LivingSocials: FastBook
With a high volume of day-to-day purchases centered on birthdays, holidays, and other gift-giving occasions, LivingSocial launched the Gift Shop vertical just in time for the holiday season. Designed for both desktop and mobile, Gift Shop offered a curated gift-giving experience, featuring a custom search “wizard” that helped users find presents for any occasion—from birthday gifts for dads and curated Mother’s Day collections to trending weekend deals and even a one-year anniversary for a dog.
OBJECTIVE
Successfully launch, brand, and conduct thorough testing of a new pilot project aimed at delivering a convenient on-the-go booking experience for all health and beauty services. Create a seamless and effortless user experience that enables real-time booking with flexible scheduling options and convenient locations.
GOALS
Reduce friction and minimize frustration in the health and beauty booking experience.
Evaluate FastBook’s performance and assess the feasibility of permanent integration into LivingSocial.
Improve search usability with autocomplete and suggested results.
Ideation & Research
Initial Learnings & Research
Pain Points: Customers
Users felt a sense of uneasiness booking an appointment and receiving a confirmation online
A lack of familiarity with local offerings or deals
Preferred availability in convenient areas (home, work, errands, etc.),
Desired the ability to book last minute appointments
Wanted to make the payment in full by card and include tip
Pain Points: Merchants
Merchants felt an inability to attract new clients at an affordable price point as well as to elegantly showcase their services and skills,
Merchants want the ability to optimize prices during peak times and slow periods
It’s hard to encourage customers to come back, schedule and opt them into loyalty programs
Last minute cancellations result in lost revenue
1.
Users found the booking process "too easy," leading them to question whether their action was completed due to the lack of a double confirmation step.
Usability Testing Takeaways
2.
50% of users preferred map navigation, while the other half favored browsing lists. Addressing both preferences was essential for creating a user-friendly experience.
3.
Users wanted a simple way to add appointments, view directions in Google Maps, and easily contact the merchant after receiving their booking confirmation.
Finessing and Branding the Core Experience
