Friday, 2:45pm, Continental Ballroom
Hotwire is a data-driven company: all projects have to have clear financial return; all customer
interactions - purchase, quote, drop-off and click rates - are closely tracked. As a result, there
was never enough support from the numbers alone to complete a redesign since Hotwire’s
launch. So, when hell freezes over… use a blowtorch.
Based on my experience driving the first successful Site Redesign at Hotwire, I will share
strategies and tactics to:
- Sell your large-scale UX project, gaining support from executives and approval to
augment UX and Engineering staff to resource the effort. - Make your project happen by creatively distributing the work, all while showcasing UX
leadership and maintaining momentum toward completion. - Demonstrate UX successes and build equity within the organization for future work.
I will also share lessons from successes, failures and pain at Hotwire to help guide those
embarking on a large-scale UX project.
This presentation will not simply be a user experience case study of the Hotwire redesign, but
rather will focus on strategies to successfully use your project to position the UX team and
manage the organization from start to finish.
INSTRUCTOR
Melissa Matross
Melissa currently heads up user experience for the Hotwire Group (owned by Expedia). With 10
years of industry experience, Melissa has led information architecture, interaction design and
product strategy efforts to deliver successful user experiences that drive business results.
Prior to Hotwire, her most recent clients included: Royal Caribbean, American Legacy Foundation
(Truth), Children’s Hospital Boston, Fidelity Investments, Timberland, Lycos, and SAP, among
others.
Melissa studied Human Computer Interaction and Psychology at Stanford University.