Design a booking experience for
LUXAER FLIGHT APP
Context
I worked on this case study as part of a Diploma in UX from the UX Design Institute.
The client is a new start up airline called Luxaer. They are looking to create an online booking experience that is fast, easy to use and intuitive: one that is based on a deep understanding of their target users and their users’ needs.
Objective
To create an air travel booking system that focuses on the flight booking process; specifically how users search for, find, and select flights. The end goal is to design and build a prototype that can be tested with users, along with a detailed set of wireframes that would be handed over to the development team.
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My role
UX Researcher, UX/UI Designer
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Duration
6 months​
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Process
This project follows the typical UX design process seen below
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© 2023
RESEARCH
Competitive Benchmarking
Four best class airline booking apps (Aer Lingus, KLM, American Airlines and Singapore Airlines) were evaluated to pinpoint the pain points, positives and aspects that are functioning as standard.
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Conventions and traits were adopted by these airlines were noted for future stages of the design process.
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Competitive Benchmarking - KLM
Competitive Benchmarking - Aer Lingus
Usability Tests
We ran several usability sessions to gather qualitative research and ultimately gain more of an understanding into the booking process from the users perspective - the painpoints/roadblocks and positive aspects of the experience.
The task on hand for the user was to book return flights for themselves and a companion. My role included both setting up, recording and moderating the session.
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The results gave us a rich insight into the goals and behaviours of the user and confirmed that users are generally frustrated by ads and pop ups. There was clear confusion over flight results not being displayed in chronological order and the breakdown of fares. Stopovers also needed to be clearly communicated along the journey.
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"I thought they were listed by time but they are actually listed by airport first... I almost missed the cheaper price at the bottom."
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Usability Testing Session 1
ANALYSIS STAGE
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Affinity Diagram
In order to put proper structure on the data, and extract some valuable insights we then created an affinity diagram. We sifted through all the unstructured research data, jotting down items of note.
We then grouped the notes together under similar themes and gave each a relevant title.
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The analysis was incredibly insightful and highlighted areas for improvement within each app.
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Usability Testing Session 1
Customer Journey Map
Building on the insight gained from the affinity diagram I then created a customer journey map to document the the goals, mental models, behaviours, positive interactions and painpoints at each step along the booking process.
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This was a great exercise in user empathy, and clearly visualised the frustrations of the users during the flight selection, fare selection and baggage stages of the journey.
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Customer Journey Map
RESEARCH FINDINGS
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Users are apprehensive about hidden charges.
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Users become lost at the flight selection stage and don't know what screen they are on.
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Confusion over what benefits are included in which fare.
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Frustration with pop ups and 'continue' buttons changing colour add to confusion
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Confusion with baggage selection as the user thinks they selected their bag with their fare.
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Stop overs and information relating to them are not clearly indicated.
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DESIGN STAGE
Flow Diagram
Next I defined the high-level flow for the mobile app upon which the designs for the screen states would
Ideation
Using the flow diagram as a base, I sketched the screens and screen states for users flowing through Luxaer. After many iterations I felt I was closer to my overall objective - simplfying the booking process for the user ensuring a the best possible experience.
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High Fidelity Prototype
Once any potential issues were identified from the low-fidelity prototype, I developed a more detailed prototype using Figma.
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OUTCOMES
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I learned a lot of valuable new skills over the course of this project and became accustomed to using a new software systems including Figma, Screenflow and Reflector.
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I deep dived into various methods of user research, and learned the art of analysing raw data to extract meaningful insights.
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Learned to put myself in the user shoes and ensure their needs are met.
High Fidelity Prototype
Once any potential issues were identified from the low-fidelity prototype, I developed a more detailed prototype using Figma.