By launching a customer portal, our goals were to improve after-sales service, save our customers time and stand out from the competition by offering a unique value.

To achieve this, we designed several features intended to clarify the travel planning stage for our customers, including:

• A dashboard where you can see at a glance the basic information about the trip, as well as the trip planning progress.
• A profile where the customer's personal information can be completed or edited.
• A section where invoices can be viewed, downloaded and paid.
• A section where the required documents can be submitted to their Trip Coordinator.

For the design, I used the same colours, fonts and styles used on the website to keep the customer portal consistent with the brand. This way, the brand is recognizable, which helps build credibility for the platform.

In 2018, we made several improvements to the portal based on customer feedback and our observations of the activity on the platform. We also added several new features to make the platform more complete and easier to use. We have:

• Redesigned the navigation to make it clearer and more efficient.
• Improved the appearance of the trip planning progress on the dashboard to be more comprehensive and easy to understand.
• Optimized the design of invoices and the payment module in order to improve the user experience.
• Redesigned the section where the required documents are uploaded to make it more intuitive.
• Added a product walkthrough to introduce and explain each page to improve the onboarding experience. This tour only appears the first time the user logs in, but it is possible to view it again at any time.
• Added an overview of the invoices on the dashboard to display the amounts due, with a direct link to the payment page.
• Added a new section with detailed information on all aspects of the trip (flight, airport transfer, accommodation upon arrival, job interviews, etc.). This information is updated as travel arrangements progress.

Research for the customer portal design in 2016 was conducted mainly internally, with staff members who are in contact with customers before their departure. With their input, we familiarized ourselves with what is involved in planning the trips, which helped us define what to include in the customer portal. We also did a lot of research on best practices related to the design of a customer portal.

For the redesign in 2018, we created a survey for Trip Coordinators to understand the roadblocks and questions customers had when using the customer portal. Since Trip Coordinators are the ones who assist customers with their trip planning and answer their questions about the customer portal, they were in a great position to help us. I then compiled and analyzed the data collected and listed the main problems. Finally, we discussed as a team possible solutions and different ways to improve the user experience.

After we agreed on the changes required and the new sections to include, I started designing the wireframes and prototypes. I then presented the interactive prototypes to the team as well as the CEO for their feedback. Following our meeting, I made a few changes to the prototypes.

After finalizing the prototypes, I shared them with the web developer who started programming the customer portal. As the programming progressed, I was responsible for quality assurance. I had to ensure everything was working correctly and following the design perfectly. If changes were needed, I had to inform the web developer.

After the launch of the customer portal, I conducted usability testing (survey) and I was responsible for regularly viewing session recordings to detect problems and roadblocks encountered by visitors. I then had to find solutions and inform the web developer of the changes required.

The customer portal has greatly simplified the trip planning process for customers and Trip Coordinators. The first version launched in 2017 was practical and effective, but wasn’t optimal. With the redesign launched in 2018, we greatly improved the user experience and received highly positive feedback from customers and staff.

Since then, several new features were added, and many others are waiting to be created. Our goal is to design a valuable tool for our customers not only before their departure, but also once they have reached their destination.