TRAVEL APP DESIGN CHALLENGE
How I participated in a UX Design Challenge to redesign the plane ticket options feature
Project overview
I decided to participate in this design challenge in order to improve my UX skills and put the theory I’ve been acquiring into practice.
The specific challenge in this project was to allow users to book multiple tickets without the main passenger having to send each ticket individually. The task was not to focus on redesigning the app but rather to focus on solving a specific problem and creating a better user experience.
My Role
Human-centered designer, user research, visual design
Timeline
July 2024
Tools
Figma, FigJam
Problem
The group ticket dilemma
Have you ever had to buy multiple plane tickets?
If so, you were probably frustrated with distributing those tickets later on. For group trips, people tend to buy multiple tickets from one account. However, it's a hassle to download, then forward tickets to friends so they can have their own ticket so they don't rely on one person holding all the tickets.
Questions that needed to be resolved in this project are:
How can users forward tickets to family and friends without relying on one person holding all the tickets?
How can others in the group be notified about the tickets?
The Goal
PROJECT GOALS
The main goal was to smooth out the ticket-sharing process with a new feature that lets users send details to the whole group in just a few clicks.
OBJECTIVES
Objective 1: Introduce the new feature to keep current users happy and catch the eye of new ones.
Objective 2: Drive sales up by 20% and establish the app as the go-to option for organizing group ticket purchases.
HYPOTHESIS
By simplifying ticket sharing within a group—without relying on one person—I aim to reduce time and hassle. I’ll test this through usability sessions, measuring forwarding time and tracking any issues.
01.
Easy ticket sharing
I incorporated these key findings by reducing the text on the ‘’Successful payment’’ screen. Additionally, I highlighted and underlined the words ‘’view’’ and ‘’share’’ so they are more noticeable to users. This change informs users that they can share ticket details in addition to viewing them.
Solution
Easy ticket sharing
To streamline group ticket sharing, I designed a feature that allows users to forward individual tickets directly to each group member. This reduces dependency on a single ticket holder and saves time, making it easier for each traveler to access their own ticket.
03.
Apple Wallet option
Besides having options such as sharing tickets via different messaging apps and saving to files, users now have the option of saving these tickets to Apple Wallet.
02.
Prioritizing sections
I reordered the ‘’Ticket details’’ screen to prioritize sections differently, based on user preference for seeing the share ticket option after the flight details.
04.
QR code sharing
I came up with a simple solution using QR codes to make group ticket distribution hassle-free. Now, instead of one person holding all the tickets, the main buyer can just generate unique QR codes and share them directly. Everyone gets their own ticket, making check-in a breeze and saving a ton of stress for the whole group!
Research
What do users struggle with when managing group tickets?
I started off with some research - creating a user persona I named ''Group Organizer Linh'' mapping out her journey, mapping out her journey, and checking out what the competition's up to. Through this initial research, I noticed some common pain points when it comes to managing group tickets.
Take Linh, for example. She's all about planning trips for her family and friends, but when it comes time to send out the tickets? Total headache. She really just wants a quick and easy way to get everyone's tickets onto their devices without all the back-and-forth.
.png)
Mapping out the user journey showed me one big frustration: the ticket forwarding rocess is complicated! It’s confusing, and users end up feeling lost. What they really want is a faster, simpler way to share tickets without all the hassle.
.png)
Exploring competition
Competitor analysis highlighted a need for handling multiple ticket bookings.
Airlines such as Easy Jet and Air Asia typically send a single confirmation email for multiple tickets. So if you're the organizer, you're stuck either forwarding that email one by one or printing out each ticket for everyone.
These insights suggest a significant market gap for a solution that lets users share multiple tickets with a few simple clicks, all from one account.
HMW
How might we simplify this process?
How might we streamline the process so it’s automatic?
How might we add a feature so that users distribute multiple tickets fast?
How might we use other apps so other passengers receive their tickets through them?
Generating ideas
Brainstorming
I mixed things up with brainwriting and the SCAMPER method to spark as many ideas as possible for a feature that could make sending multiple plane tickets a breeze.
Concept development
I created a range of low-fidelity wireframes to bring those ideas to life and see which ones actually worked.
In the end, I landed on a solution that felt just right: using a QR code (option 3 on the slideshow) to share all the tickets at once. It’s straightforward and keeps things super simple!
Usability testing
Putting the features to test
I decided to run A/B testing using my Figma prototype to see which design would guide users more smoothly through the ticket-sharing process.
I tested with five people who matched my target audience—people who often organize group trips.
KEY OBJECTIVE 1
Users found the ‘’Successful payment’’ screen confusing, and they overlooked the text above the main buttons that indicates there is an option allowing users to share tickets with other group members.
KEY OBJECTIVE 2
Two of the five participants expressed a preference for seeing the share ticket option after the flight details.
KEY OBJECTIVE 3
Three of the participants mentioned they’d love to be able to download their tickets directly into Apple Wallet, so I made a note to add that feature.
Learnings
Project outcomes
In real life, I would track the success of this project by monitoring:
-
whether there is an increased number of new app users
-
whether users are using the new feature for sending multiple ticket details
-
whether there has been a 20% increase in ticket purchases
Looking back
This project was a great chance to dive into different research and testing methods and really level up my design skills. I especially loved doing user testing—it was full of those light bulb ‘aha’ moments that made everything click!
If I were to do it again, I’d try mixing in a few more testing techniques to get an even clearer picture.
.png)