Role: Product Designer (UX/UI)
Sector: Hospitality
Sector: Hospitality
Responsibilities:
-User research
-Wireframing and prototyping.
-Collaboration with product managers, developers and stakeholders
-Design system maintenance and creation.
-User testing and iterative design.
Agilysys Property Management System (Versa)
The Agilysys VERSA is an all-in-one property management solution that brings together Room, Spa, Golf, Ski, and Administrative functions into a single, integrated dashboard. This robust platform supports seamless reservations and personalized customer profile management, tailored specifically for hotel staff and property managers. Although expansive, its capabilities can present user flow challenges. My focus was on iterative, intuitive design to facilitate on reducing booking errors and to boost user satisfaction—essential in the fast-paced, high-stakes hospitality industry.
Problem Statement:
The Agilysys Versa PMS system was plagued by user complaints about a complicated booking process, which led to frequent user errors and frustration.
The dashboard needed a simplified, more intuitive design to reduce booking errors and increase user satisfaction, especially in high-stakes hospitality environments.
Agilysys PMS Booking Screen
Agilysys PMS Booking Screen 2
Research and Approach
We conducted extensive user interviews and analyzed existing data to pinpoint specific pain points in the booking process. Feedback highlighted complex navigation, unclear options, and inefficient workflows as key challenges. Our approach was to focus on simplifying the flow and optimizing for the AG Versa platforms.
I identified these key problem areas and aimed to refine the overall flow to make it faster, more intuitive, and optimized for desktop usage.
Confusing Input fields:
Users were unsure about how to navigate through different screens to select the correct input fields. The calendar view was not intuitive, leading to frustration.
Unclear Availability Feedback:
Users struggled to understand whether their chosen dates and rooms were available to book. The interface lacked clear indicators for booked or unavailable slots.
Long, Cumbersome Process:
The booking flow required too many steps, causing users errors or drop off a call before completing the process. This led to a significant reduction in conversion rates, as users found the process too tedious and time-consuming.
Timings average 25 mins +.
Design Process:
The design process was highly iterative and focused on creating a more intuitive experience for users while addressing the technical constraints and scalability of the system. We prioritized the most common workflows to ensure they were as seamless as possible.
Wireframes:
Created low-fidelity wireframes to map out the simplified booking flow and test early concepts.
Prototyping:
Developed prototypes in Adobe XD for user testing and feedback.
Iterations:
Based on feedback from stakeholders and user testing, we continually refined the design, reducing complexity and aded clear, actionable elements.
Final Design and Solution
The final design emphasized a clean, user-friendly interface that guided users through the booking process with minimal friction. Key features included a streamlined navigation bar, clearly labeled sections, and visual indicators to reduce confusion. To highlight.
Improved Bookings Screens:
A simplified booking screens allowed users to quickly access the most critical parts of the system without unnecessary steps.
Error Reduction:
Clear field indicators and filters and inline validations were added to reduce booking mistakes and improve user confidence.
Merging Tape Chart:
Users can readily access tape chart whenever configuring customer bookings.
AG Versa
Outcomes
After several months into the updated booking flow, our Project Manager fielded out qualitative interviews and the following was information was relayed:
-30% reduction in user errors during the booking process.
-25% increase in user satisfaction.
-20% increase in booking conversion rates with booking timing averages reduced to 10-15mins.
The feedback highlighted the improvements of the overall booking flow as well the reduced the cognitive load on users. The enhancements to the overall efficiency of the system, lead to better business outcomes for Agilysys and its clients.
Reflections
This project underscored the importance of user research and feedback throughout the design process. Collaborating closely with key stakeholders, I wanted to communicate and iterate on feedback so that the designs were scalable and technically feasible. One of the key learnings was the power of iterative testing and the value of user feedback that shaped more efficient and user-friendly product.
