Simplicity is a trend in travel website redesigns and India-based online travel agency Cleartrip is experimenting with an uncluttered new look.
It sort of fits with the company motto, "Cleartrippers travel easy."
The OTA is doing A/B testing on the new look.
Here's what the previous homepage looks like (and it's the current one for some users).
Notice the exclusive offer from ICICI Bank at the top of the page, as well as a slew of current offers, promotions and tips dominating the right side of the homepage.
So, here's the redesign that Cleartrip currently is testing.
The right side of the homepage has been cleaned up. There is now plenty of white space, which is easy on the eye, and there is only one New Offer, which stands out in a lightly tinted box.
In a blog post about the experimental redesign, Cleartrip explains its thinking:
"The current design does a great job of letting people start their searches quickly, but it may not be doing the best job of informing people about the full range of offers, promotions and deals available on the site at any time. The plain text links have a low click-through rate (CTR), so maybe users have started to tune them out; maybe the promotional links are now nothing more than a blind spot. The other problem with the above design is that it's starting to get cluttered as more and more things clamour for the attention of customers.
"So, we came up with a new design to meet two separate goals:
- Increase the CTR for promotional offers that are showcased on the home page
- Reduce the clutter accumulated on the page while also preventing the possibility of clutter arising again."
Cleartrip's redesign efforts are part of a trend, which isn't relegated to travel.
Savvy companies are focusing resources on improving the user experience and ensuring that homepages don't resemble craigslist is a good start.
Cleartrip says it will continue its A/B testing on the redesign for a bit longer, and then will update its blog on the results.