Usability testing for Europe’s first full-size surfing lake

Supporting The Wave with user testing for an intuitive and usable booking journey

The team from The Wave, an inland surfing destination, wanted to enhance its booking system to support surfers of all levels and align with its broader digital strategy.

They approached Atomic Smash to conduct usability testing to identify any user experience (UX) issues and ensure the booking journey was intuitive and usable.

What the client wanted

• Complete user testing and analysis of booking journey
• Review UX, navigation, and alignment with overall digital strategy
• Consider and compare for different customer segments

The Wave is an inland surfing lagoon, and it’s Europe’s first full-size surfing lake. It offers the ultimate surfing experience and it’s also a force for good, a Certified B Corp, and uses 100% sustainable energy to power its wavepool.

We supported The Wave with usability testing to help their team ensure they delivered the optimal user experience throughout their online booking journey.

The Wave’s wanted to check how well their online booking journey:

• Contributed positively to UX
• Provided intuitive navigation
• Aligned with their overall digital strategy
• Appealed to their different customer segments

We delivered usability testing and analysis for The Wave, setting clear objectives to:

• Identify UX issues or friction points in the booking journey.
• Observe actual user interactions to validate or disprove prior assumptions.
• Confirm the site’s content structure and flow were user-friendly.

Our approach and process included:

1. Remote testing: Sessions were conducted remotely on desktop and mobile, utilising a screening process to select testers fitting specific criteria.
2. Scripted tasks: Testers followed a script that asked them to find and book activities, with prompts to verbalise their thoughts and experience throughout.
3. Recording and analysis: Sessions were recorded, and feedback was categorised so we could identify positive experiences and areas for improvement. Each issue was assigned a severity level to guide prioritisation.

We then delivered a comprehensive feedback document to The Wave, highlighting insights, severity-ranked issues, and improvement recommendations.

Findings and solutions

The testing revealed predominantly positive results, with a usability score of 93/100. Testers praised the site’s visual appeal and smooth user journey, and most could locate and book an activity without issues. 

Some friction points were identified in the booking process, potentially affecting conversions. These areas were documented and prioritised with actionable recommendations for improvement.

Results and impact

Our usability testing contributed to a more streamlined, user-centric booking experience. The Wave’s team were able to use the findings to enhance the experience, and intend to complete annual usability testing to ensure ongoing optimisation.

Usability testing is highly valuable as a tool for gaining deeper insights into user challenges and enhancing overall satisfaction. Our structured approach gave The Wave a greater understanding of their users’ interactions, with key takeaways to move forward with.