SkyLink is a airline application, the aim of this project is to create a quick, easy, and intuitive mobile experience. For this project, I chose to focus on the flight booking process, which consists of how users search, find, and select flights and seats.

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Research/Discovery

The first, and most important step to designing a new flight booking app is to look at how competitors and other organizations are trying to solve the same problem. The goal of the research and discovery phase is to identify user goals, behaviors, needs, and attitudes regarding the flight booking process. The observation and feedback collection methods were chosen.

• Competitive benchmarking
• Online Survey
• Note-taking
• Usability Testing

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2.1 Competitive Benchmarking

A number of airlines were examined to understand the conventions we should follow, highlight excellent practices we should replicate, and pinpoint what we can improve upon. The goal was to learn how best-in-class airlines are resolving the issue that SkyLink is aiming to tackle. I selected Ryanair, TUI Airlines, Airbnb, Brussels Airlines, and Ryanair to study.

Due to their reputation among family and friends and personal familiarity, I selected TUI Airlines and Brussels Airlines. The exact opposite is why I choose Ryanair. In order to uncover any presumptions I may have made and to enable richer outcomes, I thought it would be interesting to investigate an airline I didn't know anything about. Expedia was selected since it is positioned as a competitive platform with more features than the other two airlines (Hotels, rental cars, packages, etc.).

I examined each organization's homepages, flight, and seat selection pages to produce this competitive benchmark. The comments were color-coded to maintain organization and facilitate viewing.

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What I learned

It was thrilling to begin this project and finish this UX case study. I quickly discovered how easily my preconceptions may influence the research, and I made sure to keep this in mind throughout the experience to avoid influencing the findings.

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2.2 Survey

To learn more about the objectives, actions, and environments of those who book flights using mobile apps, I developed an online survey. I chose to keep all the questions on a single page so users could see their progress visually. I included 8 questions to entice individuals to complete the entire survey form. In order to elicit both qualitative and quantitative information, a variety of multiple-choice, structured, and unstructured questions were used. The information acquired gave me more information to draw upon when making design choices and gave me more opportunity to practice survey data analysis.

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My Process:

I made an effort to enlist a diverse group of users in order to prevent prejudice in my research. The sole need was to have traveled in the previous two years. Due to COVID-19's harsh travel regulations that went into effect in 2020 and had the potential to stop a lot of people from traveling, I decided to make a two-year requirement. I gave out my survey at the following four locations:

1. Travel Puppies Facebook group - This group is made up of people who plan and travel for pleasure. I figured their experience with airlines would be more frequent and offer valuable information.
2. LinkedIn - I attempted to reach a wide range of professionals and students who travel for business, school, and pleasure.
3. Columbia University graduate and alumni forums- A vast community of nationwide and international students, TA's, and professors of all ages, professions, and ethnicities use this forum.
4. 2 personal group chats comprised of friends and family

After distributing my survey, I received a total of 19 respondents. Of the total, 15 filled out the survey completely.

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Guiding Questions:

• What platform do you typically use when booking flights?

• What problems or frustrations do you face during the booking process or when trying to accomplish your goal?

• What about your preferred website or app makes the booking process or accomplishing your goal easier?

• What changes would you make to your preferred website or app?
  

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What I learned:

Because I was able to apply what I've learned from my clinical psychology degree, I loved coming up with the survey's questions. I was able to make better design decisions thanks to the information I obtained, which also gave me more practice in data analysis and structure. I was able to really concentrate on the customer throughout the survey portion of the research and discovery process and identify their needs and problem areas.

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2.3 To further my research, I proceeded to take notes.

Taking effective notes is a crucial component of the investigation. The UX Design Institute produced recordings of two mobile usability tests (Aer Lingus and Eurowings), and thorough notes and critical insights centered on objectives, behaviors, context, good encounters, and pain spots were emphasized.

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I made the decision to arrange my notes more effectively and make them simple to scan for later use by using this color-coding scheme.

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What I learned:

My first exposure to usability testing occurred during this section of the research and discovery phase, which helped me understand its importance in user-centered product development and design. At first, I copied down everything the user said and did in this project, treating it like a manuscript. I restarted and concentrated entirely on the user's goals, behaviors, context, positive interactions, and pain points, keeping in mind that my notes needed to be helpful and simple to understand. I became more comfortable with the outcomes and invested in developing solutions that truly work after typing and arranging these notes.

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2.4 Usability Testing

I ran my own usability test to gain a greater understanding of the objectives, actions, requirements, and attitudes of people making flight reservations through mobile apps.

Using Reflector, two companies—Brussels Airlines and Ryanair—that had previously served as the competitive benchmark were put to the test. A remote test was the most secure choice because of the coronavirus lockdown. I created a usability test script and planned how I would do it during this Zoom conference.

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My process:

I used very similar recruitment tactics and the same criteria for this usability test as I did for the survey that was discussed earlier. I posted a thank you message on LinkedIn, the Travel Puppies Facebook group, and the Columbia University graduate and alumni forums to get in touch with people who had previously completed the survey. I sent out an invitation to take part in a usability test after that post. The following details were mentioned in the invitation:

• Description of the test.
• Required criteria (Must have traveled via airplane within the last two years and have an iPhone).
• The length of the test (40 minutes).

Two persons expressed interest in participating in the survey, and one of those two set up a usability test. I was able to finish 1 exam out of the 2 replies.

I went through the note-taking process using the same color-coding system after finishing this mobile usability test.

What I learned:

This study process enabled me to personally understand why usability testing is the most effective instrument a UX researcher can do. I was able to develop my note-taking and observational abilities as well as obtain valuable ideas directly from the user.

Although counseling and mental health assessments are arguably quite similar to user testing, and I have expertise with both, I discovered that running a usability test successfully required a distinct degree of attention and discipline. It took me three times to get it properly since I realized I was biased and had unwarrantedly influenced the user.

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Overall, this project improved my knowledge of usability testing, increased my self-assurance, and taught me how to conduct depth interviews to inform better design choices.

What I'd do differently:

I can't wait to have the chance to administer the test in person. It would, in my opinion, provide much more revelations and conclusions. It was challenging via Zoom to maintain continual eye contact and read body language; I believe it will be simpler in person. Additionally, I believe it would provide a more effective means of communication and help the user feel soothed by being seen, heard, and understood.

Analysis

In order to clearly state the issues FlyUX seeks to address for the user, the next phase in the UX design process is to examine all the information gleaned from the research. To make sense of the massive amount of raw data and fully comprehend the issue that needed to be handled, affinity diagrams and customer journey maps were both used.

Methods applied in the analyzing phase:

3. 1. Affinity Diagram
4. 2. Customer Journey Map

3.1 Affinity Diagram

Undoubtedly one of the best tools for arranging unstructured data and identifying the causes of study findings is the affinity diagram.

Since this was my first time using Miro, I chose to finish this affinity diagram by myself to get a feel for the program. This session was broken down into five parts:

Step 1: I gathered all the data I had acquired from earlier study to start the process of developing my affinity diagram. The research data used to compile this information came from:

• Competitive Benchmark - Using my comparative analysis summary of 3 mobile airline apps (Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and Alaska Airlines) and 1 mobile travel app (Expedia).
• The online survey I created and distributed amongst family, friends, and colleagues.
• Note-taking - All notes were created from the UXDI provided usability test of two users (user1 + user 2) on two different mobile airline apps (Aer Lingus + Eurowings) and a usability test done by myself of one user (User 3) on two different mobile travel companies (Delta airlines + Expedia).
• Usability Test - This remote usability test was done by myself on one user.

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Step 2: I turned each of the research findings into a separate sticky note and color-coded them according to their sources using the online collaboration application Miro. I eliminated certain remarks from slide 1 to slide 2 in an effort to maintain only raw data and user suggestions.

Step 3: From slide 2 to slide 3, I made more adjustments to the sticky notes to eliminate redundant information and address grammatical and verbal problems.

Phase 4: In this step, I make my initial effort to broadly classify and arrange all of the data according to similarity.

Step 5: After groups were generated, I added borders to better separate them from one another and make it easier to recognize them.

What I learned:

Even though I didn't use any of Miro's collaboration capabilities, I did learn how to effectively use the program and all of its strong collaborative tools. It was enjoyable to learn how to creatively organize all of the qualitative study material.

In order to fully utilize the collaborative tools in Miro for my upcoming UX case study, I will collaborate with a team.

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3.2 Customer Journey Map

To add even more structure to my research data and understand how customers find and interact with airline apps, I created a Customer Journey Map. The map creates a visualization of how a customer flows through the app, step by step. It focuses on their experience (visualized through emojis), thoughts, context and goals, behaviors, pain points, and any potential opportunities, to make skyLink a successful product.

I started by hand-sketching my customer journey map before putting it together on Miro. Once I was confident in my designs, I entered my information into the program. Since I would be developing off of both my affinity diagram and the notes from the usability test, I found it more convenient to keep them both close at hand. I relied on the affinity diagram to confirm that the customer journey map's high-level phases lined up with its corresponding steps. I relied on the notes to help me swiftly recall both bad and good situations (since they were color-coded).

What I learned:

Having a draft of the customer journey map not only helped me stay organized, but it also gave me a better idea of how I might use Miro to nimbly construct this document from scratch. As there were gaps between the affinity diagram and the customer journey map that needed to be filled and I had to rely on my own judgment to do so, creating this user flow also provided me greater confidence and taught me how to trust myself.

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Design

The primary goal of the design phase is to address the problems that emerged during the research. In this stage, design decisions are made to start changing the user experience so that their future encounters are better than their past ones, building on what was highlighted in the customer journey map.

Methods applied in the design phase:

4.1 Flow Diagram

4.2 Low-Fidelity Sketches

4.3 Prototype

4.1 Flow Diagram

The process of booking a flight proceeds linearly as users go from one input to the next. A flow diagram is necessary to acquire a better understanding of the rational paths people should take while interacting with the solutions I provide.

To make this flowchart To learn the online application, I once more utilized Miro to create a basic design. I drew the process flow from the site through seat selection, making sure to include every step the user would take to finish the task.

Making a flow diagram not only aids in my understanding but also forces designers to keep the user in mind and truly puts them first. While incorporating my design advice into the interaction flow, I made sure to keep in mind the mental models that users are accustomed to.

What I learned:

Since each screen, state, and interaction had to be included in the flow diagram, it was first challenging to understand what was being omitted. I wrote this flow diagram from beginning to end three times before uploading it to Miro. This technique really made me understand the need of specificity in designing an experience that matters to both producers and customers. I value how this method made me consider the user's relationship to the system I was creating while keeping them front and center.

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4.2 Low-Fidelity Sketches

I created a non-interactive, paper-based prototype, heavily depending on the flow diagram generated by all preceding processes, to evaluate the functioning of the design choices that were made.

I utilized paper, colored pencils, and a fast google search to find symbols and images to use for low-fidelity mobile app prototypes to finish the sketches.

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What I learned:

I assumed at this stage of the process that I knew exactly how the Skylink mobile app should be designed. Making low-fidelity sketches, though, helped me to be open to fresh design ideas. I gained appreciation for how quick and simple it is to simply erase and start over after many iterations. I had to keep in mind that the visual aspect of the work wasn't crucial throughout this stage of the process since I was worried I wasn't artistic enough to convey the solutions I had in mind.

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4.3 Prototype

After using the flow diagram and low-fidelity sketches to define a large portion of the solution, I produced a mid-fidelity prototype with interactive detail. The opportunity to test out high-level flow, screen layouts, content, and fundamental interactions was greatly enhanced by this prototype. Figma was used to create this prototype, and to make it interactive.

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Wireframes

It was time to produce efficient handover documentation when the prototype had been finished and all interaction flaws fixed. It was crucial to learn how to define the extra information that developers require to correctly design the product.

I had to deconstruct each of these wireframes' details in order to finish them:

• screen
• selection
• element
• animation
• field

I created thorough wireframes and added headers and names to each page to make it easier for developers to navigate and comprehend all instructions.

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The customer wanted the app to have a crisp, user-friendly, modern feel that would go with their logo. I had a lot of freedom as everything had to be made from scratch. I therefore had no guidelines and resources available when I started this endeavor.

Iconography

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The Skylink brand had to be completely redone, and it now features simple, clean icons made with small interface applications in mind. However, in some cases, such as with the navigation icons, it required custom work.

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Final Prototype

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