Every journey of discovery begins with a question – a willingness to challenge what exists and to imagine what could be.
We had assumptions, of course. We thought we understood the problem. But the more we listened, the more we realised: the real issue wasn’t technology. It was friction. Complexity. A system designed around processes, not people. That had to change.
And so, the journey truly began. We sat down with travellers, corporate bookers, and operators. They told us about their frustrations – the lost time, the inefficiencies, the processes that felt more like obstacles than solutions. And one thing became clear: booking shouldn’t feel like work.
Using a human-centred design approach, guided by the well-established double-diamond framework, Situ and BJSS embarked on a five-week discovery journey, structured into two main phases: Discover and Define.
We spoke to specific companies across industries that frequently buy serviced accommodation, from mobility and corporate travel to insurance. Every conversation peeled back another layer of inefficiency, revealing not just where existing tools fell short, but how the process itself could be reimagined.
Then we turned the lens inward. Through interviews, workshops, and real-time observations, we examined the day-to-day realities of our own teams. How much time was spent on manual, repetitive tasks that drained energy from more meaningful work? How could we shift the focus from an administrative burden to high-value interactions? How could we empower our people to prioritise, adapt, and ultimately, serve customers better?
Slowly, the noise faded. The patterns emerged. What we needed wasn’t more complexity – it was clarity. The solution wasn’t just about fixing inefficiencies – it was about simplifying workflows, enhancing search functionality, improving visibility and prioritisation, and minimising delays in communication.
The way forward was no longer a question; it was a necessity. In short, we needed to build a system that allowed our teams to embody the very essence of Xenia.
This discovery phase led to the creation of detailed service blueprints, mapping out user and customer journeys with upstream and downstream dependencies. With the expertise of product and service designers, data and business analysts, and architects, we identified the fundamental problems that needed solving.
We committed to adopting accessibility standards and frameworks to reduce cognitive load, improving data quality, validation, and automation to remove unnecessary complexity. And most importantly, we set out to create something greater than just a system. We set out to make booking feel as natural and seamless as the journeys it supports. Effortless, as it was always meant to be.
