THE TOPIC

As the senior UX designer leading the connectivity partner programme project at Booking.com, my primary goal was to enhance our engagement with third-party partners, commonly referred to as providers. The focus of the project was to transform our existing point-based system, historically rigid and challenging for smaller providers, into a more flexible threshold programme. This initiative, a cornerstone of partner interaction, centers around key metrics crucial for partner growth and optimal service for their connected accommodations, often referred to as clients.

Make it easier for everyone to experience the world through technology

— Connectivity partner programme mission

The programme plays a pivotal role in our ecosystem, with providers ranging from large-scale businesses to smaller enterprises specialising in unique system software. The challenge lay in the historical structure of the programme, where the point-based system posed difficulties for smaller providers in achieving meaningful engagement. These smaller providers, integral to Booking.com, play a vital role in ensuring the seamless integration of our tools within their systems, enhancing the experience for their connected accommodation clients and contributing to a diverse range of offerings.

Recognising the limitations of the existing structure, my approach aimed to create a more inclusive and adaptable system that accommodates the diverse needs of our partners.

• Business impact
• Design strategy
• Understanding customer needs

THE PROBLEM

The historical point-based system, while effective for large-scale provider partners, presented challenges that hindered the engagement of smaller businesses. These challenges, which included smaller accommodation portfolio sizes, fewer regional or international clients, or having different business objectives then the standard provider, prompted the need for a transformative solution. Following comprehensive user research, strategic discussions, and leadership approvals, we made the strategic pivot towards a threshold programme.

The primary goal was to address the limitations of the historical system and create a more inclusive programme that accommodates a diverse range of partners, including those dealing with home or hotel properties and specialised software providers. This transformation aimed at providing flexibility for all partner types, enabling them to actively contribute and progress within Booking.com’s connectivity tier levels. This shift was instrumental in allowing each partner to undertake activities throughout the year, forming the backbone of our platform. In doing so, we ensured that partners of all sizes could contribute to a diverse array of high-quality offerings for our users and their accommodations.

• Understanding customer needs
• Communication and stakeholder management
• Org complexity

MY APPROACH

Understanding the diverse partner landscape, I initiated a value proposition session with key stakeholders to define partner segments, including Hotel, Home, Specialised, and Direct to Home provider types. This segmentation allowed us to set realistic and feasible targets for each category.

The segments:

• Hotel segment Partners that support accommodations that specialized in the large hotel industry, including chains.
• Home segment Partners that are focused in supporting accommodations that offer full property rentals and are dependent of seasonal calendars.
• Specialised segment These partners business focus are not about booking, but about providing their accommodations to be able to maintain their business profile like messaging, content and reviews.
• Direct to home segment These home partners are different from the other type of home segment partners since these partners are in-house owned. They solely build all their system for their own accommodations. Which makes them the clients and the owner of their own business.

The next step involved a collaborative brainstorming session efforts with data scientists to explore alternatives to the point system, ensuring a realistic and feasible focus for each. Through whiteboarding user flows and exercises like “crazy 8ths,” we devised a threshold system tailored to each segment’s metrics and goals. This would create fairness and engagement across all partner segments. This comprehensive approach was essential for garnering support from stakeholders and ensuring that the redesigned programme would meet the diverse needs of partners, including individual segments like Home, Hotels, Direct to home and Specialised provider types.

• Design strategy
• Innovation and complexity

THE IMPACT

The implemented solution featured progress bars with two-step points for each metric, ensured fairness across all segments allowing partners to progress from Standard to Advanced and Premier tiers. The success of the user-friendly approach result was measured by monitoring key indicators post-launch.

The results were transformative:

• Increased participation and open bookable listings
• Positive satisfaction survey scores
• Higher partner engagement throughout the calendar year
• Reduced support tickets and hand-holding tasks for account managers

Think customer first: You alway think of how the platform and its experience can add value to the user and involve all the relevant stakeholders to get their input. Succeed together: You are involved in most of the initiatives surrounding connectivity hub and are clearly able to spot opportunities on the multiple touch points across the platform.

— Peer feedback

I also implemented a profile modification window, allowing partners to adjust their segment alignment within a specific period, preventing potential exploitation. The new analytics dashboard reflected reduced support tickets, longer partner engagement, and more frequent visits every month. These tangible outcomes demonstrated the effectiveness of the redesigned programme in addressing partner pain points and promoting sustained engagement among a diverse partner segment community.

• Design creation
• Org complexity

MY CONTRIBUTION

My proactive leadership, collaboration with stakeholders, and adherence to timelines played a pivotal role in the successful launch of the redesigned connectivity partner programme. Leveraging my expertise as a UX designer and connectivity knowledge, the initiative not only effectively addressed partner pain points but also made a substantial contribution to Booking.com’s profitability. Post-launch success was quantified through metrics, including notable increases in overall business growth, satisfaction survey scores, and active providers. The results surpassed expectations, with enhanced participation, streamlined support efforts, and positive engagement metrics. Beyond numerical achievements, this success stands as a testament to the programme’s positive impact on the diverse provider partner community, ultimately improving the user experience across the platform.

• Business impact
• Individual impact
• Community