Survey

Gaining insights from user feedback:

To gain a deeper understanding of our target users, I crafted a 10-question survey using Google Forms, which garnered 44 responses. All respondents confirmed having prior experience booking airline tickets.

Reaching out to participants:

The survey was distributed among friends, family, and colleagues via WhatsApp, Slack, and email channels. While this approach introduced some bias, in a real-world scenario, I would have utilized a professional user testing platform to mitigate potential biases.

Opting for desktop design:

With 77% of respondents expressing a preference for using a laptop or desktop computer to book flights, the decision to prioritize the desktop version was reinforced.

Key insights:

I aimed to keep the survey concise and focused, employing 8 closed-ended questions to gather quantifiable data. Additionally, I included an open-ended question to allow users to share their past flight booking experiences, which would inform the design process.

Lessons learned:

One crucial lesson emerged regarding the formulation of multiple-choice questions. For example, when asking users to select three important factors for flight booking, the responses were diverse, making it challenging to discern the primary reason. This underscored the importance of crafting questions thoughtfully to yield clear and actionable insights.

Affinity diagram

Collaborative data review:

After compiling all the research findings, it was time to let the data speak for itself. Reviewing the data with friends turned out to be a fun and collaborative experience. Fortunately, we were able to do this in person, which allowed for lively discussions and the pooling of diverse perspectives. As they say, five minds are better than one! 🧠

Unlocking insights together:

This approach not only enabled us to analyze the data collectively but also provided an opportunity to hone leadership skills and guide the team through the process. Using Post-it notes for brainstorming proved invaluable, with the board serving as our canvas to organize ideas into natural groupings.

Challenges and learnings:

One challenge we encountered was the sheer volume of data to absorb in a single session. Reflecting on this, I realized that in future group settings, it might be beneficial to have everyone review the data independently beforehand. This way, we could come to the brainstorming session prepared, resulting in a more efficient process and fresher perspectives.

Embracing the journey:

Despite the challenges, the experience was immensely enjoyable. The colorful array of Post-it notes gradually revealed the bigger picture, underscoring the power of collaborative efforts in uncovering insights and driving the design process forward.

Customer journey

map

Bringing the project to life:

This technique breathed life into the project. Using my own judgment, I further structured the research data collected earlier.

Simplifying the translation:

To distill all this information, I found it easier to go old school – using paper and colour-coding. This hands-on approach made it simpler for me to interpret the data. It also led to a better understanding of my findings and the categories in the affinity diagram.

Identifying Pain Points:

Here are some of the pain points users faced when booking flights:

☹️ Homepage overload with too many options and distractions

☹️ Difficulty selecting travel dates and making corrections

☹️ Lack of clarity on pricing, which keeps increasing with additional features like luggage, seat selection, and meals

☹️ Unclear duration of the buying process and too many pages to navigate or skip through

☹️ Excessive scrolling required, with all information ideally fitting on one page

☹️ Desire for the system to suggest the best flight options and explain why they're recommended

☹️ Need for easy error correction and search editing

Full customer journey map made with Smaply can be viewed here

Flow diagram

Mapping out the maze:

It's time to make sense of the maze and create a clear map.

Learning from the exercise:

During this process, I discovered that the most natural way to read the diagram is from left to right. This simplifies interpretation and reduces the need to constantly decipher arrows.

Every interaction counts:

Understanding the significance of each interaction is crucial. This is especially important because stakeholders, like developers, will need to understand the steps and interactions involved from start to finish.

Full flow diagram created in Figma (request access) 👉🏼 here 👈🏼