SUMMARY
Founded in 1927 as a mail and passenger service, Pan Am World Airways was once the largest international airline until its ultimate collapse in 1991. In its prime, Pan Am dominated the skies and used its experience and brand power to positively affect the airline industry. Specifically, by utilizing newly-developed reservation systems and modernized aircraft, Pan Am transformed air travel from an elite experience for the few to a modish, accessible means of air travel for all.
My capstone prompt is summarized as follows: Recognizing Pan Am’s iconic history and established brand identity, my client saw an opportunity to revitalize the airline and develop a flying experience unique to its competition. Proprietors of Pan Am hoped to relaunch the airline in 12-18 months and sought a premier user experience to assist in defining its modernized brand. My client also chose to focus on the mobile shopping experience, through which users can search and book flights, check in before a scheduled flight and more.
In short, I was tasked with revitalizing a historic airline for the modern era and creating a user experience that would rise above its competition.
ABOUT
Course
UX Academy, Capstone Project
Duration
Three Weeks in 2016
My Role
User Experience Researcher, UX/UI Designer
Tools Used
Sketch, Principle, Marvel
Process
The following process was conceived and carefully adhered to during the three week capstone project:
Research
Over two weeks, I strategized and conducted research with 12 participants in an attempt to understand how users currently use mobile airline applications and how the process could be enhanced. Three research methods were ultimately used: an online survey, one-on-one interviews, and a competitive analysis of existing airline applications.
Online Survey
The purpose of this survey was to (1) determine general flying preferences and frustrations and (2) gauge mobile vs. desktop preferences when browsing or purchasing flights. In all, eight individuals participated in this online survey and in almost every case, provided feedback that was extrapolated into valuable conclusions about Pan Am’s strategy. Key findings from this study are included below.
Flight Booking Preferences
Airline Amenity Preferences
The following averages were compiled using a multiple choice grid that asked participants to rank the importance of various airline amenities from 1 (not important) to 5 (very important).
Individual Interviews
The purpose of individual interview sessions was to further identify preferences and frustrations with the air travel industry, including device preference when searching or booking flights. In all, four individuals—ranging in age, location, and occupation—were interviewed with similar questions as the online survey. However, interviewees were often given the chance to expand on their answers in an informal setting. Example questions from this interview are included below:
On average, how many flights do you take per year?
Do you prefer an airline with pre-assigned seating (i.e. American Airlines), or an airline with free seating (i.e. Southwest Airlines)?
Do you have an airline of choice? If so, why is this your preferred airline?
Do you have any general frustrations with the current air travel industry?
Would you consider trying a newly formed airline?
“People aren’t valued as customers anymore…pretty bad customer service all around.”
“I’m definitely not a huge fan of flying. I just don’t like the feeling of being herded onto a plane where I have to sit uncomfortably for hours.”
Competitive Analysis
Concluding Insights
Conducting multiple forms of primary and secondary research allowed for the discovery of valuable insights, all of which helped guide the ideation and prototyping processes. Highlighted below are a sample of these key insights:
87.5% of online survey respondents and 100% of individual interviewees had searched for a flight on their mobile device or tablet. However, 0% of online respondents and only 25% of individual interviewees had ever purchased a flight on a handheld device. When asked why, most respondents either (1) spoke to a distrust of making large purchases on a mobile device, or (2) stated that searching and purchasing flights was more efficient on a desktop computer. Pan Am’s mobile application should offer an efficient and standardized payment method that allows users to become comfortable with purchasing flights on their mobile device.
Resulting from the online survey was a clear set of customer priorities. Above all, customers were concerned about the cost of a flight, the ability to choose from a range of flight times, and the ability to travel on direct flights. Inflight customer service came next as a priority, followed by an airline’s safety record and check-in flexibility. Features like inflight entertainment and a frequent flyer program were of moderate importance to respondents. Additional features like renting a car were of menial importance to respondents and should not be the focus of Pan Am’s initial launch. Instead, the airline should market itself as a cost effective, comfortable airline with a historically positive safety record and excellent customer service.
Online and one-on-one participants generally felt that all airlines were the same. A strategy must therefore be devised to convince consumers that Pan Am is unique in the air travel industry. Its safety record and extensive history should be promoted to persuade consumers of this fact, even on the homepage.
Ideation
Application Map
Pan Am application map created using Sketch and Draw.io.
Mobile User Flow
The user flow below outlines two processes. First, it outlines the steps a user would take when opening the Pan Am mobile application—namely, whether to log in, sign up, or continue as a guest (shown in gray). Second, it shows the process through which a user would search and book a flight through Pan Am (shown in blue).
Pan Am mobile application user flow created using Draw.io.
Prototype
Using the above Pan Am application map and user flow, a set of wireframes were created that visualized the following workflows: logging into the application, searching for and booking a flight, and checking in for an upcoming flight. Once these wireframes were completed, a style guide was designed that paid homage to the iconic blues and grays that defined the airline in its earlier days. Lastly, this style guide was applied to the original set of wireframes to create a series of high-fidelity mockups and animated prototypes.
Wireframes
Sample of initial wireframes created in Sketch.
Style Guide
Pan Am style guide created using Sketch.
High-Fidelity Mockups
With the style guide in place, it was now possible to create high-fidelity mockups and animated prototypes of the user flows outlined above. Sketch, Marvel, and Principle were all used to create the below mockups and prototypes.
Loading Screen Animation
Creating an Account
Searching and Booking a Flight
Concluding Thoughts
Over the course of three weeks, I successfully provided initial solutions to the problems posed in the capstone brief. However, condensing an easily expansive project into such a small timeframe provided its share of challenges. As such, students completing this capstone were not required to conduct usability tests on their initial wireframes or high-fidelity prototypes. If this project were to continue, I would conduct multiple rounds of usability tests on my wireframes—specifically click and navigation tests—and iterate based on resulting insights. Additional time would also be spent building out and testing additional workflows, such as viewing a user’s Pan Am profile and learning more about the company’s history.
In the end, Pan Am’s mobile application succeeded in that it added transparency and efficiency to the flight searching and booking process, and presented functionality that allowed the user to feel more comfortable booking flights on a mobile device.
