Elevating user reviews
Team
Product Manager,
UX Researcher,
Data Analyst,
Product Designers (2)
Engineering team (6)
My role
Product Designer - Freelance
Timeline
Q3 2023
Company stage
Scale-up (Series F)
Context
GetYourGuide is a global travel platform connecting millions of travelers with unforgettable experiences, from guided tours to unique local activities. At the time of this project, a growing share of reviews on the platform had become outdated, making it harder for users to trust them as a reliable source when deciding whether to book an activity.
Problems
A closer look at user behavior and feedback revealed two interconnected challenges, both tied to the credibility and relevance of the review system. Together, they were eroding trust and limiting the feature’s value in the booking journey.
Outdated reviews
Many reviews on the platform had been written years ago, describing experiences that no longer matched the current quality or offering. For users, this created a disconnect about whether the activity was still worth booking. In a trust-driven marketplace, outdated reviews risked directly undermining conversion rates and brand credibility.
Declining user engagement
Standard review formats, limited to a star rating and a written comment, were no longer enough to spark participation. For many users, the effort required to compose a detailed account felt disproportionate to the perceived value, leading to fewer contributions over time. As a result, the flow of fresh, relevant feedback slowed, diminishing the overall vibrancy and usefulness of the review ecosystem.
Opportunity
How might we encourage users to engage with reviews in a way that helps others make informed decisions?
Goals
Increase review submission rate
Encouraging more travelers to share their experiences was critical to keeping content fresh and relevant. By motivating users to include photos with their reviews, we aimed to capture the tangible details of each activity, making the feedback more vivid, trustworthy, and engaging for future travelers.
Strengthen reviews’ impact on bookings
To make reviews a decisive part of the booking process, we emphasized recent, photo-rich feedback that brought activities to life. Showcasing authentic traveler moments helped build trust, spark inspiration, and give users the confidence to book with certainty.
What research tells us
There are 2 types or users
The contributor: Enthusiastic storytellers who share detailed accounts, insights, and tips from their experiences.
The evaluator: Quick reviewers who prefer to simply rate the experience without adding much extra detail.
What makes a review a great one
Recent: Submitted within the last 90 days.
Well rated: 4/5 stars or more.
Concise: Under 300 characters.Honest: Covers both the positives and negatives of the activity.
From a business perspective, prioritizing contributors makes sense as they are the most engaged. At the same time, we explored a quicker alternative to gather as many reviews as possible with minimal effort required from users.
Photos in reviews: a highly engaging, low-effort way to capture experiences
With two designers on the team, we divided responsibilities: my colleague worked on the ‘leave a review’ form, while I focused on how to present the new reviews across all platforms.
Defining the Feature Scope
Reviews with photos are already a familiar interaction in many products, both within and beyond our industry. Rather than reinventing the wheel, I conducted a focused competitive benchmark of both direct and indirect players, identifying proven UX patterns and the underlying principles that made them successful. This allowed us to quickly align on user expectations, reduce risk, and invest our design energy in the areas where we could truly differentiate.
Identifying user stories
Rapid fire: Journey mapping to delivery
The fastest way to validate this feature’s value was to launch quickly and see how users adopted it. I mapped all entry points, consolidated flows, and intentionally cut non-essential features to keep the scope lean. This ensured design, product, and engineering could stay aligned for a focused, rapid release.
Activity page
Lightbox
Project launch result:
Higher Review Completion Rate
Review form completion increased by 65% compared to the baseline, significantly boosting the volume of fresh, relevant reviews available to travelers.
Strong Visual Engagement
Received over 1 million photos in the first ten months, fueling a more vibrant and relatable review ecosystem that encouraged deeper engagement from both contributors and readers.
User Satisfaction & Trust
Conversion rate on the activity page rose by 4.8%, contributing to a 0.33% increase in global conversion rate compared to the baseline, unlocking meaningful revenue gains and validating the strategic value of the feature.