Mobile app, SaaS app
faster task turnaround reported by pilot hotels
hotel chains onboarded in beta roll out
This was a two sided application, one SaaS solution used by hotels and a PWA used by hotel guests
Mobile app design
SaaS solution design
Client: UFF Hospitality Tech Role: Freelance Product Designer Platform: Web App (Hotel Staff) + PWA (Guests) Timeline: 3 months Team: Product Lead, Me (UX Designer), 2 Frontend Devs, 1 Backend Engineer Hotels are great at hospitality, but not so great at coordination. UFF set out to fix the awkward calls and slow responses by building a two-sided app—one for guests to order services without speaking to anyone, and one for staff to stay on top of requests without sticky notes and walkie-talkies.
problem statement
Traditional hotel operations rely heavily on face-to-face interactions, phone calls, and manual task assignments. This can lead to inefficient service, delayed responses, and dissatisfied guests. Additionally, many hotels lack a digital solution to empower guests to explore services and amenities conveniently. The problem was twofold: Hotel staff needed a better way to manage tasks, delegate responsibilities, and access relevant guest information in real-time. Guests wanted a self-service digital experience to explore, order, and request services without delays or disruptions.
Objective: Identify user needs and pain points for both hotel staff and guests, and uncover opportunities to streamline operations. Methods: 1. Stakeholder Interviews: We spoke with hotel managers, front desk staff, housekeeping, and room service personnel to understand their workflow, pain points, and goals. 2. Guest Surveys: We conducted surveys with past hotel guests to gather insights on what they valued in their stay and their experiences with ordering services. 3. Competitive Analysis: Analyzed existing hospitality management solutions to identify successful features and common user frustrations. Key Findings: 1. Staff Pain Points: Staff reported high inefficiencies in task delegation, particularly in tracking orders and ensuring smooth handovers between shifts. Communication gaps led to delays in service fulfillment. 2. Guest Pain Points: Guests often faced delays in requesting room services or food due to limited or inconsistent information on amenities and services. Many guests expressed a preference for self-service options. 3. Business Needs: Hotel management wanted a system that could improve staff productivity, reduce response time, and increase guest satisfaction without a large increase in operational costs.
The solution consisted of two core components: 1. Staff-facing App: A management tool that allows hotel staff to: 2. Define Roles & Access: Different staff roles (front desk, housekeeping, room service) can be assigned specific access levels based on their job functions. 3. Task Delegation: Managers can assign tasks to specific staff members and track their completion in real-time. 4. Guest Order Management: Allows staff to view, accept, and complete guest requests, food orders, and service orders in a unified interface.
Guest-facing Progressive Web App (PWA): A self-service app for guests to: 1. Place Orders & Requests: Guests can order food, request housekeeping, and schedule services at their convenience. 2. Discover Amenities: Provides guests with information on available services, amenities, and exclusive hotel offerings. 3. Real-time Updates: Guests can receive notifications on the status of their requests and orders, ensuring transparency and reducing uncertainty. Design Approach: User Flows: Designed user flows focusing on task efficiency for staff and convenience for guests. Interface Simplicity: Created a clean and intuitive UI to reduce the learning curve for staff and make it easy for guests to place orders.
The Hotel Guest Experience Management App successfully balanced the operational goals of the hotel with the needs of the guests. By empowering staff with better task management tools and offering guests a convenient digital interface, the app led to a more efficient, responsive, and personalized experience. This project highlighted the importance of understanding both business and user needs, and the value that well-designed digital solutions can bring to traditional service industries. Future iterations of the app could include AI-driven recommendations for guests and predictive maintenance alerts for hotel staff to further enhance efficiency and satisfaction.
