Luxury resort booking App Market & benchmarking research
Rapid evaluation
competitors benchmarking research
User interview
Ideation & Concept
Concept UI solution
UX designer
At VE Company project
Adobe creative suite
Figma
internal method and system
Zeplin
Confluence
One month
November 2013
Background
Hermes was founded as a start-up with a vision to offer luxury resort experiences in the picturesque regions of Eastern and Southern European countries. The company aimed to cater to a specific target group seeking exclusive and high-end accommodations that blend local charm with modern luxury. Recognising the growing demand for unique and personalised travel experiences, Hermes positioned itself as a premium provider in the luxury resort market.
Our challenge
Hermes approached VE Digital Solutions with a clear objective: to conduct comprehensive pre-research studies that would lay the groundwork for their entry into the luxury resort market. They sought in-depth insights into potential target groups, understanding the behaviors and preferences of prospective customers and visitors. Additionally, Hermes required a thorough analysis of the market landscape, including competitor research, to identify opportunities and challenges.
The goal of this task was to gather critical data that would inform Hermes' strategic decisions, ensuring that their business model was well-aligned with market demands and positioned for success. By understanding their target audience and the competitive environment, Hermes aimed to craft a tailored approach that would resonate with their clientele and give them a competitive edge in the luxury resort industry.
To kickstart the project, we initiated a series of comprehensive meetings and workshops with key stakeholders. These sessions were essential in understanding the stakeholders' needs, expectations, and the strategic vision for the platform. Our goal was to gain deep insights into their potential target audience, ensuring that the final product would resonate with the desired customer base.
Through a series of interviews and discussions, we laid the groundwork for the project's subsequent phases. These initial engagements allowed us to gather critical information, which we used to develop detailed user personas, potential user profiles, and use cases. We also conducted a quick evaluation of the current market landscape, analysing similar companies and platforms. This included benchmarking against competitors offering comparable services, providing us with a clear picture of the market's status and opportunities.
Stakeholder Interviews: Gained a deep understanding of stakeholder needs, expectations, and strategic goals.
Target User/Customer Profiles: Developed a detailed description of the potential target audience, including demographics and behavioural insights.
Product Value Proposition: Clarified the unique value that Hermes would offer to its users, ensuring alignment with market demands.
Initial Project & Product Requirements: Established the foundational requirements for the project, including key features and functionalities.
Project & Product Dependencies & Possibilities: Identified dependencies and explored the possibilities for innovation and differentiation within the market.
Rapid Qualitative Evaluations: Conducted quick, qualitative evaluations of the market to assess the competitive landscape.
Benchmarking: Performed competitor benchmarking to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for Hermes.
Workshops: Facilitated collaborative workshops to align the team and stakeholders on the project’s direction.
Customer Journey Mapping: Created preliminary customer journey maps to visualise the user experience and identify key touch points.
Persona Creation: Developed detailed user personas to guide the design and development process.
These initial activities set a strong foundation for the project, ensuring that our approach was both user-centred and strategically aligned with Hermes' business goals. This phase provided us with the insights and clarity needed to move forward with confidence, laying the groundwork for the successful development of the Hermes platform.
The User interface concept solution that we iterated, featured a simple, logical user experience flow with intuitive functions, designed to streamline the booking process. The UI was created to be modern and engaging, with the primary goal of minimising the number of steps required to complete a booking.
Although the project initially required specific deliverables focused on the pre-study research phase with clear objectives from the client, we went a step further by creating the first ideation and concept wireframes for a potential solution for the Hermes platform. These early design concepts were presented to the client and received highly positive feedback.
However, the client ultimately decided to take the project in-house and continue developing the application on their own.
