Project Snapshot
Overview
Evaluated a tourism website and its embedded AI trip planner with international prospective travelers, observing the full journey from discovery to travel decision.
- Product Research Consultant
- Usability Researcher
- Session Moderator
- Moderated Usability Testing
- Screen-Share Observation
- Think-Aloud Protocol
- Post-Task Interviews
- Mobile blockers escalated & tracked
- Category restructuring recommended
- AI trust factors surfaced for product team
Context
Challenge
- Category comprehension across cultures
- AI planner trust & usefulness
- Mobile & technical barriers
- Cultural fit of content organization
The website was designed to inspire international travelers — but whether its structure, content, and AI planner actually worked for non-domestic audiences had never been tested.
Research Focus
Objectives and guiding questions across the moderated sessions.
Session Flow & Methods
Each moderated session walked participants through the full journey — from discovering the site to deciding whether to act on an AI-generated plan.
Methods
- Moderated Usability Testing
- Screen-Share Behavioral Observation
- Think-Aloud Protocol
- Post-Task Interviews
- Category Comprehension Testing
- AI Planner Interaction Testing
- Mobile Usability Review
- Survey Context (wider study)
Analysis & Findings
Friction mapped across the full journey from discovery to decision.
| Stage | Friction Observed | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Many participants did not know the website existed — organic discovery and brand recognition were low for international audiences. | High |
| Category Navigation | Destination-specific category names rooted in domestic conventions confused international users; overlapping categories created uncertainty. | High |
| Page Review | Long scrolling and dense information caused anxiety and overload — participants skimmed or gave up rather than reading thoroughly. | Medium–High |
| Content Organization | Content was rich — depth was even praised once found in collapsible sections — but it felt scattered across long pages. The disorganization pushed users toward the AI planner, which they preferred for its perceived personalization. | Medium |
| AI Planner Entry | Users needed clearer cues for when and why to open the AI planner; many missed or delayed its entry point. | Medium |
| AI Output Review | Users liked the AI's answers — but trust was provisional, and one wrong detail could discredit everything. | High |
| Mobile Use | Stuck-page bugs blocked task completion on mobile — the most critical technical finding of the study. | Critical |
Users liked the AI's answers — but trust was provisional, and one wrong detail could discredit everything.
Outcomes
Research contributions delivered to the client's product and content teams.
Deliverables
Behavioral observation notes for every moderated session.
Friction points catalogued by severity and journey stage, including mobile reproduction steps.
Restructuring guidance to make navigation intuitive for international audiences.
Findings and AI planner UX recommendations delivered to the client team.
Impact
Reflection
What this project revealed about researching AI features and cross-cultural audiences.
Screen-share observation revealed mobile blocks, delayed AI planner entry, and overload responses that post-task surveys alone would have underrepresented or missed entirely.
Category and navigation logic that felt natural to domestic designers broke down for international users — assumptions didn't translate across cultural contexts.
For destination and tourism content aimed at international audiences, comprehension and trust have to be validated with the actual audience — not inferred from domestic intuition.