Travel CRM Information Architecture and navigation system design

Problem

Overview

I took on this Information Architecture (IA) and navigation (nav) system project after the chat platform that I launched as an MVP had matured into a travel Customer Relations Management (CRM) platform, with more features added to the chat channel and with email and phone integration on the way.

It was important to make sure we design the CRM holistically, accounting for many different future use cases.

I took on this Information Architecture (IA) and navigation (nav) system project after the chat platform that I launched as an MVP had matured into a travel Customer Relations Management (CRM) platform, with more features added to the chat channel and with email and phone integration on the way.

It was important to make sure we design the CRM holistically, accounting for many different future use cases.

I took on this Information Architecture (IA) and navigation (nav) system project after the chat platform that I launched as an MVP had matured into a travel Customer Relations Management (CRM) platform, with more features added to the chat channel and with email and phone integration on the way.

It was important to make sure we design the CRM holistically, accounting for many different future use cases.

I took on this Information Architecture (IA) and navigation (nav) system project after the chat platform that I launched as an MVP had matured into a travel Customer Relations Management (CRM) platform, with more features added to the chat channel and with email and phone integration on the way.

It was important to make sure we design the CRM holistically, accounting for many different future use cases.

Role

I did this work as a sole UX designer on the project while working at the Expedia Global Operations (GCO) org.

I did this work as a sole designer on the project while working at the Expedia Global Operations (GCO) org.

I did this work as a sole designer on the project while working at the Expedia Global Operations (GCO) org.

Process and solution

Here is my step by step process with a glimpse into incremental deliverables along the way:

I designed and led a card sort workshop with our org's product managers and designers
I designed an initial IA to critique it together as a group after the card sort
I led a user needs and wants discovery workshop to brainstorm features and functionality we wanted to see in the CRM in the future for the history, search and analytics areas
I met with the PMs overseeing the respective areas to write user stories. I shared out the results with the broader group
I designed the history area flow diagram to capture the complexity of that space
I designed the global search interaction model
I designed a card sort study for the agents in the Optimal Workshop
I sketched out multiple navigation solutions
I did competitive analysis of other CRMs
I implemented two main ideas as high-fidelity wireframes and made interactive prototypes to test with the agents in El Salvador and Manila
I designed and conducted a set of three usability studies following the RITE (Rapid Iterative Testing and Evaluation) methodology
I explored early multiple history area options for the CRM

Here is my step by step process with a glimpse into incremental deliverables along the way:

I designed and led a card sort workshop with our product managers and designers
I designed the initial IA from the knowledge I had to critique it together as a group after the card sort
I led a user needs and wants workshop to brainstorm features and functionality we wanted to see in the CRM in the future for the history, search and analytics areas
I met with the PMs overseeing the respective area to write user stories. I shared out the results with the broader group
I designed a history area diagram to capture the complexity of that area
I designed the global search interaction model
I designed a card sort study for the agents in the Optimal Workshop
I sketched out multiple navigation solutions
I did a competitive analysis of other CRMs
I implemented two main ideas as high-fidelity wireframes and made interactive prototypes to test with the agents in El Salvador and Manila
I designed and conducted a set of three usability studies following the RITE (Rapid Iterative Testing and Evaluation) method
I explored early multiple history area options for the CRM

Here is my step by step process with a glimpse into incremental deliverables along the way:

I designed and led a card sort workshop with our product managers and designers
I designed the initial IA from the knowledge I had to critique it together as a group after the card sort
I led a user needs and wants workshop to brainstorm features and functionality we wanted to see in the CRM in the future for the history, search and analytics areas
I met with the PMs overseeing the respective area to write user stories. I shared out the results with the broader group
I designed a history area diagram to capture the complexity of that area
I designed the global search interaction model
I designed a card sort study for the agents in the Optimal Workshop
I sketched out multiple navigation solutions
I did a competitive analysis of other CRMs
I implemented two main ideas as high-fidelity wireframes and made interactive prototypes to test with the agents in El Salvador and Manila
I designed and conducted a set of three usability studies following the RITE (Rapid Iterative Testing and Evaluation) method
I explored early multiple history area options for the CRM

Here is my step by step process with a glimpse into incremental deliverables along the way:

I designed and led a card sort workshop with our product managers and designers
I designed the initial IA from the knowledge I had to critique it together as a group after the card sort
I led a user needs and wants workshop to brainstorm features and functionality we wanted to see in the CRM in the future for the History, Search and Analytics areas
I met with the PMs overseeing the respective area to write user stories. I shared out the results with the broader group
I designed a history area diagram to capture the complexity of that area
I designed the global search interaction model
I designed a card sort study for the agents in the Optimal Workshop
I sketched out multiple navigation solutions
I did a competitive analysis of other CRMs
I implemented two main ideas as high-fidelity wireframes and made interactive prototypes to test with the agents in El Salvador and Manila
I designed and conducted a set of three usability studies following the RITE (Rapid Iterative Testing and Evaluation) method
I explored early multiple history area options for the CRM

Here is my step by step process with a glimpse into incremental deliverables along the way:

I designed and led a card sort workshop with our product managers and designers
I designed the initial IA from the knowledge I had to critique it together as a group after the card sort
I led a user needs and wants workshop to brainstorm features and functionality we wanted to see in the CRM in the future for the History, Search and Analytics areas
I met with the PMs overseeing the respective area to write user stories. I shared out the results with the broader group
I designed a history area diagram to capture the complexity of that area
I designed the global search interaction model
I designed a card sort study for the agents in the Optimal Workshop
I sketched out multiple navigation solutions
I did competitive analysis of other CRMs
I implemented 2 main ideas as high-fidelity wireframes and made interactive Sketch prototypes to test with the agents in El Salvador and Manila
I designed and conducted a set of three usability studies following the RITE (Rapid Iterative Testing and Evaluation) method
I explored early multiple history area options for the CRM

Card sort for the cross-functional team and agents

Early IA diagrams (first on the left was created before the design workshop)

Early IA diagrams (the first on the left diagram was created before the design workshop)

Early IA diagrams (the first example was created before the design workshop)

History area diagram evolution

Final IA diagram

I took into consideration all the history, search and analytics workshop and user story writing findings I discovered in the process, and tweaked the final IA diagram accordingly.

It became clear that the search functionality should be a global feature. History area discoveries again reinforced the urgency to build an efficient and comprehensive contextual timeline to review customer activity and help agent do their job well and fast.

I took into consideration all the history, search and analytics workshop and user story writing findings I discovered in the process, and tweaked the final IA diagram accordingly.

It became clear that the search functionality should be a global feature. History area discoveries again reinforced the urgency to build an efficient and comprehensive contextual timeline to review customer activity and help agent do their job well and fast.

I took into consideration all the history, search and analytics workshop and user story writing findings I discovered in the process, and tweaked the final IA diagram accordingly.

It became clear that the Search functionality should be a global feature. History area discoveries again reinforced the urgency to build an efficient and comprehensive contextual timeline to review customer activity and help agent do their job well and fast.

I took into consideration all the history, search and analytics workshop and user story writing findings I discovered in the process, and tweaked the final IA diagram accordingly.

It became clear that the Search functionality should be a global feature. History area discoveries again reinforced the urgency to build an efficient and comprehensive contextual timeline to review customer activity and help agent do their job well and fast.

I took into consideration all the history, search and analytics workshop and user story writing findings I discovered in the process, and tweaked the final IA diagram accordingly.

It became clear that the Search functionality should be a global feature. History area discoveries again reinforced the urgency to build an efficient and comprehensive contextual timeline to review customer activity and help agent do their job well and fast.

Sketching out navigation options

Lo-fi nav explorations

Replacing blocks with the page content to see how it works

Throughout the time that I've been designing for the CRM platform, I've been working on the vision mocks to keep our leadership and cross-functional teams excited about what's ahead and to help plan the UX work accordingly.