Introduction
Nowadays, air traveling is an integral part of life for a vast majority of people, and numerous airline companies compete with each other to provide the best offers and services to travelers. They utilize online platforms as important instruments for potential customer attraction. It means that the factor of user experience (UX) becomes an essential factor in business success. For this reason, the present paper focuses on the assessment of Lufthansa’s website.
It is a Germany-based aviation company that operates worldwide and offers flights within distinct pricing categories for people with diverse needs and interests (Lufthansa Group, n.d.). Lufthansa.com serves a double purpose: it helps the company’s existing customers to manage their flights and is also intended to influence potential consumers to make purchases. The website design and content are core to pleasurable UX that helps fulfill these objectives. To verify this assumption, the analysis of design elements and UX will be conducted in the following paragraphs.
Site Design
Lufthansa’s website design is simple, clean, and appealing. It has a strong color palette with blue and white as the primary colors. The secondary colors include the hints of yellow, orange, and beige, yet their use is very limited. For instance, yellow, peach, and similar tones are utilized in thumbnail photos on the Recommendations panel. Notably, blue and yellow/orange are complementary colors and produce the sharpest contrast. Therefore, different visual elements are well-balanced and discernible. At the same time, the minimal color combination and open white space make it easier for users to focus because the distraction factor is reduced.
The Lufthansa navigation order facilitates the website use as well. First, the website is equipped with a drop-down menu that includes links categorized into four distinct groups (Book & manage, Discover Lufthansa, and others). Additionally, the homepage provides sequentially and vertically organized information blocks.
Each block comprises three to four descriptive navigation items. Their ordering is slightly different for different devices; for instance, while the visitor can still scroll down the list of information categories on a mobile device, the top-level menu panel is accented there to foster a more straightforward content search. Either way, the navigation elements are placed in an expected way on the website. In combination with the conciseness and relevance of navigation items, the standard style allows users to find the required content faster.
UX
For better UX, website content must be both informative and engaging. To achieve this, Hubert and Lichaw (2014) suggest applying a story mapping strategy that enables organizations to create content that would have a strong narrative arc consisting of such components as exposition, inciting incident, rising action, and others. It is possible to say that the content on Lufthansa’s website meets most of these criteria, and its exploration is supported through simple navigation.
On the homepage, I focused on flight recommendations that included a list of destinations with minimal prices. I clicked the Paris thumbnail, and it took me to a list of available airfares, including the best 2018-2019 flight deals. It is possible to say that this content is consistent with the rising action concept because it helps to build anticipation and engage users in further search. After, I clicked “More options,” and the extended search page opened.
I filled in the fields with information (date, destination, and so forth) and then pressed the “Search flights” button. The list of all flights for the chosen date became available, and I picked the one with the most suitable fare and conditions. I scrolled the page down and found the “Continue” button. It is possible to say that the selection of the flight was a climax of UX in this case because it led to a resolution in the search process. After that, the action commenced a decline: I was directed to the page with flight configuration options, asked to enter passenger details, and taken to the payment page.
UX Analysis
Lufthansa’s website is user-centered because the experiences that one may get by navigating it are pleasurable. According to Norman (2013), the main aspects of good design are discoverability and understanding. In other words, the user should be able to see what is possible to do on the website and to read the meaning associated with every available option. Overall, it was fairly easy to comprehend how to use the Lufthansa website due to user-friendly navigation. There were no confusing areas because links were arranged logically, and each of a newly opened page included merely the necessary information.
Additionally, I focused on the content that was meant to influence purchasing. By using the storymapping approach discussed by Hubert and Lichaw (2014) for UX analysis, I found that the Lufthansa content takes a form of a gradually unfolding story. The key plot is revolving around the company’s services and flight offers, yet users can select a scenario based on their interests and needs (destination, fare, extra services, and others). Overall, content personalization and design efficiency fostered a positive UX.
Conclusion
The provision of pleasurable UX is important because it motivates consumers to purchase products/services and induces greater profitability. Thus, online businesses should strive to build excellent websites combining efficient design and relevant content. The evaluation of Lufthansa.com reveals that users may easily navigate it due to the right design solutions. The website is also visually attractive due to a strong color scheme that is consistent with the brand image.
Additionally, while the website content is centered on flight offers and services, it also incorporates consumer preferences and interests into the narrative. It means all major aspects of human-centered design are considered by the company. The Lufthansa website affords the right balance between aesthetics and usability. As a result, the search for flights becomes an enjoyable experience for its visitors.
References
Hubert, L. & Lichaw, D. (2014). Storymapping: A MacGyver approach to content strategy, part 2. Web.
Lufthansa Group. (n.d.). Company. Web.
Norman, D. (2013). The design of everyday things. New York, NY: Basic Books.