Product Context

This case study formed the basis of my coursework for the Professional Diploma in UX Design, from the UX Design Institute.

The brief for this case study was to carry out a full UX research and design cycle for a fictional airline called FlyUX.

This client was looking to create an online experience that was fast, easy, and intuitive: one based on a deep understanding of their target users.

To achieve this, the project involved a deep-dive analysis of competitor airlines, a thorough review of the collected feedback, and the creation of detailed sketches, prototypes and wireframes for the proposed website.

Tools Used

• Figma
• Lucidchart
• Camtasia
• SurveyMonkey

Research

Firstly, I conducted research into prominent airline websites, in order to discover the common features and flows of these sites, and whether the overall user experience was positive or negative.

I did so by completing competitive benchmark evaluations of some of the leading airline websites.

I also conducted a survey with 22 participants, asking them to provide feedback on their last airline website experience.

Next, I carried out usability tests of leading airline websites, asking users to perform the same tasks on each website, and noting their reactions and thoughts while doing so.

I also analysed usability tests carried out by my colleagues, collating all key findings and feedback into concise, summarised documentation.

Analysis

After completing this research, and together with my colleague, we created an affinity diagram, gathering all notes, points and feedback, and adding them as post-its to the wall.

From this, we were able to deduce common ideas, behaviours and experiences, allowing us to group our data into five specific areas.

Based on these groupings, I put together a customer journey map in Lucidchart, highlighting the main stage gates of the process, and the goals, behaviours and pain points for each.

Using this customer journey map, along with the analysed research data, I designed a user flow diagram using Figma for a user searching for and booking flights.

In this flow, I identified the main steps in the workflow process and some of the main decisions to be made.

Design

Once I had completed my research and analysis, I then began working on my proposed designs.

Firstly, I sketched out a few concepts based on my findings, highlighting the main structure and features of the interface.

For the design, I focused mainly on the search, booking and payment forms, including a progress bar at the top of the screen.

Based on my research, I also consolidated the extras, options and additional services onto one screen, so users could bypass if not needed.

Next, based on these sketches, I developed a medium fidelity prototype using Figma.

The prototype includes the main screens from the user flow, from searching for flights, to selecting additional options and extras, through to the payment screen.

For ease of use, I kept the forms and calls to action on the screen. Buttons were made larger with more descriptive text.

Sections of the process were only made available once mandatory options had been selected, in order to improve the overall flow through the site.

Along with the prototype, I also produced annotated wireframes of each of the screens, states and common elements. These highlighted the purpose for the screen, the expected behaviours of the panels, and the main functionality of the inputs.

Summary

Overall, from this case study, I learned that the most common pain points of using airline websites or apps, were the number of advertisements, and the overall ease of use of the search, booking and payment forms.

These pain points led to a 24% dissatisfaction rate, with only 50% of users definitely recommending the airline site to a friend.

As a result, the redesign focused on improving the flow through an airline website, from searching for flights, to selection, and finally to adding extras and payment.

Further research is needed to refine the design, but overall this project provided interesting and valuable insights into typical user experiences of airline websites.