✈️ Research & User Insights

🎯 Goal

To understand how people currently search, compare, and book flights online — and identify pain points that prevent a smooth, confident booking experience.

👥 User Interviews

I conducted six remote interviews with participants who travel at least twice a year, ranging from casual travelers to frequent flyers. The goal was to learn about their habits, frustrations, and emotional triggers when booking flights.

Sample Questions:

• “What’s the hardest part about booking a flight online?”

• “How do you usually compare flights or decide which one to book?”

• “What makes you feel confident that you got a good deal?”

• “Have you ever abandoned a booking midway? Why?”

• “What would make the booking experience faster or less stressful?”

Key Quotes:

“I hate when the price jumps after I click — I never know what’s real.”
“I wish I could see flight and hotel options together instead of switching tabs.”
“Half the time I just get lost in filters — I can’t tell which flight includes baggage.”
“I’m scared I’ll book the wrong date, so I recheck everything five times.”

💡 Key Findings

From the interviews and competitive analysis, five consistent pain points emerged:

1. Hidden Fees & Lack of Transparency
   Users often felt tricked by fluctuating prices or unclear baggage policies.

   Opportunity: Display fare breakdowns clearly and early in the process.

2. Decision Fatigue
   Too many flight options caused cognitive overload.

   Opportunity: Simplify comparison through visual cues, filters, and smart sorting.

3. Trust & Confirmation Anxiety
   Many users lacked confidence their booking went through or included everything.

   Opportunity: Add confirmation summaries, progress indicators, and micro-feedback.

4. Inspiration Before Booking
   About half the users didn’t know where they wanted to go yet — they wanted inspiration, deals, or flexible trip ideas first.

   Opportunity: Create an “Explore AI” feature that recommends destinations based on budget, weather, or travel history.

5. Disjointed Experience Across Devices
   Travelers often switched between phone and laptop; context didn’t carry over.

   Opportunity: Design a responsive, synced interface for multi-device continuity.

🧭 Personas

To translate these insights into design goals, I created two primary personas that reflect the spectrum of BookAir’s audience:

1. Sophia — The Occasional Explorer

• 35, marketing professional, travels for leisure 2–3 times a year

• Values clarity, inspiration, and affordability

• Frustrations: Hidden fees, too many tabs open, confusing filters

• Goals: Find a trip idea fast, see honest prices, and book with confidence

2. Malik — The Business Traveler

• 42, consultant, travels monthly for work

• Values speed, reliability, and flexible change options

• Frustrations: Repetitive data entry, rechecking confirmations, juggling multiple devices

• Goals: Rebook easily, save preferences, get real-time notifications
  
  🔍 Research Synthesis

  After mapping each persona’s journey, it became clear that most users hit friction between search and checkout. This was the highest drop-off point. Users lost trust due to unclear fare differences and complex steps.

  I synthesized findings into three main design priorities:

  1. Transparency – Show users exactly what they’re paying for and why.

  2. Clarity – Guide them step-by-step with clear progress states and minimal visual noise.

  3. Assistance – Offer AI-based guidance (Explore AI, price prediction, and deal suggestions).

  🧩 How Research Shaped the Design

  • The Explore AI feature was added after seeing users seek travel inspiration before booking.

  • The multi-step progress bar came from the need to reduce booking anxiety.

  • The smart fare cards (showing baggage, refund policy, and perks upfront) addressed hidden fee frustration.

  • A clean dashboard view was designed to reflect the “trustworthy data display” principles I use at J.P. Morgan — simplified, data-dense, but never overwhelming.