It’s coming up to that time of year when we start planning our holiday escapades – whether it be a trip to visit the in-laws or to some far exotic country. So I thought it pretty apt to review TripAdvisor as this week’s Site of Note.
If you’re not familiar with it, TripAdvisor is a portal where people feedback on the places they’ve visited so others who are planning a trip away can get first-hand insight into where they’re going. It’s a trusted source where people can read reviews, book hotels, flights, activities, entire packages or even submit their own reviews. In fact, they boast “over 35 million trusted traveller reviews and opinions”. Yip – this is the world’s largest travel community and it’s pretty nifty. Let’s take a closer look:
Usability:
From a usability perspective, they’ve kept it interesting by giving visitors a choice of ways to search – there is a simple search bar, the trip planner (which allows you to manually type in your travel plans), you can browse by destination or trip type and even see the weekly top ten destinations for inspiration. Most of the really juicy stuff is above the fold, and it does get a bit more complicated and word/content heavy toward the bottom, but this is probably just because they have so much goodness to share. One thing that they don’t have however is bottom navigation but since the site is so busy as is, it’s almost not even missed.
The language is simple, compelling and straightforward – they offer great deals in great destinations. There is no unnecessary waffle, which is important when it comes to converting goals. They seem to be aware that the average searcher is looking to find what they’re looking for in a short amount of time and they’ve made the process easy enough for them to do so – it’s made clear where to go if they want to either read the reviews or write their own.
Look and feel:
On face value, I wouldn’t necessary say TripAdvisor is pretty, but I think in case, it’s just form following function here. While there seems to be a lot going on, each element plays it’s own role that goes toward converting site goals (booking etc). There is familiar layout on each page, which I like as the user experience feels more fluid. With every promotion they push, they’ve made an effort to include enticing images to further encourage people to find out more and move deeper into the site.
I like the fact that there is not too much advertising as this can be extremely off putting. They have banners featured on each page though, but these aren’t overwhelming or too intrusive. The colour scheme has also been well thought out – it’s calm shades of green that don’t stand out too much and work well to fit in to the warm and inviting personality of TripAdvisor.
Social Media Integration:
What is really cool to see is that they’ve embraced Social Media and integrated a Facebook “cities I’ve visited” application too. This allows you to find out where other Facebook friends have visited as well as allows you to connect with fellow TripAdvisor users. They’ve also got a newsletter sign up button where one can get the latest deals, reviews and articles which are tailored for the destinations you choose.
So, if you need some travel inspiration, or want to see what others think of a place you may potentially visit before you hit the road – check out TripAdvisor for some interactive, innovative and varied options, reviews and suggestions.
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