Relocation support redesign - Booking.com
Project overview
I was involved in the redesign of Booking.com's employee and guest relocation support process, aiming to make a stressful experience genuinely hassle-free.
I designed a streamlined digital experience featuring dedicated offline landing pages. These pages serve as self-service hubs, allowing customer to easily manage key relocation tasks like seamless invoice uploading directly from their phone or computer, eliminating the need for repeated calls.
60%
Improvement in CSAT (customer satisfaction)
8%
reduction in total yearly relocation‑related costs
20%
reduction in contact volume per relocation case
User problem
With nearly around 50% of travellers relocations being marked in the 3 days leading up to checkin, Booking.com agents have limited time to support customer with booking alternatives. The agents spends aproximately an hour to find a resolution because of manual process of budget calculation and search for suitable reservation.
Customer has to remember to come back to us with claim for and There is no standardized way to file that claim and no specific guidance for Customers what kind of proof they need to send for claim to be valid . Resolution time for refund is aprox. 2 months.
Every Relocation case is treated equally and all the communication is done over email , no priority given to the urgent cases.
Design brainstorm
My biggest challenge in this redesign was navigating the creation of a customer intake form. The real difficulty wasn't in the design itself, but in determining what information was truly essential to collect. The solution required balancing business needs with the user's willingness to provide information, prioritising clarity .
I attended several workshops to define the project goals and map out the new user flow in collaboration with product managers and the Process Excellence team.
New user flow for relocation process
Wire framing and prototyping
A critical component of this project was to first initiate a meaningful and well-timed email to the customer. To achieve this, I collaborated closely with the UX writing team. Our focus was on the key areas listed below to inform the design of both the new webpage and the email templates.
New intake form with alternate accommodation
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Heading 4
Heading 4
New email to chose alternative from multiple options
Automated Refund and Invoice Submission Process
Key components :
Simplified Communication: An automated email to cut down on back-and-forth exchanges.
Full Context: The design provided a comprehensive view of next steps, including all relevant details of the new property.
Clear Guidance: It offered straightforward guidance based on the user's decision, empowering them to take the next step with confidence.
The Technical Constraint & Pivot
After presenting this concept to the engineering team, we identified a few key technical constraints. Implementing the full design would have required change in the legacy system, an extended development timeline.
Rather than abandoning the whole original design, I collaborated closely with the development team to prioritize the most critical features.
We pivoted to a more feasible solution that simplified the original concept but still delivered on the core user need. The final implemented design focused on:
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Empowering the User: Sending an online form to the customer allowed them to take action at their own time, providing a sense of freedom and control.
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Improving Efficiency: The design reduced contact between the agent and customer, streamlining the process.
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Ensuring Clarity: A clear and relevant intake form was created to keep the design simple and intuitive for the user. This approach allowed us to launch a valuable feature within the project's timeline and budget.
Learnings and Key take away
01 : User Testing Validates Initial Design Hypothesis
While this design was not technically feasible for the initial launch, the user testing results confirmed its value. We created a a more scalable solution that solved a key user problem, and the original design concept remains a part of our long-term product roadmap.
02: Balancing User Needs with Technical Realities
Optimized for the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to deliver immediate value to users. I've learned the critical importance of balancing user-centric ideals with technical feasibility.
03 : The Power of Early Engineering Collaboration
Involving engineering team early in the design process, rather than engaging them only at the handover stage.