top of page
Project Overview
As part of my Professional Diploma in UX Design, I set out to design a mobile-first airline booking app that eliminates the "stress tax" usually associated with air travel. My goal was to replace overwhelming interfaces with a seamless, intuitive flow that prioritizes price transparency and speed.
-
Role: Lead UX Researcher & Designer
-
Timeline: Nov 2025 – Mar 2026
-
Result: Awarded a 97% score by the UX Design Institute.
Phase 1: Research & Discovery
I didn't want to design in a vacuum. I benchmarked industry leaders like Ryanair, Aer Lingus, and Skyscanner to identify where users feel the most friction.
Key Insights:
-
The "Comparison Trap": Users struggle to compare prices across different dates.
-
Information Overload: Secondary options (insurance, car rentals) often bury the primary goal: booking the flight.
-
The Anxiety Gap: Stress peaks at the payment stage due to hidden fees and complex summaries.
Phase 2: Analysis & User Journey
I synthesized survey data and usability tests into an Affinity Diagram to map out the "emotional peaks and valleys" of the booking process.
The Pivot Point:
-
The Pivot Point: Users are generally happy during the search phase but become frustrated immediately after selecting a flight due to "choice paralysis" regarding fares and add-ons..
Phase 3: The Solution (Concept & Logic)
I focused on Progressive Disclosure—only showing the user what they need at that exact moment to keep the interface clean.
-
Interaction Sketches: Rapidly iterating on thumb-zone friendly navigation.
-
User Flow: Reducing the journey to its essential "happy path."
Final Design: High-Fidelity Highlights
The final prototype focuses on a "4-tap" philosophy for major decision points.
1. Smart Search & Date Selection
-
Price-aware Calendar: Users see the cheapest dates before they even click "search."
-
Quick-select: Recently searched destinations and an alphabet scroll for speed.
Final Prototype
Experience the full, interactive journey below:
Reflection
This project taught me that innovation isn't always about adding features; it's often about removing friction. By focusing on price transparency and minimizing repetitive inputs, I created a flow that users actually trust.
Special Thanks: Huge gratitude to the UXDI team for the guidance that led to my 97% certification!
2. Frictionless Add-ons (Bags & Seats)
-
The "Mirror" Feature: A "Reserve same for return" button to cut repetitive tasks in half.
-
Visual Cues: Using illustrations for baggage sizes to reduce cognitive load.
3. Transparent Checkout
-
Single-page Summary: No more "hidden" details. Review everything in one scroll.
-
One-tap Payments: Integration of Apple Pay and Google Pay for a 10-second checkout.
Online Survey and Competitive Benchmarking
I have conducted an online survey to understand users’ goals and needs when booking flights on airline.
Device Used for Booking.
Airline booking platforms used during flight search and/or booking process?
Most Preferable: 1- Ryanair | 2- AerLingus | 3- Skyscanner
Positive reactions to...
-
Quick and simple navigation
-
Easy to control
-
Comfortable and familiar design
User needs
-
More price, layovers, and luggage options
-
Easier comparisons across dates
-
Cleaner interface
-
Intuitive navigation
Negative reactions to…
-
Overwhelming booking process
-
Difficult price/time comparison
-
Stress caused by booking mistakes
Competitive benchmark
Usability Testing & User Behavior Analysis
I conducted comprehensive usability testing with three participants to observe real-world interactions with airline applications (Aer Lingus and Eurowings), mapping out their mental models and identifying critical experience markers.
Key Research Activities:
-
Behavioral Observation: Facilitated 60-minute sessions per participant, recording qualitative insights and quantitative ratings (Positive, Neutral, Improvement Needed, Negative).
-
Mental Model Mapping: Evaluated how users naturally approached tasks such as searching for flights, comparing fare types, and navigating the booking flow.
-
Insight Synthesis: Identified specific friction points, such as confusion over fare benefit details ("SAVER" vs. "PLUS") and frustration with undisclosed flight transfers.
-
Collaborative Documentation: Maintained a detailed Note-taking Spreadsheet, which was expanded with two additional participant notes from a UXDI-led test to provide a broader data set for the product team.
For full usability test video click on the button below
To evaluate platform standards and identify user pain points, the top-performing services from the survey—Ryanair (55.3%), Skyscanner (36.8%), Aer Lingus (34.2%), and British Airways (10.5%) — were selected for deep-dive analysis.
The research involved a competitive audit across these platforms, mapping the 10 stages of progressive disclosure to understand how information is revealed throughout the user journey:
-
Initial Engagement: Top page and Flight Search.
-
Core Selection: Flight Selection and Fare options.
-
Customization: Seats, Baggage, and Extras.
-
Conversion: The final Payment stage.
Case Study:
Redefining the Airline Booking Experience
Streamlining flight discovery and checkout for the modern traveler.
bottom of page