Industry

Aviation and Travel

Client

UXDI Case Study

Role

UX Designer

Rethinking airline booking: a smoother way to take off

Booking a flight should be simple. Yet, for many travelers, it’s anything but. Clunky interfaces, unclear pricing, and too many steps turn what should be an exciting experience into an exercise in frustration. As part of my UX design professional diploma, I took on the challenge of reimagining the flight booking experience for a new airline entrant using usability as a competitive edge. The mission? Design a booking process that feels effortless.

Goals

Make booking easy, not an obstacle course

Design an intuitive, distraction-free booking where users can move effortly from selecting a flight to checkout.

No more guessing games

Ensure that flight options, fare differences, and policies are presented in a transparent and digestible way, so users always know what they're choosing.

A frictionless checkout

Simplify the final steps. The payment process should be fast, secure, and stress-free, reducing frustration and drop-offs.

Research approach: finding the right insights

To gain both industry insights and real user perspectives, I employed two primary research methods: competitive analysis and usability testing. The competitive analysis allowed me to step into the traveller's shoes, identifying common patterns and friction points without the need for immediate user recruitment. Usability testing revealed how real users interacted with these flows, ensuring the design was shaped by actual behavior rather than only industry norms.

Competitive analysis: streamlined or distracting? Airline apps put to the test

I examinded several airline apps, evaluating how effectively it was to book a round-trip flight. Some apps, like Cathay Pacific, had sleek, minimal interfaces that made navigation a breeze. Others, like Royal Jordanian, overwhelmed users with too much information, while American Airlines struggled with readability due to low contrast. One key issue kept appearing: too many distractions. Instead of guiding users smoothly toward booking, some apps bombarded them with promotions and unrelated features, pulling focus away from the main goal.

Usability testing: seeing the struggles firsthand

Next, I ran usabiliy tests focusing on comparing Cathay Pacific and El Al on the Tel Aviv-Hong Kong route. To identify broader trends, I also analyzed European carriers like Eurowings and Aer Lingus. Here's what I discovered

”I just can't find where to book"

Some users struggled to even start the booking process, especially on El Al’s platform, where the login screen created confusion.

“I still don't know what I am paying for”

Across multiple airlines, fare option were hard to find or compare, with vague descriptions making it difficult to understand what was included.

”Wait... where am I?”

Users often lost track of their progress, unsure which flights they had selected or what the next step was.

Making sense of the data: maping the pain points

With so many insights from usability testing and competitive analysis, I needed to unpack the recurring patterns and prioritize the most pressing issues. I created an affinity diagram in Figma using a custom template I had designed. This tool allowed me to flag the type of finding, dynamically specify its source, and group feedback into clear themes. Recurring issues, such as fare option transparency, quickly emerged as critical areas of focus. Stacking feedback points under shared themes provided a clear view of user pain points and helped highlight patterns that needed attention.

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Customer journey map: visualising the booking flow

The customer journey map offered a different perspective, visualizing the entire booking flow from start to finish. By mapping out pain points and areas of focus at each step of the journey, I was able to organize feedback in a way that highlighted where the most pressing issues occurred.

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Setting priorities: fixing what matters most

Not all booking frustrations are created equal. Using the themes identified in the affinity diagram, I prioritized the most critical issues based on frequency, impact and alignment with project goals. Issues outside the core booking flow, such as signup difficulties and loyalty program enrollment were deprioritized to keep the focus on streamlining the booking process itself.

Themes

Lost before takeoff

Users hesitated at the start, unsure where to begin their booking. Some mistook login screens as mandatory, while others struggled to locate the booking button. Why prioritize? A clear, easy-to-find entry point eliminates hesitation and aligns with the goal of making booking effortless.

Fare confusion

Users didn’t understand the differences between fare options. Some searched for details that weren’t clearly presented, while others clicked through multiple pages just to compare. Why prioritize? Transparency in pricing supports the goal of removing guesswork and ensuring users feel confident in their choices

Where am I?

Users lost track of their selections and progress. They weren’t always sure which flight they had chosen or what the next step was. Why prioritize? A guided flow with clear progress indicators aligns with the goal of simplifying navigation and reducing friction.

The concept: turning research into a better user experience

The redesign addressed three critical challenges: making it clear where to start, ensuring fare details were easy to understand, and simplifying the final steps of booking. Each change directly aligned with the goals of reducing friction, improving transparency, and guiding users through the process.

No detours, just booking: a minimalistic booking flow

The problem: Users had difficulty finding where to start booking, and unnecessary steps slowed them down. The solution: The flow was streamlined to remove unnecessary clicks, keeping steps to a minimum. A persistent bottom banner was added so users could enter the booking process from any point in the app.

No guesswork: clearer fare information and navigation

The problem: Users were unsure what they could do on each page, and fare selection wasn’t always obvious. The solution: The top banner clearly described the user’s action for each step, making it explicit what could be done on the page. Fares were immediately displayed when a user tapped a flight, eliminating the need to figure out how to view options.

Keeping checkout simple: frictionless payment

The problem: Extra steps before payment slowed things down, and seat selection wasn’t always necessary. The solution: The payment page was reduced to only essential fields, and seat selection was made optional, allowing users to skip it and go straight to payment if preferred.

How user feedback shaped the final design

The high-fidelity design phase was anything but static, with continuous iterations driven by user feedback on the interactive prototype. The biggest challenge was balancing comprehensive information with mobile-friendly simplicity, ensuring users could navigate the booking flow with ease. Three key areas saw significant refinement:

Making the booking button unmissable

Users repeatedly struggled to find the booking button, making it clear that its placement wasn’t intuitive. To fix this, I revamped its design and positioning, integrating it both into the navigation bar and the homepage content. This ensured users always had a clear action path, no matter where they were within the app.

Simplifying fare comparison

Fare options were initially displayed on a single table, making them feel cluttered and overwhelming. To improve clarity, I redesigned the layout to show one fare per page, introducing horizontal scrolling for easier comparisons. This approach reduced cognitive load while ensuring users could still explore all options without frustration.

User orientation: making progress and selections clear

While the initial prototype already included a persistent progress banner to keep users informed, further iterations focused on improving clarity during fare and seat selection. To refine the experience, I emphasized flight details during fare and seat selection, ensuring users always knew which flight they were modifying.

Conclusion and reflection: navigating the design journey

This case study was more than an exploration of airline booking, it was a demonstration of how research, iteration, and design come together to create the user experience. From the start, competitive research highlighted industry shortcomings like distracting content and unclear fare options, setting the foundation for a smarter approach. Usability testing brought the user's voice into the process, exposing pain points such as session expiry, confusing seat maps, and challenges understanding fare and cancellation policies. These insights demanded constant reevaluation of the design, resulting in a flow that balanced simplicity and clarity with real-world complexity. Even in the high-fidelity stage, the process remained iterative. Adjustments like horizontal scrolling for fares, consolidating the flight review page, and enhancing the booking button came directly from user feedback. Balancing the need for comprehensive information with the limitations of mobile design required thoughtful prioritization at every step. This project was a reminder that great design isn’t linear. It is iterative, dynamic, and deeply informed by user behavior. By embracing constant refinement, the final design successfully turned a complex booking process into a smooth and intuitive experience, showcasing the power of research-driven decisions.