Central Reservation System (CRS) - Booking & Dynamic Pricing Tools

Helping Revenue and Reservation departments to optimize day-to-day operations.
Sun & Snow, a leading apartment rental operator with over 15 years of experience and nearly 3,000 apartments.
During the summer of 2024 at Sun & Snow under the CRS Developer Team, I redesigned two areas within the Central Reservation System: dynamic pricing and the reservation process, including their navigation workflows.
Timeline
Jun - Aug 2024
Tools
Figma
Jira
Team
1 Designer
1 Project Manager
2 Software Engineers
Disciplines
Prototyping
User Research
Interaction Design
Information Atchitecture
Timeline
Jun - Aug
2024
Tools
Figma
Jira
Team
1 Designer
1 Project Manager
2 Software Engineers
Disciplines
Prototyping
User Research
Interaction Design
Information Atchitecture
Timeline
Jun - Aug
2024
Tools
Figma
Jira
Team
1 Designer
1 Project Manager
2 Software Engineers
Disciplines
Prototyping
User Research
Interaction Design
Information Atchitecture

project overview

Reworking an outdated CRS: Improvements of key functions
The Head of Sales and Marketing identified the need to upgrade the 8-year-old Central Reservation System (CRS).
Due to its complexity, I was tasked with improving the UX of two key areas: dynamic pricing and the reservation process.

goal

Role-oriented flow experience
Tailored UX experience workflow to user’s role
Simple CRS navigation
Simplified & enhanced navigation for a more intuitive experience
Clear multifuntional features
Accessible relevant tool options from one location
Role-oriented flow experience
Tailored UX experience workflow to user’s role
Simple CRS navigation
Simplified & enhanced navigation for a more intuitive experience
Clear multifuntional features
Accessible relevant tool options from one location

problem

The Central Reservation System (CRS) is a critical tool for revenue and booking employees, enabling them to manage pricing, reservations, and availability across a large portfolio of properties.
However, as the system has aged, it has become increasingly difficult for users to efficiently navigate complex workflows, leading to challenges in maintaining operational speed and accuracy.

user research

Uncovering user pain points and workflow challenges
I met with the heads of the Reservation and Revenue Departments to establish a better approach for collecting data from CRS users.

survey

We conducted a targeted survey and collected data through structured forms, completed by:
• 15 Reservation Department employees;
• 3 Revenue Department employees;
• 20 local office representatives;
The survey also included open-ended questions to gather qualitative insights, resulting in over 70 reported issues leading us to explore the 'why?' and 'how?' behind them."

interview

I focused on identifying friction points related to pricing and booking workflows. To achieve this, I conducted interviews with 10 employees from both the Revenue and Reservation departments.

Research insights

Information overload and role-specific confusion
Upon logging in, all users, regardless of their role, see the full navigation menu, leading to information overload.
Additionally, booking and pricing elements overlap on the same calendar, causing further confusion.

pain points

1
Fragmented workflow/
disjointed navigation
2
Single-Date Range Selection Constraint
3
Lack of Day-Specific Controls within Date Range
1
Fragmented workflow/disjointed navigation
2
Single-Date Range Selection Constraint
3
Lack of Day-Specific Controls within Date Range
4
Inefficient Listings Filtering Process
5
Visual Obstruction of Prices by Calendar Reservations
6
Back-and-Forth Navigation in Booking Workflow
4
Inefficient Listings Filtering Process
5
Visual Obstruction of Prices by Calendar Reservations
6
Back-and-Forth Navigation in Booking Workflow

pain point no. 1

Fragmented workflow / disjointed navigation
The current workflow for setting price changes is fragmented, requiring the user to navigate through different buttons in the menu to apply price overrides or discounts, instead of having these options consolidated in a single, accessible location.
Old user flow

The new flow reduces the number of steps required to complete pricing tasks, cutting down on time and effort.

With all relevant options accessible from one location, the likelihood of errors is minimized.
This consistency reduces the learning curve and allows users to operate more confidently within the system.
To enhance clarity and usability, I've combined "price discount" and "fixed price" into the unified term "price override." This change simplifies the process, allowing users to select the override type they need when changing prices.
New user flow

Pain point no. 2

Single-Date Range Selection Constraint
The system restricts the user to selecting and working with only one date range at a time, making it impossible to apply price changes across multiple date ranges simultaneously.
I introduced a "+ Copy to another date range" button in the Pricing drawer. This feature allows users to easily apply changes across multiple date ranges simultaneously by adding additional start and end dates.
Booking drawer iterations

Pain point no. 3

Lack of Day-Specific Controls within Date Range
The tool lacks the ability to apply changes to specific days within a date range, complicating day-specific pricing and requiring users to repeat price overrides for individual days separately each time.
I added a "Select Day" dropdown, allowing users to mark days (Mon-Sun) for targeted price changes within the selected date range.
I also introduced an “Expiration Date” calendar to automatically deactivate the applied changes after a specified date.
Pricing drawer

Pain point no. 4

Inefficient Listings Filtering Process
Previously, users could only filter by city, property name, number of guests, and number of rooms, with no option to search for specific amenities within checkboxes.
I added a "Select Day" dropdown, allowing users to mark days (Mon-Sun) for targeted price changes within the selected date ranTo address this, I redesigned the filtering process by introducing four dropdown fields with searchable inputs, ensuring quick and efficient access. Additionally, I enabled users to add more filters as needed, maintaining functionality and consistency across the interface.ge.

Pain point no. 5

Visual Obstruction of Prices by Calendar Reservations
The issue was that booking markers were overlapping with daily prices, making it hard to view prices. I enlarged the day slots to provide more space, ensuring both booking markers and prices were visible without obstruction.
This solution maintained the clarity of both elements while keeping the calendar intuitive and user-friendly.

Pain point no. 6

Back-and-Forth Navigation in Booking Workflow
Previously, when user selected dates on the calendar, a pop-up form would appear with limited information about the apartment. If they needed to check additional details or compare prices while speaking with a client, they had to close the form, losing all entered data, or open a new tab in browser to view the apartment's full information.To solve this, I introduced a drawer that slides in from the right.
This drawer includes two tabs: "Listing Summary," which shows essential information about the apartment, such as dates, size, total price, additional services, and amenities, and a "Booking Details" tab, where specialists can input guest information. The drawer allows easy switching between tabs without losing any progress, improving the workflow significantly.

Lessons Learned

Understanding past challenges to shape better solutions ahead
Designing the calendar became more efficient once I analyzed other pricing and booking systems on the market. Exploring how similar products were structured provided valuable insights, inspiring effective solutions to key design challenges.

impact

25%
increase in task completion speed for booking workflows increased.
By redesigning the booking drawer to enable seamless back-and-forth navigation without losing entered data.
25%
increase in task completion speed for booking workflows increased.
25%
By redesigning the booking drawer to enable seamless back-and-forth navigation without losing entered data.
15%
increase in the efficiency adding pricing changes across 3K apartments.
By redesigning the booking drawer to enable seamless back-and-forth navigation without losing entered data.
15%
increase in the efficiency adding pricing changes across 3K apartments.
15%
By redesigning the booking drawer to enable seamless back-and-forth navigation without losing entered data.
Additionally, post-implementation feedback highlighted a significant improvement in user satisfaction scores.

Next Steps

In the future, I aim to introduce a display customization feature to the calendars, allowing users to toggle or add elements from both departments based on their current tasks or needs. For instance, features like booking markers, minimum stays, and prices could be displayed regardless of the user's department. This would provide greater flexibility and adaptability, ensuring that employees can tailor the calendar view to suit their specific workflows.
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