layover in Paris

9. Motivation: Have fun with friends, relax, and explore nature Planning Behavior • Doesn’t like to put a lot of effort except for camping • Wants to put minimal effort to recurring and work trips, expects friends to plan things to do (e.g. local breweries) Needs Find info for new camping destinations • Find specific info within camp sites (e.g. toilettes, seclusion) • Pain Point: No detailed info or good sources for info on camps (can’t call park rangers and websites can’t answer all questions) • Pain Point: Too much time spent to find good information Efficiently and easily book recurring trips • Find reasonably-priced flights and detailed fight information easily • Wants flight recommendations (comparing flights for $ & services) • Pain Point: Not knowing how to find deals • Pain Point: Ads on travel sites Allow flexibility for relaxation • All planning can’t be done beforehand (need to talk to park rangers for more info, B&B place for bus & beach in San Diego) Nate 25-34 year old | Single San Francisco, CA Bookkeeper Trips Recurring Rochester, NY to visit family New Destinations Camping trips with partner Business Trips for work

10. Motivation: Plan recurring trips as efficiently as possible Planning Behavior • Puts very little effort in recurring trips planning, expects others to plan activities; “At work I’m responsible for planning” • Books and plans for others visiting her (sister & friends) Needs Efficiently and easily book recurring trips • Minimum time and effort (e.g. auto-fill on AA.com) • Wants maximum value, considers FF miles • Wants guidance on best time to buy • Pain Point: Having to re-enter info on multiple sites when checking fares • Pain Point: Flight becomes unavailable and price goes up before booking, and miles don’t always apply • Pain Point: Can’t choose individual depart/return flights on AA Find, book, and plan for visitors • Cheapest flights as incentive for others to visit • Things to do (baseball schedule and tickets) • Pain Point: Takes too long to find cheap tickets Relax and get away from daily life filled with planning • Wants trips to be convenient, little effort to plan (AAA Hawaii package deal) • No itinerary, “Went to Europe and I had every hour scheduled and it was exhausting and I didn’t feel like I was on vacation…some place like a beach town, where you’re supposed to relax, I don’t need to have my day booked.” Alyssa 25-34 year old | Single San Francisco, CA Textile Designer Trips Recurring Long Island, NY to visit family; business trips to NYC New Destinations Hawaii Opportunistic Frequent flyer miles

11. bug” Motivation: Experience new things to become a “more well rounded person” and cure “travel Planning Behavior • Excited about planning, lives the trip before the trip • Researches to maximize the experience Needs Easily plan romantic, relaxation trips • Find romantic cottage only in Sonoma, the rest of the experience will • Friends do planning for her trips to NY Research to maximize experience for new destinations • Comparing Fiji to NZ for short stay • Find a romantic cottage that will make Sonoma trip a success • Pain Point: Can’t search for airfare without dates • Pain Point: Having to re-enter info on sites • Pain Point: Difficult to coordinate schedules, logistics Allow flexibility for relaxation and adventure • Some things can only be found locally (find restaurant while walking around, hostel bulletin board with “American couple in jail”) • Depends on mood (dine out only if feel like it after wine tasting, may decide to stay 2 more days, decide on activities at the resort) • Had planned every detail in past, now, “have a place to stay (booked 1st night only in S. America), that’s it…I want to feel like I have a plan but don’t spend hours to stress about details”; “not an itinerary” as it takes away from adventure Nina 25-34 year old | Single San Jose, CA Real estate agent Trips Recurring Australia to visit fiancé's family Romanic excursion Sonoma Opportunistic Stop-over to Fiji or NZ during Australia trip, move to Italy or France for fiancé's work New destinations Ecuador in past, Sonoma

12. Motivation: To relax, see places “as is” (“Paris leaves Paris in summer”) as a reward for working Planning Behavior • Plans necessary elements (flights, hotel) and researches to be educated beforehand • Doesn’t like planning, lets girlfriend do it, waits to get to destination for daily planning (“You have to be on the ground before you know where to go”) Needs Find detailed info for destination, activities, and transportation • Decided to find camp by driving around • Believes he can’t find fishing spots on the internet and needs to ask people with fishing poles • Find travel info between cities/countries (train in Eastern Europe) • Pain Point: Not finding the perfect map for Big Sur Travel within budget • Find cheap airfare (decided to go to Mexico instead of Europe) • Pain Point: All sites have the same airfares, wants suggestions (e.g. “fly here instead and take cab”) • Pain Point: Entering same info on all sites Relax on trip • Booked one night hotel only for Big Sur which he had found by driving last time. • Does not want “like an itinerary”, wants to “leave it open to a point”“for spontaneity” and “relaxation”, so he “(doesn’t) feel like clock is ticking” John 25-34 year old | Single Oakland, CA Math tutor Trips Short Excursions Big Sur fishing trip New Destinations Europe, Mexico

13. Motivation: Enrich life by experiencing other countries; travel is a way of life Planning Behavior • Excited about planning • In-depth research for some activities (scuba diving, Cancun day trips) Needs Travel within budget • Find cheap airfare (Cancun, Australia) • Pain Point: Time consuming to review many OTAs to find good fare Find detailed activity information • Scuba-diving information for Cancun (water temperature, options for renting vs. bringing own equipment, visiting student programs for Australia, day trip options to ClubMed Cancun • Pain Point: Unable to find specific and local information Allow for flexibility and relaxation on trip • Only booked one day-trip in Cancun (used to keep a round-the-clock itinerary with parents, 7:00am Arc De Triomphe”, “so stressful”. • Once found a concert in Germany by chance (“local info is much better”) Find detailed and logistical information for short trips • Cabin, weather traffic, and driving directions Curt 25-34 year old | Single Oakland, CA Real estate manager & student Trips New Destinations Australia, Cancun Short Excursions Lake Tahoe with partner Opportunistic ClubMed Cancun vacation with inherited money, student programs for Australia, dorm keeper at Lake Tahoe, couchsurfing.com

14. Motivation: Maximize the experience, travel is a major part of life, “sustains me” Planning Behavior • Excited about planning (trip before trip, “intrinsically relaxing”) • Spends time to research must-do activities to maximize the experience Needs Maximize the trip experience • In-depth research for new destinations (Peru, Chile, Bolivia excursions) • Find information for off-the-beaten-path and unique experiences (pottery in Peru) • Research to supplement family, local info (don’t know everything she’d like) • Pain Point: No / inaccurate information for non-mainstream places (no steam train schedule online) • Pain Point: Too much info online Allow flexibility for adventure • Some things can only be planned locally (steam train in Peru, silver makers in the farmers’ market, potential dangers of a remote village trip for a woman traveling alone) • Depends on mood, went to village in Peru for 1 night, stayed 1 week • Pain Point: Takes too long to find cheap tickets Flexible Booking • Search for airfare without dates • Pain Point: Can’t do airfare search without dates Kathleen 35-44 year old | Married, 3 kids San Francisco, CA Director of fundraising for college Trips New Destinations Recurring Visit husband’s family in Peru, family in Detroit Opportunistic Frequent flyer miles Business

15. User Types Passionate Travelers • Want to experience new destinations • Interested in “off-the-beaten-path” destinations and activities • Consider booking a necessary evil, “things to do” is the fun stuff • Perceive themselves as savvy travelers, not tourists; however not necessarily using the most effective methods to research, plan, and book their trips Ellen the Explorer “Travel is a way of life for me. I want to make sure I have the best possible experience” Takes the lead in researching and planning to make sure they get their desired experience Tag-along Tyler “Someone who knows what I like will plan it for me. I’d rather not do it.” • Will still research and plan for activities and experience related to interests Toni Curt Nina Kathleen Julie Nat John Cleopatra Alyssa

16. Key Insights • I just “google” it • I don’t want an itinerary • I don’t want what’s touristy • I want to know what it’s really like • Locals know insider information • I have some ideas about my trip • Are they travelers like me? • Make my recurring trip easy

17. I just “google” it

18. I don’t want an itinerary

19. I don’t want what’s touristy

20. I want to know what it’s really like

21. Locals know insider information

22. I have some ideas about my trip I want to go away for the weekend with my boyfriend somewhere nearby so we can drive, but I want it to be a different experience than I can get at home. Maybe Napa or Sonoma?

23. Are they “travelers like me”?

24. Make my recurring trip easy

25. Key Insights - Recap • I just “google” it • I don’t want an itinerary • I don’t want what’s touristy • I want to know what it’s really like • Locals know insider information • I have some ideas about my trip • Are they travelers like me? • Make my recurring trip easy

26. Travel Research & Planning Process & Other Insights Explore destinations • Inspiration comes from many sources (friends, newspapers, tv, passions, photos, journals) Research destination • Official site is seen as good starting point for destination research (source of truth, good coverage) • Destination research requires geography research Find and book flight(s) and hotel(s) • Multiple sites are checked for airfare for due diligence • Book online if possible, book offline if can’t book online or if it’s complicated • Low confidence in deals Plan activities • Planning info is rarely saved and organized • Some travel planning is done for visitors Share experience • Photos and captions only, minimal effort • Research and plan - general • Lots of consumption of UGC, but little contribution • If activity or accommodation is important for the experience, more efforts will be put into planning it • Ads/Sponsored results affect trust of site • Some trips are planned with multiple parties

27. Design Implications Explore Destinations • Relevant recommendations • Alerts and notifications (email triggers) Decide where to go • Guidance to help decide where to go Research destinations • Access to all relevant, useful info • Know what it’s really like • Access to locals and other destination experts • Qualify travelers (like me?) • Discover hidden gems Acquire and retain target segment by designing a site / user experience that meets their needs • Find and book flight(s) & hotel(s) • Guidance to find best fares • Quickly and easily book recurring trips • Plan activities • Flexibility in planning • Easily collect and share ideas for activities • Prepare for trip • Minimal effort • Share trip experience • Share photos and captions with minimal effort

28. User Experience Concepts • Demonstrate key interaction points for acquiring and retaining target users. • Focus on main use cases • Plan and book trip to new destination • acquire and retain new Y! Travel user | engage and retain existing user • Deciding where to go, open to new ideas • acquire and retain new Y! Travel user | engage and retain existing user • Not covered • Finding and booking flights and hotels • Finding and booking flights for recurring trips • Sharing trip experiences 1 2

29. User Experience Map: Trip to Verona 1 • Plan and book trip to new destination • acquire and retain new Y! Travel user

30. UI Concepts: Trip to Verona 1 • Plan and book trip to new destination • acquire and retain new Y! Travel user

31. UI Concepts: Research destination

32. UI Concepts: Research destination

33. UI Concepts: Plan activities & prepare for trip

34. User Experience Map: Deciding where to go 2 • Deciding where to go, open to new ideas • engage and retain existing user

35. UI Concepts: Deciding where to go 2 • Deciding where to go, open to new ideas • engage and retain existing user

36. UI Concept: Deciding where to go

37. Appendix • User Types & Key Insights Cards • Also available at: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/UserTypesKeyInsightsCards.doc • Key Insight Details • Insights List • Also available at: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/InsightsList.doc • Design Ideas (collected during Interpretation Sessions) • Key Insight Video Highlights: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/travel_movie_final.mov • Affinity Diagram Notes: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/AffinityDiagramNotesFinal.doc • Screener: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/screener.doc • Test Plan: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/testplan.doc • Test Script: http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/usability/studies/travel/ethno-apr07/testscript.doc

38. User Types & Key Insights

39. Key Insight Details

40. I just “google” it • Starting point to travel research is: Google • For all, airfare, hotel, deals, even “travel sites” & especially for destinations • Google casts a wide net, gives links to travel sites anyway & more honest picture (by popularity) • Travel sites are not efficient starting points • e.g. easier to find Yahoo! Travel destination info link from Google than from Yahoo! Travel • Users have negative perceptions about travel sites • Good for airfare and hotel but not for destination info • All the same (price, content, format/layout) • Marketing focus (they try to steer you, sell you packages & have ads) • Not good for “off the beaten path” (see I don’t want what’s touristy slide) • No favorite site for travel research • Review & community sites (personal accounts & blogs) are better for destination info • Trip Advisor, Tribe.com, gay.com, Zagat, concierge.com • Which are found through Google search

41. I don’t want an itinerary • Only plan the basics (air + 1st night’s hotel) • Learn/collect some ideas about things to do beforehand but don’t plan day by day • What are must dos, logistics for it if needed, e.g. Machu Picchu in Peru • Otherwise just know that “Louvre is still standing” • One day would be on the beach and one at Disneyland • Flexibility allows adventure, spontaneity & fun • Might be disappointing to plan & not do • e.g. concert ticket wasted vs. concert to favorite punk band was found by chance • Can’t plan all online • Info is not always available & only available locally (especially for “off the beaten path” places) • Can get a better feel in person, e.g. need to see in person to decide whether you’ll like the restaurant or hotel, “sleazy” hotel • Can’t anticipate to what mood you’ll be in (may not feel like doing what you had planned for) • I did it in the past, it was stressful, I know better now

42. I don’t want what’s touristy • Desire to find “off the beaten path”, unique experiences • e.g. no need to go to Cancun to see a line of resort hotels, do the Spring Break, Senior Frog thing • Motivated by finding different experiences than current/daily life experiences • e.g. no need to go to a gay theme weekend in Miami if all they do is get drugs & party as I can do that here

43. I want to know what it’s really like • Understand the experience • For destinations, accommodations, activities • e.g. remote village in Peru, will it be dangerous for a woman alone? • e.g. will the cottage really be as romantic as I want? • e.g. how cold the water temperature be for scuba diving in Cancun? Should I take my wet suit I use in SF Bay? Should I bring my own equipment or will they have quality equipment to rent? • e.g. I want to know about the leg room in the plane • Info on the internet is limited • e.g. no info for a small town (Verona in Italy) • e.g. all hotel pictures look the same • e.g. no info on local pottery maker in Peru • Only online resource is personal accounts from other travelers • e.g. found scuba diving info only on scuba forums • e.g. prefer “quirky” hotel photos taken by travelers • Plan logistics • Need to learn what’s nearby/walkable • e.g. can I walk from the hotel to San Diego Zoo/metro station in Paris? • For attractions’ planning, what’s around & drivable/doable is important • e.g. Staple Center & Disneyland • For destinations, what’s doable is also important • e.g. train options in Eastern Europe

44. Locals know insider information • Only locals know about obscure places & adventures • e.g. silver makers are in the farmers’ market today and not at their regular village (in Peru) • Can’t find them online • e.g. fishing spots in Big Sur • Closest resource is people’s online accounts that work sometimes • Need to allow flexibility in planning as some trips and activities can only be planned locally

45. I have some ideas about my trip • Some criteria is clear for my trip • Be relaxing (e.g. at a very romantic cottage in Sonoma) • Introduce me to a new destination (e.g. I know I want to go to Australia) • Help me experience a new culture (e.g. I want to learn about my father’s heritage who is from Mexico) • Be affordable (e.g. We can only go to Jordan if we can find flights we can afford for five people) • But, I don’t know the rest • I booked the cottage but that’s it (the events for that weekend may not all be published) • We’ll drive to Big Sur for fishing but don’t know where to fish and camp & there is not a good map • We need to figure out what’s doable by train in Eastern Europe in 2 weeks • I have 2-3 days for stopover, not sure if I can/should go to Fiji or New Zealand • And would love help • I’d love to have a travel site that would guide me in finding out: • When to fly to get the best fare • Which days & which airlines fly to Jordan • Which stopovers are available to Australia • What is the cheapest/most convenient routing (e.g. recommend to fly to a different city in Europe & take another quick flight or the train)

46. I have some ideas about my trip • My trip starts once I book flight and/or the hotel • Booking flight and/or hotel is the “hard part” • Great anxiety around booking, getting a good fare, not booking when seeing a fare and missing out & booking and finding a better fare later • Anxiety was very observable during the diary & field study • Especially searching for airfare (16 hours of looking around, “Expedia hell”) • Usually accommodations is next but trip planning might start with that as well (e.g. invitation to friends’ villa in Italy, gay theme week in CubMed Cancun) • Things to do are “fun” things to plan & could be planned once I got there

47. Are they travelers like me? • Desire to learn from travelers who are like me & after similar unique experiences • That’s why friends’ opinions count more, as my friends know me, know what I like & they like the things I like • Need to know whether reviewer have same interests • e.g. Are they watching TV in their RVs or are they into the wilderness/hiking like me? • Some travel sites are not for me • e.g. Orbitz is not for me, it’s for mainstream • Reviews are too short to judge and can be too opinioned • e.g. wrote only if they were very upset with the waiter • Personal accounts are better to judge the traveler • As the reader can tell more about who wrote it and whether they are similar in their interests

48. Make my recurring trip easy • I always take a similar trip: • Fly to the same destination • e.g. to visit my family in Long Island, Rochester, Peru, Australia, Jordan, boy friend in Dallas • From the same airport • Have the same preferences • e.g. price range, schedule, using FF miles vs. purchase • Why do I have to go through the same process each time and why could it not be easier? • Remember my preferences • Auto-fill • Guide for best fares, FF & stopover options • Expectation of less effort in booking compared to trips to new destinations

49. Insights List

50. Insights List GENERAL/OVERALL PROCESS • Process steps quite separate – decide on destination, book, plan • Use different types of travel sites for different tasks (book flight, book hotel vs. destination research vs. detailed planning) • Some trips are planned with multiple parties. • Trip criteria is clear when deciding on destination, flight, accommodations (e.g. drivable, nice hotel, etc.) TRIGGERS/MOTIVATION • UC: Opportunistic travel • Inspiration from many sources – variety of passions • Inspiration – trip before the trip – via photos and journals • Travel to get different experiences from their daily life