An end-to-end project from concept ideation to interaction and Medium-Fidelity prototyping.
Travel is fun, being for leisure or work. Although booking a flight usually feels unsettling, and in some cases, it is overwhelming to figure out how to adapt your routine requirements to your flight search.
Fly UX is a solution for users who look toward completing the major step of a travel plan without tension. The focus is on the human side of the booking process, which values the user's reassurance.
I led the entire project until the wireframes and medium-fidelity prototypes, where I conducted usability tests to evaluate the designs.
Booking a flight is an essential step for travel planning, and usually the most painful one for users. The different user's lifestyles would specify the different requirements when booking a flight. Most competitors lack user reassurance in the booking process, which ultimately leads to users' re-work and frustration with the flight company even before the actual flight. In this light, Fly UX seeks to meet users' requirements, while strengthening the business presence in the market.25
I wanted to design a travel app that fitted the different users' scenarios, particularly, addressing users' requirements that weren't addressed by its competitors. An overhaul is overdue and will ensure Fly UX remains competitive in the long run.
We set out to create a brand-new design system to ensure Fly UX encompasses best-in-class usability, especially considering users' unique lifestyles.
I employed the Design Thinking model in the project, which consists of 5-stages (Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test).
In the conclusion of the study case project, specifically the medium-fidelity prototype, I conducted usability tests to evaluate the designs, where we could ensure that the Process App Navigation for Mobile was on the right path according to the established goal.
Competitive Benchmark
Quantitative Research
Qualitative research (User interview)
The main goal was to understand how users perceived travel apps and what part they played in users' travel plans (Empathize). In this context, a thorough market understanding is also required, in order to understand the segment range and limitations.
In order to better understand the market segment, I conducted Competitive Benchmarking research, which provided me with an overview of what the established main competitors, Eurowings and Aer Lingus, were servicing for users. Additionally, I conducted a sample quantitative research of 25 users. I developed a survey with 10 questions aimed at revealing the user behaviour on flight apps, specifically on what part of the booking process caused frustration for the user. Lastly, we conducted user interviews, in which the usability testing identified how the travel app was part of the user's travel plan, and if the features available assisted the user. I conducted note-taking on the recorded interviews, where I could identify the main pain points were directly connected to the user's different lifestyle scenarios, even though all of them intended to book a flight. The available features were not enough to tailor the booking process according to their requirements, which led to frustration with the flight company.
Travel apps, particularly booking flights, play a crucial part in the user's travel plan, from the very beginning. Specifically speaking, a good share of users will base their travel plans on the available flights in the booking app. Even completely change stay locations to adapt to the available flights. Such a relevant role for the user can cause equally proportional frustration, which will ultimately damage the relationship user-company. In this light, I identified that the majority of the pain points that generate such frustration with the flight companies were directly connected to the user's different lifestyle scenarios. Even though all of them intended to book a flight, their lifestyles restrains demanded specific requirements when booking a flight. The available features were not enough to tailor the booking process according to their requirements, which led to frustration with the flight company. I noticed that adding filters to tailor their search would prevent most of the users' issues with the apps.
Interaction Design Foundation for Mobile
Leading to the end of this Study Case, I developed a Medium-Fidelity prototype and conducted usability testing to observe users’ interactions with the app and evaluate their experiences with the key features. Specifically speaking, we aimed to identify potential pain points and define the quality of user flow, intuitive navigation, and information architecture, considering the UI Design and visuals in general, were not implemented in this project.
Considering the perceptions of the usability testing in the prototype, most of the users noticed the filter section and the flight stops on available flights, which demonstrates intuitive feature navigation as well as addresses the main pain points highlighted in the user research. Most of the users appreciated being able to tailor their search to avoid unnecessary reading time for options they would not consider.
This app design validated our theory that the most effective value proposition is one that is centred around a person’s lifestyle. Considering the results of the medium-fidelity prototype, the UI Design will keep the feature hierarchy for intuitive navigation.
Main challenge and lesson learnt
This was my first end-to-end project. Although I was a bit tense at the beginning of user interviews, I soon became comfortable with the design process. I also learnt that feedback can broaden the design perspective and change the established path completely, which could be one of the keys to ensuring the project’s success.
Questions for future interactions
Are we being inclusive with all the possible requirements for a booking?
Maybe integrating a database that notes the accessibility in each selected airport.
Maybe implementing a new filter that allows the user to check accessibility requirements.
