Demystify complex B2B relationships in the travel ecosystem

May 12

project context

An online B2B Travel platform & service provider wanted to build empathy with their Travel Agent customers to inform and prioritize their product development roadmap and gain a competitive advantage over other providers.

Client challenge

How can we prioritize critical new product features based on what we learn from our foundational research about the B2B users?

Project Scope

Type of Engagement
Foundational Research

Time-frame
20 weeks

50 hrs

Interview Data Collection

20 hrs

On-site Observations

Internal Leadership Interviews
Screener Survey
Pre-work Activity
Remote Interviews
Activity: User Journey Mapping
Observation pictures
Khoj Lab Team
Senior Design Strategist
Senior Design Researchers
Communication Designer
Recruiting Partner
Client Team
Director of UX Research
Senior UX Researcher
Product Design Team
Design Methods Used:
User Profiles
User Journey Mapping
Prioritization Matrix
Research Methods:
Virtual Expert Interviews
Screener Survey
Pre-work Activity
On-site Visits + Interviews
Communication Methods Used:
Video Storytelling
Diagrams & Visualizations
Journey Maps
Virtual Presentation

client testimonial

“It was an amazing experience collaborating with the Khoj Lab team on several research projects. They take a holistic approach and engage our key stakeholders every step of the way. The project outcomes included ecosystem diagrams, Journey maps, customer mindsets, and more. These frameworks will live on and influence far beyond these projects.

They facilitated an in-person immersion workshop to ensure the core team really engaged with and internalized the research findings. These projects would not have been as successful without the help of the highly dedicated and responsive Khoj Lab team.”

— Director, UX Research, Client Organization

KHOJLAB APPROACH

Our team approached this project holistically, aiming to transition our client's focus from merely the product to the entire customer journey. We used video ethnographies to convey this comprehensive experience.

To give our client a competitive edge as they expand in the travel advisor market, we conducted a 16-week, in-depth analysis of the entire Travel Advisor ecosystem. We uncovered key motivators, pain points, and unmet needs by engaging with 25 advisors across the US, UK, Germany, and Spain, as well as travelers and retailers. Our insights reveal what drives advisor and traveler decisions, the unique value advisors provide, and the qualities that set top advisors apart, empowering our clients to better serve and capture this growing market.

IMPACT/OUTCOME

The resulting insights helped the product team take immediate action on solving issues in the platform and helped the leadership prioritize their future product roadmap.

This Foundational Research helped our clients build empathy with their customers and better understand Travel Advisor motivations and pain points across the US, UK, Germany, and Spain.

We developed a holistic view of the Travel Advisors’ Journey, demonstrating how Advisors communicate and interact with their clients/travelers (based on low/high engagement). We created the Travel Advisors’ ecosystem that they use to serve their travelers. We concluded that six types of Travel Advisor Mindsets are motivated by different drivers. As Travel Advisors plan trips with clients, they support various client engagements that vary by efficiency vs. the need for relationship building with clients. Using the mindsets and the Client Engagement Journey Map, our client product team co-created and prioritized opportunities for implementation.