Website Improvements to Ramp Up for Peak Booking Season
Peak booking season typically begins in the early new year as users begin to plan and book their camping trips for the summer. In preparation for the rise in bookings, Camis conducts user interviews, gathers analytics, and completes user testing to understand where any problem areas lie. In addition, Camis actively monitors industry trends and analyzes best practices across the reservation and park management sector. Camis has implemented a number of new features and website improvements in anticipation of the arrival of peak booking season.
360-degree Images
Panoramic and 360-degree images are now available to upload for camping site photos. Customers will now be able to see a comprehensive visual of different campsites and accommodations available.
Attribute Icons
As part of improvements to the filter functionality available on the public website, organizations can now assign icons to the site attributes such as electrical and sewer service. These icons are then used within the filter fields and included as part of the site description. 
Park Attractions
Park Attractions is a paid, add-on feature that allows customers to filter amenities to find their perfect park location. Customers who are unfamiliar with parks, or who may be open to multiple options can easily find parks that have activities and attractions that appeal to them. When enabled, the organization flags which amenities are offered at the various park locations including swimming, rentals, boat launch, and so on. Organizations can also define the icon that represents the amenity which will then be displayed in the park info section of the website. This feature enables customers to select amenities of interest, which then filter through and refresh the map to display availability in parks that offer the selected amenities. Interested in adding Park Attractions to your website? Speak with your client representative. 
Search Panel Improvements
After gathering user feedback and user analytics, Camis was able to identify a few problematic areas of the search panel and make corresponding modifications. The UX Team identified the search panel’s previous field style as a source of friction in the user experience; users often skimmed over important fields and left them blank as they moved forward in their search. For example, 18-35% of users left the ‘Equipment’ field blank. Camis simplified the search panel and reassessed each field.
One of the problematic fields was the ‘Number of Nights' field. It inhibited the intuitive flow of the search panel by confusing users; it has since been converted into an optional button that appears after the arrival and departure date fields. Camis continued improvements in this area by combining the arrival and departure date fields into one, cohesive calendar window, which allows users to see their entire trip dates and reduces the overall number of clicks. Due to these changes and the removal of the ‘Clear Search’ button, the search panel now fits into a single row, which simplifies the appearance of the panel and reduces its height. The filters have been moved out of the search panel to further streamline the initial search. Filters are now applied after the initial search and can be more easily updated as customers navigate the website.
Previously, the search panel would collapse when customers completed their initial search which required users to click extra times if they wanted to modify any search criteria. Now, the search panel is always visible to allow users to orient themselves when navigating the website.
Icon Shapes
New icons are now available to represent the various types of resources within the system. This allows organizations to differentiate between campsites, cabins and yurts.
Map Legend
Camis will be introducing an enhanced map legend in an upcoming release. Leveraging the new site icons, as well as the ability to add descriptions to those site icons, users will be able to easily understand what each icon means. Using the legend users can now visually see the difference between electrical and non-electrical sites!
Camis is looking forward to entering another successful peak booking season and continuing to provide exceptional user experiences through our robust online reservation systems.