As a CTO I am involved in considering risks in infrastructure, and to consider the risks in the event of an IT disaster.
The future of airline(s)
In the travel marketplace there have been a number of start-ups disrupting the norm. AirBnB came from nowhere. There had been peer to peer accommodation services for many years, but AirBNB came and made renting a room easy for a global audience and within a few years has become one of the market leaders.
Uber have done the same, challenging the norm for taxi services. Recently, talking to an uber driver, he expected his local taxi firm to close, and for their to only be the likes of Uber and Lyft in the near future.
These companies have formed as a startup and disrupted the norm, so whats to stop the next startup from doing the same in the airline industry?
What is consumer-centric and why does it matter?
If you google Consumer-Centric this you get this;
Customer centric is a way of doing business with your customer in a way that provides a positive customer experience before and after the sale in order to drive repeat business, customer loyalty and profits. And a customer-centric company is more than a company that offers good service.
Continue reading “What is consumer-centric and why does it matter?”
Every Agile team should have a UX expert.
Until 1-2 years ago, my specifications were wordy, with wireframes but what I’ve observed is that you can’t assume customers will read a 100+ page document and fully engage with it.
What customers can relate to, are visual prototypes. In doing so you get feedback much faster, although BEWARE this feedback can be never ending, so it’s important to time box this exercise.
Continue reading “Every Agile team should have a UX expert.”
The nightmares of trying to source accommodation with children.
I would like to set you a challenge.
Find me a hotel in say Boston which can accommodate 2 Adults, 2 Children, in two connecting rooms or a suite (with min 1 room), where there are two bedrooms, and ideally 3 beds.
Give it a try.
Continue reading “The nightmares of trying to source accommodation with children.”
My experience of transitioning to Agile
Agile as I’m sure many of you are aware is an iterative development process which empowers teams, and allows for rapid development. Sounds great right? Continue reading “My experience of transitioning to Agile”
Where’s the inspiration?
Many OTAs lack inspiration, its become “all about the booking funnel”, to me the destination matters, more so than the hotel or the flight. But exploring online leaves me with a feeling of exhaustion and confusion. Continue reading “Where’s the inspiration?”
Travel Agents of the future
I respect travel agents. They work really hard and have a wealth of knowledge, it upsets me that in some circumstances the customer then goes and tries to book it directly. Their attempts are often thwarted by going a deal too far and then realising that they’ve booked indirect flights or have to deal with issues which an agent would have supported. Continue reading “Travel Agents of the future”
A hidden piece of game theory.
At the 2017 Airline information conference, I was a little surprised to hear a talk on philosophy. But in fact it was quite thought provoking. Continue reading “A hidden piece of game theory.”
Does the number of steps in a booking journey matter?
At the Airline Information Conference, Amadeus showed a study that they conducted, comparing major airlines with regional LCC, and this study showed that most LCC had more steps in their journey than most full service airlines. LCC often requested information sooner, such as an email address, which enabled personalisation and basket abandonment, but many had a number of additional steps.
Amadeus wanted to see how this impacted the user experience. They mapped the time to complete a booking against the number of steps.
What they determined was even with more steps, if the steps are fast and easy (no bullying) that the LCC had a positive experience with the user. Those who were slow negatively impacted the experience.
This shows that more steps doesn’t adversely impact the journey as long as we can handle the information being asked. Its likely to relate to the fact that our memory can only recall information for a limited amount of time. Breaking down steps, enables us to answer effectively, to the LCC’s benefit (to personalise, recover bookings), and also provide a positive experience.