I recently worked with a team to develop a site to promote a vacation rental property. The client has a lovely second home in the Orlando area that he makes available for rent. While he has a relationship with a local property management company, he wants to promote and rent the home himself.
The client is very excited about the home and its potential as a rental property. He had lots of ideas about the site. All that is great, and, thanks to a strong team, the finished product is lovely and functional.
But it brought up a lot of issues about what happens offline. A user can have a great digital experience, but if the rest of the experience is confused or infuriating, the total experience is unsatisfactory. And while clients often don’t want to spend the time to discuss the entire workflow (and often don’t consider it part of the designer’s job), it is generally time well-spent. Some questions that are worth asking:
Before the First Click:
- How do you think users will find your site?
- How will you promote the site?
- What will they know before they get there?
After the Final Click:
- What happens next?
- What is the process for following up with a prospect? What is the timeframe for following up? How will you (if you are renting the property) get the contract, keys, directions, and more to the renter? How will you get the keys back? How will you deal with the (inevitable) cancelations and refunds? How will you assess and communicate about damages?
- How do you interface with other parties? For a rental property, that includes the property management company and house cleaners, for example.
Ideally, UX comprises the entire experience. If a user requests more information–will they get it quickly? The best design in the world gets lost in a quagmire of bad customer service. UX experts don’t have to be business process experts or customer service gurus, but at least posing the questions–encouraging the client to think it through–can make for a better experience. (And, ultimately, a happier client.)