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Norwegian Cruise Line Continues to Provide a Great User Experience; RCCL, Princess, Holland America and Disney Close Behind

It’s been a few years now, but I recall distinctly when the transition to mobile in the travel industry happened. I was in the midst of traveling often for business and I said to Sidra Michon, Product Usability Manager at KAYAK, that I felt like I needed to sort hotels by “Free access to print your boarding pass”. She chuckled at how real my problem was. A few months later, Brian Sullivan, then at Sabre, suggested to me that I wouldn’t need anything but my phone (my shiny new iPhone, that was) in the coming months.

No Reservations? No problem - Competitive Report Reveals Which Last-Minute Hotel App Ranks #1

Key Lime Interactive has expanded their Competitive Report portfolio with a new Competitive Index report for last-minute hotel apps. The report identifies which of sixteen travel industry booking agents and OTA's best meets consumers self-defined needs.

Key Lime Interactive Ranks Norwegian Cruise Line's Website Best-In-Class in Comprehensive User Experience Report.

Miami, FL - Key Lime Interactive (KLI), an industry leader in competitive index reporting across a variety of industries, released the results of their Contemporary and Premium Brands 2014 Cruise Competitive Benchmark Study at the close the third quarter ranking Norwegian Cruise Line as Best-In-Class. The report compares the website for seven cruise brands including Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Disney Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Line. The report reveals that Norwegian Cruise Lines offered the best “overall site satisfaction” over a variety of indices such as brand affinity. The Key Lime Interactive Competitive Benchmark study defines these indices as “behavioral loyalty.”

At Key Lime Interactive, we’ve provided competitive research analysis in the Auto Insurance and Banking Industry mobile app offerings for years. Now, on the heels of TripAdvisor reporting a milestone of 100 million iPhone and Android app downloads, we decided to take a quick peek at four top travel booking apps to see how they compare. We selected four brands and evaluated the Android app flight finding and booking process to find out which have the best usability, ranking them not only on number of features, but execution.

The cruise industry is buzzing in anticipation of KLI’s two unique Competitive Benchmark Studies set to be released this summer. Each study provides an apples-to-apples comparison of the top cruise line site within two different industry segments. These reports extend beyond a traditional index report in that KLI researchers truly examine and analyze the user experience through a multi-faceted research approach combining quantitative, qualitative and behavioral data.

Often when we think of the user-centered design process and the methods used to optimize a user’s experience, we think in terms of its utility to aid in maximizing design improvements for a device’s interface, or perhaps, its physical properties. However, there are opportunities beyond this common application. If we consider that a user’s experience can be influenced by interactions that occur within a broader system or service, that your environment impacts your impression. We can also further note that the definition of an interface is the point at which two systems meet, we can then explore the possibilities of utilizing a user-centered design approach (and any number of methodologies) to assess the impact of the environment on user perceptions or experiences as they occur within that environment. To date, the results of many large studies have shown a strong relationship between the physical environment and the perceptions of its occupants. For example, when a doctor’s office waiting room was considered to be newer in appearance, had nice furnishings, artwork etc., patient’s perceived quality of care was positively influenced while their reported anxiety decreased.

Which U.S. airline offers the most comprehensive mobile application? How do they compare to their competition? Which provider shows the best understanding of how to deliver a useful and easy mobile experience?

Earlier today, we presented the high-level results for the cruise industry benchmarking study that ran in late March on 4 sites: Disney Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Carnival Cruises.

Syndicated study focusing on Family Cruising aims to compare users experiences among popular brands: Carnival, Disney Cruise, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean

KLI is currently running the 2010 Hotel study with UserZoom. Sign up for the UX Benchmark Hotel Industry Study today!