Booking Calendar Redesign
National Trust Holiday Cottage Booking Experience
Project Overview
The Challenge
National Trust's holiday cottage booking system had a concerning 21% completion rate. Families were abandoning bookings due to confusing availability displays and unclear booking restrictions, leading to significant lost revenue.
The Impact
Redesigned booking calendar with clearer availability indicators and booking guidance
Defining the Problem
How might we redesign the holiday cottage booking experience to reduce confusion and increase successful reservations whilst maintaining National Trust's quality standards?
Initial Constraints
- Complex booking rules: Different cottages had varying minimum stays, changeover days, and seasonal restrictions
- Legacy system limitations: Existing booking platform had technical constraints on interface changes
- Seasonal demand: Peak periods created additional pressure on booking system performance
- Diverse user base: Families, couples, and groups had different booking behaviours and needs
Research Process
Analytics Deep Dive
Analysed booking funnel data to identify specific drop-off points and understand user behaviour patterns throughout the reservation process.
- Funnel analysis revealing 79% drop-off at calendar selection
- Heat map analysis showing confusion areas on calendar interface
- Exit survey responses highlighting key frustration points
- Seasonal booking pattern analysis to understand peak period challenges
Usability Testing
Conducted moderated usability testing sessions with 18 participants representing different customer segments attempting to book holiday cottages.
Iterative Prototyping
Created and tested multiple calendar interface solutions focusing on clearer communication of availability and booking restrictions:
- Visual hierarchy: Different colours and patterns for various availability states
- Progressive disclosure: Showing relevant booking rules at appropriate moments
- Error prevention: Preventing invalid date selections rather than showing error messages
- Contextual help: Tooltips and guidance appearing when needed
A/B Testing & Validation
Conducted controlled A/B tests comparing the redesigned calendar interface against the original, measuring both completion rates and user satisfaction.
- Split testing with 2,000+ booking attempts over 6 weeks
- Conversion rate tracking and statistical significance testing
- Post-booking satisfaction surveys to understand user experience
Key Findings
Clarity Reduces Frustration
Users preferred being told upfront why dates were unavailable rather than discovering restrictions after attempting to book.
Visual Differentiation Crucial
Different types of unavailability needed visually distinct indicators - users couldn't interpret subtle differences in grey shading.
Context-Sensitive Help Works
Help content that appeared exactly when users needed it was far more effective than static help sections they had to seek out.
Mobile Experience Critical
67% of booking attempts were on mobile devices, but the calendar was optimised for desktop, creating significant mobile usability issues.
Results & Impact
Dramatic Conversion Improvement
The redesigned booking calendar achieved a 62% increase in completion rates, moving from 21% to 34%. This improvement was sustained across all customer segments and seasonal periods, demonstrating the robustness of the design changes.
Revenue Impact
"The booking improvements have transformed our online revenue. We're seeing families successfully complete bookings who would have previously given up in frustration." — National Trust Digital Commerce Manager
The conversion improvements generated an additional £180K in annual cottage booking revenue, with particularly strong performance during peak holiday periods.
Customer Satisfaction
Post-booking satisfaction scores improved by 34%, with users specifically highlighting the clearer booking process and reduced frustration as key improvements.
- Visual calendar redesign with clear availability indicators
- Progressive disclosure of booking rules and restrictions
- Mobile-optimised interface for touch interactions
- Contextual help system reducing support queries by 28%
Key Learnings
Small Changes, Big Impact
The most significant improvements came from relatively small interface changes focused on clarity and communication. Complex functionality didn't require complete redesign, just better explanation.
Mobile-First Approach Essential
With the majority of users booking on mobile devices, designing for mobile constraints first led to clearer, more focused interactions that benefited all users regardless of device.
Error Prevention Beats Error Handling
Preventing users from making invalid selections was far more effective than showing error messages after failed attempts. This approach reduced frustration and improved completion rates significantly.