All right, so today we're diving deep into UI and UX design,
especially for booking villas, you know,
those awesome vacation rentals.
Sounds fun.
We're gonna unpack a YouTube video,
level up your UI design skills in 12 minutes.
AP2 by Rachel Howe.
She tries to revamp a Villa booking app,
kind of a design challenge.
A 12 minute design challenge.
Ambitious.
Yeah, spoiler, it took a bit longer than 12 minutes.
I bet.
But that's design for you.
Rachel starts by dissecting the existing app design,
and she finds some interesting problems,
like the back button is practically invisible.
Oh, a hidden back button.
That's like a cardinal sin in UX design.
Users need to easily navigate,
and a hidden back button
can make the whole experience frustrating.
For sure.
It's like being crapped in a maze.
And, you know, it's not just about aesthetics, right?
It's about accessibility too.
Rachel also points out that the book now button
is way too short.
Yes, accessibility.
So important.
It's like designing a door that's too small
for anyone to walk through.
Exactly.
Like imagine trying to tap that button on a bumpy bus ride.
Yeah.
Fat thumbs and tiny buttons just don't mix.
Definitely not a good combo.
And speaking of things that need a makeover,
what about the app's use of imagery?
It's pretty lackluster,
especially for luxurious villas.
It is.
And that's a huge missed opportunity
because visuals can really make or break a travel app, right?
Absolutely.
High quality images can transport you to that dream
destination, even if you're just browsing on your phone.
It's all about sparking those feelings of wanderlust.
And then there's the text, the sizing, the hierarchy.
It's all over the place.
It's like they threw a bunch of words on the screen
and hoped for the best.
Yeah, good visual hierarchy is essential
for guiding the user's eye
and making information easily digestible.
It's like writing a story with no paragraphs or headings.
Totally.
And speaking of misplaced elements,
Rachel points out that the customer service button
is way too prominent, like front and center.
That's a design decision that makes you wonder
if they actually thought about the user journey, right?
Totally.
It's like walking into a store
and immediately being bombarded by a salesperson.
Exactly.
Most users opening a Villa booking app
or probably looking to browse and explore,
not immediately call customer service.
Right.
Finally, there's the placement of the ratings.
Instead of being integrated with the Villa information,
they're kind of floating off on their own
almost an afterthought.
And that's a big deal because ratings and reviews
are social proof.
They build trust.
Huge.
You know, like when you're looking for a restaurant
and check the reviews before deciding.
Exactly.
So Rachel's done a really great job dissecting this app
and pointing at its flaws.
But the real question is, how does she plan to fix it?
What would a well-designed Villa booking app
actually look like?
Exactly.
Stay tuned as we dive into that in part two
of this deep dive into UI and UX design with Rachel Howe.
So we just saw Rachel completely tear apart that app design.
Yeah, she didn't hold back.
But now comes the exciting part, the redesign.
And she has some really great ideas.
She does.
Like imagine this.
You open the app and boom, you're
hit with this beautiful gallery of Villa photos.
You're swiping through and just taking it all in.
Oh, I love that.
It really sets the mood, right?
Like you're already on vacation.
Totally.
And right there with those photos,
you see the important stuff, the Villa name,
where it is, how much it costs.
Rachel is really big on transparency here,
like making it clear that the price is starting
from a certain amount per night.
Smart.
No one wants to get hit with hidden fees, especially
when you're booking a whole Villa.
Exactly.
And then you've got the booking section
where you put in your dates, number of guests, rooms,
all that good stuff.
The basics.
Gotta have them.
And of course, you need the lowdown on the facilities,
right?
Pool, jacuzzi, maybe even a private chef, you know?
Yeah, the amenities are a big selling point for Villas.
Totally.
And hey, we can't forget about the ratings and reviews.
You know, those are gold.
Oh, absolutely.
Social proof is everything these days.
It's like, are other people raving about this?
No, no.
Exactly.
Makes a big difference.
And then to wrap it all up, you have those calls to action.
Book now, obviously.
But also options to contact customer service,
save the Villa for later, maybe share it with friends.
Makes sense.
Give people options.
But Rachel doesn't stop there.
She has some really cool, almost sneaky ways
to improve the experience.
Like she suggests adding this scarcity effect, you know?
Scarcity effect.
Yeah, little things that make you feel like you got a book now
or you'll miss out.
Like only two Villas laughed or 10 people
are looking at this Villa right now.
Oh, I see.
So like that fear of missing out makes
you want to click that book now button.
Exactly.
It's like a little psychological nudge.
I like it.
Clever.
And then she also talks about these, what
does she call them, lifeboat features.
Nice boat features.
Yeah.
Things that address your anxieties
and make you feel more secure about booking.
So like clear cancellation policies,
transparent payment terms, all that.
I get it.
It's all about building trust with the user.
Yeah.
And finally, she really stresses how important it
is to have good info about the area around the Villa.
Oh, yeah, definitely.
Like is there public transportation?
What's the neighborhood like?
Things like that.
Right.
Like painting a complete picture for the user
so they can really imagine themselves being there.
Totally.
So we've got a really solid plan for what content should be
in this app and how to make it easy to use.
But now it's time for the really cool part,
seeing how Rachel actually designs it all.
How does she bring these ideas to life?
That's where the real magic happens.
All right.
So we've got the blueprint for an amazing Villa booking app.
But now let's see how Rachel actually builds it.
You know, how she makes all these great ideas come to life.
Yeah, this is where her design skills really shine.
For sure.
One thing she does is she hides the footer at first.
Hides the footer?
Yeah.
So it doesn't overwhelm you with too much information
right away.
Makes sense.
Keep it simple.
Exactly.
And then as you start scrolling, the header
stays put at the top.
And the footer, it kind of slides up from the bottom.
Oh, I see.
So it's like it's responding to you.
Yeah, exactly.
It feels really smooth and natural.
And then there's the image gallery,
which is the most important part of a Villa booking app, right?
Oh, yeah.
Got to have those gorgeous photos.
Rachel actually tries two different things with the gallery.
One where it stays fixed as you scroll,
and another where it disappears so you can see more details.
Interesting.
So like two different approaches to the same problem.
Yeah.
And in the end, she decides to keep the gallery fixed.
So you can always see those tempting Villa pictures.
Exactly.
It's like a constant reminder of your dream vacation.
Lever.
But you know what else really impressed me?
What's that?
Rachel's focus on the writing.
The writing.
Yeah.
The UX writing.
Making sure the words are clear and concise and sound,
human.
Oh, right.
UX writing.
It's easy to forget about that, but it's super important.
It can really make or break the experience.
Totally.
So we've basically seen Rachel take a mediocre app
and transform it into something really special.
It's been a great deep dive into the design process.
It has.
And it's inspired me to think more about the apps
I use every day.
Me too.
And it makes you wonder, what would you
do if you were designing an app?
What kind of cool features would you add?
What would make your app stand out?
It's something to think about.
Design is always evolving, always changing.
And who knows?
Maybe you'll be the one to create the next big thing.
Thanks for joining us on this design deep dive.
We'll catch you next time.