The importance of user experience for online booking systems

Have you ever wondered why some booking systems are really successful and others are not? This is simple: the successful booking systems are designed and structured with a good ‘usability’. That is, they are designed to get good feedback from users. Users should never feel ‘lost’ using a website, they should be able to make a booking in an easy, intuitive and comfortable way.

In previous posts, we have spoken about the importance of SEO in gaining more visibility on the search engines and, thus, get more users on your booking system. However, it would be a shame to lose those potential clients because your booking system is not trustworthy or easy to use, ultimately, unusable.

You may think: “well, it sounds good, but… will this really help increase my sales?” The answer is yes. A good user-interface makes it easier for users to find what they are looking for and then to buy it once they have found it. In other words, usability decreases dramatically the number of ‘abandoned shopping carts’ and therefore, your on-line booking sales go up.

But, how can a booking system be improved in terms of usability? Some of the most common characteristics into usable booking systems are:

1. Simple design. Sometimes a plain design is better instead of a creative one. The most important factor is that your booking system meets its goals (make more sales) so the design must help to make it happen.
2. Easy to find. Once on the booking system, users should find information easily as well as be able to move around your booking system comfortably. They should find what they need in just 3 clicks and be presented with options to book and pay instantly.
3. Speed of website. This is a determinant factor for user satisfaction. Each booking system page shouldn’t load for more than 1 second in order to improve the user experience. BookingLive ensures their system and servers are optimised for quick speed – also important for your website search engine rankings!

Mango Studio know the benefits of good usability. BookingLive is highly usable to meet the needs of visitors. Don’t just take our word for it, read what previous clients have to say.