How We Made it Easier to Book a Bucket List Trip to New Zealand
What We Did
The Air New Zealand website was designed first and foremost to support local travel within the country. As they upgraded their flight experience to support more international travelers, we upgraded the booking journey to inspire and educate travelers who may be unfamiliar with everything New Zealand has to offer.
After extensive research and testing, we pinpointed North America specific enhancements that would reduce friction and increase conversions, allowing people to book flights, hotels, cars, and tours for a once-in-a-lifetime trip.
Designing for the Skies
We took a comprehensive, research-first approach to uncover opportunities for improvement:
Stakeholder Insights
We spent over 800 minutes conducting in-depth interviews with nine key stakeholders, gathering insights into organizational goals and user pain points. These conversations highlighted three major areas of focus:
Streamlining Navigation
Users needed intuitive pathways to explore destinations effortlessly.
Improving the Booking Experience
Reducing friction during the booking process was essential for user satisfaction.
Inspiring Travelers
Aspirational content was key to connecting with North American audiences on an emotional level.
Actionable Recommendations
We delivered 95 tailored solutions to address these challenges, including:
Reorganizing the site's navigation to guide users intuitively.
Adding a session timer to reduce disruptions during the booking process.
Integrating aspirational destination content to highlight Air New Zealand's unique offerings.
Benchmarking for Success
To ensure these recommendations aligned with industry best practices, we:
Analyzed competitors like Qantas, Virgin Australia, and British Airways to establish benchmarks for usability and content strategy.
Conducted ADA compliance and page speed testing to identify 13 key performance enhancements.
Going the Extra Mile
New Zealand is an absolutely beautiful country and we couldn't help but feel inspired by it. Beyond usability improvements, our design team imagined what an all-new Air New Zealand website could look like. The brief: How can we bring simplicity and beauty together in a way that makes a trip to New Zealand irresistible?
"Five & Done have a unique approach to their projects and spend time understanding [their] client's needs. In the end they become an extension of your team and key partners."- Jeanice Lee
Head of Marketing, North America, Air New Zealand
Results that Soar
The enhancements we proposed helped Air New Zealand reach a new and growing audience in North America. A few of our key outcomes:
Optimized Performance
Improved page speed and accessibility provided a faster, more user-friendly experience for travelers.
Enhanced Booking Flow
The addition of a session timer minimized interruptions, creating a smoother, more reliable process.
Inspiring Content
Integrating aspirational destination imagery and messaging inspired travelers to dream bigger and plan their next adventure with Air New Zealand.