Challenges
The client already had a responsive website, but travellers still relied on a browser when searching for accommodation or managing a booking from their phones. As mobile reservations became more important to the business, the company wanted a dedicated Android application that could make the journey from property discovery to payment easier to navigate on a smaller screen.
Creating the app involved more than reproducing website pages in a mobile format. Search categories, filters, maps, property information, reviews, saved listings, trip history, payments, confirmations and notifications all had to work as connected stages of one booking journey.
The application also needed to support both guest and host account experiences without making routine actions difficult to find.
Customer assistance added another requirement. Questions about a listing or booking could interrupt the journey, so the client wanted an AI chatbot available inside the application rather than requiring users to leave the experience to seek basic support.
The chatbot needed to complement the main booking flow by helping with common questions and booking-related queries, while the client’s support team remained available for matters requiring human assistance.
The client did not have the internal mobile development experience required to bring these elements together. It needed a technology partner that could review the existing web workflows, plan the mobile experience, integrate the supporting services, test the complete journey and prepare the Android app for release.
Solutions
Lucent began by reviewing the existing website and tracing the steps a traveller followed from discovering a property to completing a booking. This helped the team determine which workflows had to be retained, where the mobile journey needed to be simplified, and how search, booking, payment and support functions would connect inside the application.
With the functional scope defined, the team selected React Native for mobile development and Firebase for backend and data functionality. The application structure was planned around the Android experience while preserving the ability to extend the product to another supported mobile platform if required later.
Development started with the account and accommodation-discovery experience. Users could create or access guest and host profiles, browse accommodation categories, apply filters, explore listings through a map and review property and location information.
Reviews helped travellers evaluate available stays, while favourites allowed them to save properties before making a decision.
The team next connected discovery with the booking journey. Trip history gave users access to previous booking activity, while Stripe and PayPal were integrated to support payments. Booking confirmations and push notifications then provided a direct way to communicate reservation-related information through the app.
Once the core journey was in place, Lucent integrated the AI chatbot into the mobile experience. Instead of positioning it as a separate feature, the chatbot provided an additional support route within the booking environment.
Users could ask common questions and seek booking assistance without moving away from the app, while more complex matters could continue to be handled through the client’s customer-support process.
Lucent managed development through two-week sprints and regular demonstrations, allowing the client to review completed workflows and provide feedback throughout the build. Quality assurance covered account access, search, property discovery, booking, payments, notifications and chatbot support as connected parts of the experience before the Android release.
By connecting the chatbot with the wider search and booking experience, Lucent’s approach to AI-enabled Mobile App Development kept customer assistance within the same journey as the application’s transactional features.
