Research: Diary Study & Task Analysis

I conducted a diary study and task analysis of travel agents in order to better understand the process of package building. The diary studies were used where the participants would self-report their activities to create data about their processes, attitudes and expectations.

The method of interaction was simple and straightforward for the participants and me. Asking them to simply to keep a notebook with them to log the various details of their day and how they would create and sell packages allowed me to get a clear insight of their mental modes and the problems they may face. After doing so I was able to collect the research and meet with the participants in order to analyse their tasks and create a diagram explaining the steps that a user must take to complete a goal. I was able to depict the actions taken by the users (or process) that users must do to achieve their goals.

In summary, I found that:

• Agents would get frustrated as they would spend time building and amending packages, but clients would come back saying they have found a better deal online.

• When providing clients with quotes where prices were taken from online platforms, prices would change frequently (usually 48 hours after quotation) meaning that clients would come back ready to book, but not have availability.

• Agents had to pay attention to travel dates and times to ensure they were providing the best deals.

• Sudden changes in the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah rules meant that agents had to constantly be updated and wary at the time of booking.

• There was no specific CRM to manage Umrah bookings as most available systems were made for package holidays to one destination.

• The Umrah package building process was lengthy and time-consuming.

*Due to the proprietary nature of this product, only pre-approved examples of the work I completed have been published in this case study.