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A plug-and-play, scalable framework enabling self-service for all of Expedia’s contract and program enrollments, now and in the future.
Partners can now manage their contractual agreements and enroll in programs in a self-service way—driving millions in additional revenue for both hotel partners and Expedia. With this system, our teams now simply plug in new content to launch new programs, accelerating deployment by 4x.
Expedia’s current contract and program enrollment process is disjointed, manual, and lacks transparency. Contracts are often inaccessible and full with legal jargon, while program enrollment is either built as one-off solutions or handled manually offline, leading to low adoption rates (e.g., only 1% of 300,000 eligible properties enrolled in Business Rates in 2023).
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I reimagined contract and commercial program enrollment as a centralized hub for self-service, simplifying contract access, program discovery, and enrollment.
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This scalable solution has cut design and development efforts by 4x, enabling faster program launches while significantly increasing partner engagement and reach. So far, we’ve launched two programs using this framework, generating $100M+ in revenue. This framework fosters partner trust, operational efficiency, and significant business growth for both our hotel partners and Expedia.
Duration
1 year
Role
UX Designer
Responsibilities
Framework development, Interaction Design, Research
Team
Sangeetha Sitaraman (PM); Bec Esmond (PM),
Kelsey Stapleton (Content strategist),
Shingi Mutandwa (Software development engineering manager)
Problem
Contract page
Partners must sign a contract to list properties on Expedia. It's the basis of our partnership.
Not all partners have a digital version of their contract available on our platform, and for those who do, it is often incomplete or inaccurate.​
Program page
A program is a commercial offering that boosts partner visibility, competitiveness, and performance.
Programs are either built as one-off solutions or rely solely on manual outreach, resulting in inconsistent experiences and limited reach.
Goals
Business goals
1. Improve Transparency and Trust: Create a single source of truth for partners to see their latest agreement and eligible programs
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2. Enhance Scalability: Streamline program launches with a flexible framework that reduces design and development efforts and allows for broader partner reach
3. Increase Revenue: Empower partners to independently enroll in programs, unlocking millions in previously missed revenue opportunities
Design goals
1. Design a hub that presents the most relevant and up-to-date information for partners, with clear, user-friendly language and intuitive interactions
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2. Design a future-proof framework that ensures successful program launches. Internal teams will simply plug in new content and launch programs quickly and effortlessly
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3. Design a scalable, self-service program page and enrollment flow that highlights program benefits, sets clear expectations, and proactively addresses potential questions, ensuring partners can easily and confidently enroll independently
Solution
Contract page
AN ADAPTIVE HUB THAT SERVES AS THE SOURCE OF TRUTH
A hub that allows partners to access their latest contracts, see their enrolled programs, and discover eligible programs that would boost their business, all in one place.
Program page
A PLUG-AND-PLAY FRAMEWORK THAT ALLOWS INTERNAL TEAMS TO SIMPLY PLUG IN THE CONTENT AND LAUNCH PROGRAMS QUICKLY
This framework maximizes program adoption and self-service by providing partners with clear benefits, what to expect, and FAQ-all the information they need to confidently enroll in the program.
Enrollment flow
A FRAMEWORK THAT ADAPTS TO SUPPORT DIFFERENT PROGRAMS' ENROLLMENT STEPS WHILE BRINGING CONSISTENCY IN THE USER EXPERIENCE
Partners can enjoy a consistent user experience and independently enroll in a program without contacting our support teams.
Deep dive into the space
In order to have a comprehensive idea of the problem space, I did the following:
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Current experience audit
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Previous research audit
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Internal interviews with market managers, product marketing, support, product, legal, and tech teams
CURRENT EXPERIENCE AUDIT
Contract page
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Few partners have access to this page, and for those who do, it's often incomplete and misleading.
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The terms "special terms," "program terms," and "general terms" are legal jargon and not user-friendly.
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Some programs impact partner compensation, but there is no indication of their relationship, making them appear as isolated elements rather than elements that make up a single agreement.
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The description of the programs are often lengthy and overwhelming.
Program pages
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Different program pages are managed by different internal teams, resulting in experiences that lack a unified look and feel.
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Limited design and development resources sometimes result in no self-service program pages for partner enrollment, leading to low outreach and enrollment rates.
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Different entry points for program pages (e.g., emails vs. platform navigation) contribute to inconsistency and hinder discoverability.
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Programs without their own digital pages result in offline processes that are hard to track, leaving internal teams unsure of who is enrolled in what.
PARTNER JOURNEY IN PROGRAM ENROLLMENT
I reviewed previous research, conducted internal interviews, and analyzed existing experiences, identifying key phases that users go through when enrolling in a program.
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The PM and I decided to focus on building a framework for discovering, understanding, and enrolling in programs. This self-service model offers the greatest impact, benefiting partners, travelers, and Expedia while eliminating costs from manual outreach and untrackable communications.
ENROLLMENT STEPS FOR DIFFERENT PROGRAMS
Further, I observed that while program enrollments share common steps, such as signing terms and conditions, they can also vary. Our framework must bring consistency to these common steps while being flexible enough to accommodate the differences. I need to design it to handle the full spectrum of program complexities.
INSIGHTS FROM DEEP-DIVE
Based on the insights from the discovery phase, in addition to making some small usability improvements, I will focus on 3 main opportunity areas that will bring the most value.
Contract page
Partners need to view their current contract first to make an informed decision about program enrollment
Enrolling in a program may alter partners' contractual agreements, so it's crucial they can see the "current state" of their contract and eligible programs in one place. However, these two information are currently separate experiences.
Having a single source of truth where everything’s discoverable (contract + programs) is very important to build trust and enable self-service. We need a centralized hub that serves as a one-stop shop.
Discover program
Knowledge of a program is done through Expedia’s manual outreach, word of mouth, or simply discovered by chance.
Understand program
Showcasing value propositions is important, but setting the right expectations is more crucial for building trust and transparency.
We need to be upfront about how enrolling in a program may require partners to offer additional perks to travelers or agree to a higher commission.
Understand program
While partners need to follow standard steps to participate in programs, there are also specific requirements unique to each program.
The program-agnostic framework must be flexible to accommodate both shared and unique steps across different programs to ensure scalability.
Impact
Consistent, transparent user experience that fosters trust
Programs can now be launched in 2 weeks instead of 8 weeks
Generated $30.3M and $90.1M in revenue from the two programs using our framework