How to approach a UX Strategy presentation

Question

I'm currently working for a mobile development company where we design and develop applications for airlines to allow their customer to make flight bookings via their mobile device.

We have a new client that will be using our services and they have asked specifically "How can they improve the user experience to allow hotel booking via the app, where it doesn't impact conversions for flight bookings"

The UX team are expected to present to the airline to address the above consideration.

I wanted to get some of your thoughts on a good approach for this? It needs to be visual and engaging so I'm wondering if the team should explore visuals for the overall vision for how it could look, considering the different approaches and touchpoints where hotel bookings can occur in the app.

After the presentation and we begin work, we will work with the client doing workshops to determine business objectives, goals and build out a roadmap. But before any of this happens, I'm wondering what would be a good way to approach this presentation before we get into any of that.

Answer 1

It might well impact conversions for flight bookings.

It might improve conversions for flight bookings.

How can you possibly "explore visuals for the overall vision for how it could look, considering the different approaches and touchpoints", before "working with the client doing workshops to determine business objectives, and goals".

You don't want engaging visuals that do nothing more than wave a wet finger in the air at this stage - you want to show that you understand the strategy. Show that you have the facts and have researched the evidence to provide the foundation on which you will work with them to achieve what they need and what their users will want to use.

Break their question down:

• How can you improve the user experience
• How can you allow hotel booking via the app
• How could you impact conversions for flight bookings

and

• How can you get the features to work together to be more than the sum of their parts

Understand the questions; understand the why (and the 5 whys); understand how you measure this before and after; understand what their competition does and why your competition is doing it right or wrong. Most importantly look at the questions your clients are not asking.

If some of this sounds a bit vague, then that's because it is a generalisation. It has to be. We don't have all the facts. We have one question of which you have been asked.

You have the client relationship. You have access to the resources to get more information about expectations from a presentation.

Make a friend within the client org and talk to them!

What's a good way to approach the presentation? Be prepared. No unpleasant surprises. Do the homework.

Answer 2

I urge you to consider the format with deep regard. This is a presentation. Think of it as a pitch of sorts. The message should match the receiver(s).

1. Get to know your audience as much as you can, speak their language. Company blogs are sometimes a good source to decode some of the corporate culture.

2. With that in mind, Guy Kawasaki has great advice: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2005/12/the_102030_rule.html.

3. Researchers "found that immediately after a 10-minute presentation, listeners only remembered 50% of what was said. By the next day that had dropped to 25%, and a week later it was 10%" I cannot verify the source: http://jackmalcolm.com/blog/2012/08/how-much-of-your-presentation-will-they-remember/

It echoes what I learned in grad school where all we did was present. Be concise and focused is the point.