Taking the stress and difficulty out of booking flights online.
UX Research & UI Design
Role
Project Lead
Tools
Figma, Miro, Adobe illustrator
Time
2024 - 2025
Overview
Saor is an airline company that operates through an online application of the same name. Here users can research, book, and choose flights to various destinations around the world.
The Problem
Booking a flight can be a tedious and frustrating process. When planning a holiday abroad or a business trip it is a necessary process that is often viewed negatively. I want to design a new application that is easier to follow, and provides a greater user experience than conventional airline applications.
User Investigation
Usability Testing
The most efficient way to gather insights for this project was through usability testing. This method helped me identify users’ goals, needs, and behaviors in real time while interacting with the product.
In total, I analyzed three usability tests: two existing ones and one I conducted myself. The usability test I conducted observed one participant as they navigated through an airline booking website. I assigned the participant various tasks to complete, and guided them through the process, intervening when only necessary to not disrupt their flow.
All usability tests were recorded with the consent of the participant. This allowed me to watch back the videos to find any key user insights.
Survey
In order to get broader view of the subject I created a survey regarding airline travel. The questions within this survey focused on user goals and habits.
I received 54 responses to this survey from a broad range of ages. The answers from this survey helped fuel the following stage of this project.
Data Analysis
I developed an affinity diagram using the data collected from my usability test, the previous usability tests, and my survey. Using Miro, I organised my data using sticky notes. I catagorised each note depending on the source of the data from and what impact it had (see example below).
Once I had all my data on sticky notes I grouped them together to find common themes. From there I divided these groups into sub-groups to further discover deeper insights.
Key User Insights
1
Users Don’t want to see irrelevant Information.
A common theme amongst all usability tests was users being frustrated by information on their screen they did not care for such as care hire, accommodation suggestions, and ads for sales.
2
Price is the Biggest Concern
The biggest factor that influences the users decision to purchase a flight is the price. The price of the flight can outweigh any other factor and must be communicated clearly to the user.
3
Users Want to Type as Little as Possible
Users don’t want to use their keyboard during the process. They expect sections such as date selection and baggage to be clickable.
4
Disjointed User Journey
All users faced some sort of difficulty when progressing through the booking process. The interfaces lacked clear flow and made it difficult for users to carry out tasks.
Participant Quotes
“I cant see where to actually book the flights”
- Participant 1
" [I don't like] It retelling me information I've already read and chose not to buy"
- Participant 3
" [I would like] Less options when checking out, too much clutter"
- Survey
“If they have the calendar like this i like to scroll over rather than type”
- Participant 1
Customer Journey Map
Before starting to develop the solution I created a customer journey map. This “map” was curated using the insights gathered from my research and details the users experience with the product from beginning to end.
On this map I touched on the users pain points, behaviours, goals, and mental models. Going into the design phase I repeatedly referred back to this map to guide and validate my design choices.
Flow Diagram
Before beginning my design phase, I developed a user flow diagram to outline the key paths the user will take when interacting with the product. This diagram helped me visualize how users navigate through each phase of the process and how they will achieve their goals at each step. By mapping out these interactions early on, I was able to identify potential friction points and ensure the overall experience remained intuitive and efficient.
I used various symbols in the diagram to represent a specific stage of the process (see legend). These symbols are accompanied by context for this specific stage.
Throughout the design phase, I continuously referenced this flow diagram to maintain a clear, logical structure to how my users will navigate through my website.
Wirerframes
Final Design
Conclusion
What went well?
The usability test I conducted generated valuable insights which directly informed design decisions.
Data was recorded from multiple sources and methods which strengthened validity of insights.
Rich level of analysis was carried out.
Delivered a clean, intuitive prototype that meets users needs and functions as intended.
What could be improved?
Time constraints resulted in a prototype with less depth than I would of liked.
Lesson: Delegate more time where possible in future to work on prototype.
I believe there could have been a greater range of user groups investigated.
Lesson: Ensure a substantial level of user research is conducted before developing the final prototype.
Due to time constraints there were fewer rounds of user testing on the final design than I would have liked. While initial feedback informed key design improvements additional testing could have further validated these design choices
Lesson: In future projects, I plan to schedule multiple feedback cycles earlier in the design process to ensure the final product is fully user-validated.