Problems to solve:

1. All UQ websites are undergoing a CMS migration from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10. Some venues' websites have migrated to the latest version, and some websites are still on the Drupal 7 system and no longer meet the latest UQ design standard. We need to work out how to connect these two versions of websites as an interim solution, and consider how the content of Drupal 7 websites can be migrated to Drupal 10.

2. UQ Brisbane City is one of the Drupal 10 websites that was migrated in 2023. It's time to do a post-launch review to determine whether we need to improve page structure or content.

3. UQ Brisbane City currently has two booking systems: one for internal audiences (UQ BOOKIT) and the other for external audiences (fill out an enquiry form). There will be an booking system (Momentus) implement in the future.  We want to explore the possibility of using one booking platform for both audiences.

The process

I kicked off the project with a comprehensive experience review of the current web experience, review web goals, user goals, and any previous works related to this project.

UX audit of current web experience

I started with an extensive UX review of the current UQ venues' web experience, reviewed structure and content to see if designs and languages were consistent across websites.

Google Analytics

It was always good to know how the websites performed from the data. I collaborated with the Data Analytics team to understand how external audiences find UQ venues websites. We particularly looked at: page engagement, traffic into pages, flows between pages and bounce rates.

_{Key findings from GA:}

Affinity mapping

I then categorised findings from the UX audit and Google Analytics into an affinity map. The process of theming and prioritising findings with my UX-UI manager was fun.

We quickly realised that there were common themes across different venue websites: unclear content, lack of details of bookable spaces, different booking preferences and complex booking process.

Interview

While I was doing the initial UX discovery, the service design team commenced the interview process to better understand the current state of customer online access to UQ Venues. They interviewed 5 external participants and 15 internal participants.

Ideation workshop

The service design team also led the ideation workshop, and I was one of the facilitators during the three-hour workshop. It was an awarding process that allowed us to hear so much honest feedback and ideas from the audiences and business owners. We categorised and prioritised these findings based on desirability, feasibility, and viability.

_{Top 3 insights from interviews and ideation workshops:}

Step1: Quick wins recommendations (status: completed)

Finding 1: The UQ Venues website was missing prominent call to actions.

Solution: Include prominent CTA above the fold for those users who are ready to book and enquire.

Finding 2: UQ Brisbane City website has the highest volume of traffic, this is an opportunity to direct more users to booking section. This website was also missing clear call to action for those users looking to hire or book a room.

Solution: Include a CTA for 'bookings and enquiries' next to explore button that takes users to Event spaces page 'bookings and enquiries' section, and update Explore button label so it's clear these are rooms to 'hire'.

Finding 3: It's not immediately clear to external audiences that they must book through the enquiry process. We suspected that external audiences selecting 'Book a room now' then bouncing when they realise its UQ only booking system.

Solution: Clearly distinguish booking process for external vs internal audiences, and reframe booking section to prioritise external bookings.

Step 2: Long-term recommendations (status: in progress)

We have provided and presented the long-term recommendations on findability/discoverability, content, social proof and communication/support. I am currently working on the website reconstruction based on those recommendations.

Step 3: Booking experience review (Status: in progress)

We have identified 2 potential abandon points of the Momentus booking experience and provided recommendations.

Finding 1: On the search result page, users may select multiple 'space' filters not understanding the options, creating search query that is too narrow, resulting in 'no results'. When no results are returned the messaging displayed isn't helpful for users to determine next steps. The messaging mentions contact our venue but does not include a method of contact.

Solution: Update messaging so that it's clear to users what has happened and offer a next step ie link back to search or clear instructions on what to do next. Also, add clear contact information and support options (email or phone) on the page so that users can contact the venue for further assistance.

Finding 2: Users must register to before they can proceed to make a booking. Users are faced with a sign up form right at the end of their booking process, blocking them from progressing to payment. And the sign up form contains multiple fields that may not be necessary, users may see this as a barrier to completing the form.

Solution: Add guest check-out to reduce potential abandonment and provide sign-up option after the payment. This will help ensure more users get through to the payment stage. Also, simplify the sign-up form, only request essential information to improve form completion rate.

However, Momentus is an external booking platform and we have restrictions on what we can fix. The UX-UI manager and I have scheduled a meeting with the Momentus team to discuss this further. I will reveal more details when we have more updates.