Keeping the Feature Creep to a minimum

Our second webinar features a travel booking app called Up and Away. The client is concerned with user retention, as they know most users will only book a large trip once or twice a year. The end goal is to increase the number of overall trip bookings through increased personalization. The Fueled team’s walk through highlights the app currently suffers from too many features, with lots of functionality being packed tightly into one area. This feature creep contributes to accessibility and visibility issues within the user experience, leading to lower engagement and fewer bookings.

Our Fueled team built a chart on Amplitude Pathfinder to visualize all events in the in-app experience and what paths users are taking at the start of any session. This validates that there is no streamlined path being taken from the moment the user signs on. Thus, the app redesign focuses on helping users make a booking as efficiently as possible. The two key design principles to consider here are removing clutter and emphasizing core features.

By streamlining the path to booking, the client can see improvements in monthly retention among cohorts that booked and those who did not. The team also identified an opportunity to drive additional engagement, via messaging. Here, Amplitude Experiment allows the client to test whether users who leave positive reviews will lead to a higher chance of booking more trips.

The Up and Away case study demonstrates a golden principle in mobile app design: less is more. The perceived value for any user comes from features they have used and mastered, not necessarily by showing all the app capabilities upfront. The key is to build an intuitive interface and to prioritize a clear pathway over additional functionality.