CASE STUDY

MEMBER/EMPLOYEE APPLCIATIONS

A Unparalleled Member Experience for High-End Vacationers for
Exclusive Resorts

Duration

16 weeks

I led the transformation of Exclusive Resorts' luxury travel experience, focusing on both member satisfaction and operational efficiency. The project centered on implementing Service Cloud to better manage member preferences and reduce data loss during staff transitions.

The redesigned system improved how Travel Ambassadors and Concierges interact with members, streamlining vacation planning and on-site support. We created a modern digital platform that ensures consistent, high-touch service for affluent members across all destinations. This included a mobile app for real-time support during their stays.

The project's success and innovative approach to luxury travel service earned it a spotlight presentation at Dreamforce's mobile keynote.

Team Size

6

Roles

Product Design Lead, Research Lead, Product Designer

PROJECT SUMMARYDOUBLE DIAMOND

Type

0 → 1

Tools

Sketch, Mural

decrease in
cost-to-serve

RESULTS

14%

25%

increase in CSAT
post-vacation

30%

increase in
added services

CHALLENGES

Exclusive Resorts faced two critical business challenges:

•       Preserving Member Knowledge

•       Cost To Serve

.Their travel ambassadors possessed extensive member information, but high staff turnover meant valuable data was frequently lost. By implementing Salesforce Service Cloud, they aimed to digitally capture and maintain these crucial member insights. This transformation would ensure that their high-net-worth members received consistent, exceptional service and seamless access to support whether they were planning their next vacation or already on location at one of their properties. The initiative focused on creating a digital ecosystem that maintained the personalized, high-touch service experience while improving operational efficiency and data continuity.

PROCESS DESIGN THINKING

20x

increase in
added services for Salesforce

01

mobile keynote
at Salesforce’s
Dreamforce

The team conducted over 25 comprehensive interviews and job shadowing across multiple locations, including Denver, Vail, and Real del Mar. We engaged with a diverse group of stakeholders ranging from C-suite executives (CIO, CMO, COO) to front-line employees (Ambassadors, Concierges) and members.  The majority of users we interviewed were Exclusive Resorts staff (Ambassadors, Concierge) and Club Members.

This comprehensive research revealed critical insights about member booking behaviors, service gaps, and operational pain points in the current system for both members and employees.

01

Discover: Research
and gather insights

1.1 User Research & Interviews

1.2 Market Analysis & Trends

Analysis revealed a growing demand for a more personalized luxury travel experience that the members had total control over with seamless member preferences and an elegant user experience. The luxury travel and vacation club market showed strong trends toward mobile-first solutions, real-time itinerary management, and social sharing capabilities. High-net-worth travelers increasingly expect technology to enhance rather than replace human touchpoints in their luxury experiences.

1.3 Stakeholder Mapping

The project identified four key stakeholder groups:

  • Ambassadors (responsible for member relationships and bookings),

  • Concierges (managing on-site experiences),

  • Club Members (primary users with varying needs)

  • Corporate Staff (including sales and operations teams).

Each group had distinct needs and interaction patterns with the existing systems and processes.

1.4 Competitive Analysis

We also conducted a competitive analysis looking at other luxury travel (vacation clubs) and hospitality brands (hotels and resorts) experiences integrating digital solutions while maintaining high-touch service models. This revealed opportunities to differentiate through better data utilization and personalized member experiences that competitors weren't yet offering.

02

Define: Focus on specific problem areas

2.1 Synthesize Findings & Insights

Key insights emerged around data fragmentation, with valuable member preferences being lost between sales, ambassadors, and concierges. The team identified that members needed filtered views based on their membership type and that upgrade opportunities weren't being systematically presented. The research also highlighted the importance of family and guest management in the booking process.

2.2 Create User Personas

Four distinct member personas were developed based on comprehensive research and interview data:

Power Trip - Families managing complex schedules, particularly with college-age children. High appetite for planning and logistics coordination. Values ambassador support in tracking details and organizing multi-arrival travel plans.

Efficiency Play - Quick-getaway focused members who prioritize convenience and minimal planning. Makes last-minute decisions, prefers direct flights, and expects preferences to be remembered across properties.

Host with the Most - Social entertainers who frequently invite friends to properties. Highly engaged with concierge services for dining and activities. Values ability to share local expertise with guests.

Family Fun Time - Parents traveling with young children under six. Requires extensive preparation including childcare, safety considerations, and equipment needs. Heavily relies on concierge support for family-friendly planning.

These personas guided feature development across all digital solutions, ensuring each user type's unique needs were addressed.We had 4 key personas.

* While at Salesforce, along with leading our UX practice in consulting, I also led our Envision process. I led engagements for Exclusive Resorts, PayPal, Girl Scouts, Pearson, among others.

2.3 Define Problem Statements

The core problems we identified included:

  • Members being shown unavailable properties due to membership limitations

  • Lack of structured data capture for member preferences

  • Disconnected communication between service teams

  • Insufficient digital support for on-site experiences.

  • These issues were impacting both member satisfaction and operational efficiency.

 Salesforce Envision*

Salesforce Envision was a strategic consulting service that accelerated digital transformation through intensive design sprints and prototyping. We partnered with customer stakeholders to identify challenges, map customer journeys, and build experience prototypes to show the customer “The Art of the Possible” using Salesforce.

2.4 Set Project Objectives

The core problems we identified included:

Members being shown unavailable properties due to membership limitations

Lack of structured data capture for member preferences

Disconnected communication between service teams

Insufficient digital support for on-site experiences.

These issues were impacting both member satisfaction and operational efficiency. 

03

Develop: Create
potential solutions

3.1 Ideate & Brainstorm Solutions

The team developed multiple solution concepts focusing on three key areas:

  • Trip Application for members, utilizing Salesforce

  • Concierge tablet application

  •  Ambassador console, utilizing Salesforce Service Cloud

Ideas ranged from dynamic itinerary management to integrated membership data systems and social sharing features.

3.2 Create Concepts & Sketches

UI concepts were created for mobile and tablet interfaces, focusing on intuitive navigation and ease of use of member-specific data to personalize the experience for club members.

The team explored various approaches to displaying availability, itinerary management, and preference capture.

We also created interaction flows of core experience features to validate with Exclusive Resorts project leaders and c-level executives.

Website experience concepts

Mobile experience concepts

Member mobile application experience concepts

Concierge tablet application experience concepts

Ambassador Service Cloud experience concepts

3.3 Build Prototypes & Wireframes

Wireframes were created for the Trip Planning App (mobile and tablet versions), Member Portal Site, and Ambassador Console (Salesforce Service Cloud). These wireframes incorporated key features like dynamic itinerary updates, member service requests, preference management, and team collaboration tools.

3.4 Design Multiple Variations

Based on validation results, the team refined the websites to better support local market nuances. Specific improvements included enhanced Japanese character support and streamlined approval workflows for rapid market updates.

The global design system implementation was fine-tuned to better accommodate regional variations while maintaining brand consistency. Refinements focused on optimizing page load times and improving the efficiency of multi-language content deployment.

04

Deliver: Select and implement final solution

4.1 Test & Validate Solutions

The team conducted a usability testing program across the three primary interfaces: responsive website, tablet app, and an ambassador console. Testing occurred in multiple locations including Denver, Vail, and Real del Mar, to ensure solutions worked effectively across different property contexts.

Each interface underwent multiple rounds of usability testing with its respective user groups. We tested the mobile and tablet apps with members through moderated sessions, completing key tasks like viewing itineraries, making activity requests, and communicating with concierges. Particular attention was paid to testing with different member personas: "Power Trip" families testing multi-user itinerary management, "Efficiency Play" members validating quick-booking flows, and "Family Fun Time" parents testing child-related planning features.

Concierges and Ambassadors participated in parallel testing sessions for their respective interfaces, focusing on task completion efficiency and data visibility. These sessions revealed critical insights about information hierarchy and workflow improvements, particularly around member preference management and communication tools.

Testing metrics focused on task completion rates, time-on-task, error rates, and user satisfaction scores. Special emphasis was placed on testing critical paths like itinerary updates and member-to-staff communication flows.

The testing program also included longitudinal studies with a select group of members who used the beta versions during actual stays, providing real-world validation of the solutions' effectiveness and identifying any context-specific usability issues.

4.2 Refine Final Designs

Final designs were refined based on the phased approach and wireframes, with careful attention to maintaining the elevated brand experience while introducing new digital capabilities. The team ensured all designs aligned with the high-touch service model Exclusive Resorts is known for.

4.3 Create Documentation

The team developed a comprehensive documentation that included UX specifications, design standards, and user guidelines. Guidelines established consistent UI components and interaction patterns across all interfaces.

4.4 Launch & Measure Results

The project included clear success metrics for each phase, focusing on membership management, booking efficiency, itinerary management, and member engagement. The phased approach allowed for careful monitoring of results and adjustments as needed, once the experience launched.

ContactMe

bbulman@gmail.com
(847) 951-5938