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Project Insight: Research for new Mahindra Homestays website

01 September 2011 | Kate Waite

In a series of blog posts we will be taking a look at some of the different stages we work through in a website development project, using the recently completed Mahindra Homestays website as an example.

The new website development project for Mahindra Homestays started with a period of detailed research. While we were already familiar with the brand and aware of some of the limitations of the existing site it was important to look at all aspects that the new build needed to address.

We approached the research in a number of ways.
 

1.Online Survey

We set up an in-depth incentivised survey which all visitors to the website over a period of a month were invited to complete. Making considerable use of logic to direct people through the questions based on their responses we were able to build up a detailed audience profile. Understanding the target audience, their travel aspirations and booking motivations allowed us to see what content would be of most use to them.

We also took the opportunity to find out what they felt the current site was missing and opened discussions on how it could be improved. We quickly received feedback that in some areas there wasn’t enough information to make them feel comfortable in making a booking. This included things such as being able to find the exact location of the homestays, or the ability to see the different facilities at a glance without having to read the long description.

 

2.Analytics study

We were able to use the Google Analytics tool to build up a detailed picture of how visitors were using the site. Studying navigation paths we were able to see where people were dropping out of the site. We determined that the long registration was off-putting to users and from starting the registration process to completing a booking we were able to see that a large proportion of visitors were dropping out of the site. The results of the online survey backed this up with respondents telling us that they were put off by some of the information they were being asked to supply to register on the site.
 

3. In depth visitor journey

 
In addition to Google Analytics we use other tools to allow us to accurately follow individual visitors through the site. This allows us to see how long they spend on individual pages and how they are reaching them. We are able to see how they move back and forwards through information pages, and how long they spend on them. Visitors are tagged so we can see repeat visitors and how they use the site differently, allowing us to build up different behavioural profiles. Prior to making a booking visitors spend considerable time on the site, looking at the destination and homestay information, often visiting and reading the same pages multiple times. We felt that this information could be better presented, for example more information on the individual homestays, attractions and activities they offer, larger good quality photography and the ability to see prices and facilities at a glance.

Research is vital

When planning a new website development it is essential to understand the users and to study the user experience. If the new site is to replace an existing site then looking at user activity helps you   understand how people interact with your site and optimise the new build based on your findings.

There are plenty of research methods available to help you understand how people are using your website. If you are already familiar with a website it can be harder to view it without prejudice and it is harder to pinpoint difficulties that visitors may encounter in accessing information. A period of research and discovery should be a crucial part of any website re-development project.

Next up we will look ar the wireframe development for the project. Subscribe to the RSS feed of our blog to make sure you don't miss it.

Read about the full case study.