Week 4.2 Sites I Frequent: Hotwire & Southwest
Two sites I visit somewhat frequently are https://www.hotwire.com and https://www.southwest.com. I would say that they have developed brand loyalty with me. I view there services and websites as reputable, efficient and user friendly. I know that I can book a room, flight or car quickly and even if it's not the absolute cheapest it will generally be reasonably priced.
The designs appear simple and attractive even though there is actually a ton of information and options. They accomplish this by crafting their sites carefully. Good choices were made in typography, graphics, proximity and contrast. They create an information hierarchy and give the site a welcoming and modern look. Their concept and competitive advantage is clear. They both also know their target market well. There are many indications of this. For example, on the homepage, Any current promotion codes and what they are good for is in some kind of banner or aside, where it is easy to see. Also there is almost always some kind of pleasant photo background depicting a travel destination. These elements are fitting as the target market for Southwest & Hotwire is budget seeking travelers. I visit this site regularly for my travel needs because I know what to expect, they deliver on those expectations and the site is quick and easy for me to use. Overall the offer well designed, efficient and functional sites.
The only things I can think that could be improved is that like many websites of big companies Hotwire makes the user dig to get a contact phone number. It's an intentional disconnect and budget cut on customer service in my opinion. Both sites have a good section of resources were one can get most questions answered, but Southwest does a better job of having contact info, including the phone number very accessible. The only other annoyance I sometimes find with both Hotwire and Southwest is that sometimes the app or mobile view does not have all the same info or features as the full website. These are usually minor, but can cause some frustration when I am traveling and relying on my phone to be my computer as many of us do. An example of this would be with the Southwest site. The app/mobile view does not have a section to apply travel funds or credit vouchers. This can only be done on the full website. It is possible to access the full website from the phone (a small link at the bottom of the page) but it can be difficult to navigate with on the phone.
The designs appear simple and attractive even though there is actually a ton of information and options. They accomplish this by crafting their sites carefully. Good choices were made in typography, graphics, proximity and contrast. They create an information hierarchy and give the site a welcoming and modern look. Their concept and competitive advantage is clear. They both also know their target market well. There are many indications of this. For example, on the homepage, Any current promotion codes and what they are good for is in some kind of banner or aside, where it is easy to see. Also there is almost always some kind of pleasant photo background depicting a travel destination. These elements are fitting as the target market for Southwest & Hotwire is budget seeking travelers. I visit this site regularly for my travel needs because I know what to expect, they deliver on those expectations and the site is quick and easy for me to use. Overall the offer well designed, efficient and functional sites.
The only things I can think that could be improved is that like many websites of big companies Hotwire makes the user dig to get a contact phone number. It's an intentional disconnect and budget cut on customer service in my opinion. Both sites have a good section of resources were one can get most questions answered, but Southwest does a better job of having contact info, including the phone number very accessible. The only other annoyance I sometimes find with both Hotwire and Southwest is that sometimes the app or mobile view does not have all the same info or features as the full website. These are usually minor, but can cause some frustration when I am traveling and relying on my phone to be my computer as many of us do. An example of this would be with the Southwest site. The app/mobile view does not have a section to apply travel funds or credit vouchers. This can only be done on the full website. It is possible to access the full website from the phone (a small link at the bottom of the page) but it can be difficult to navigate with on the phone.
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