C A S E S T U D Y 1 :  U S E R R E S E A R C H

User research is the foundation for good UX design and the fundamentals are extremely important. As part of the User Experience Design Certificate program I was able to perform various research tasks and develop a variety of UX research deliverables. The following research was conducted to learn more about the air travel experience for frequent travellers in order to improve that experience for them.

To start the process, preliminary interviews were done. Through the information gained during these interviews, I was able to develop a user journey map to gain insight into the pain points, challenges, goals and motivations of target users. This was beneficial in understanding the user and their experiences. It also helped to develop three hypotheses that would later be used as the base for the validating research.

Based on the interviews and user journey map above, the following insights and recommendations were made:

INSIGHTS:

• customers feel most happy after boarding the plane and taking off 

• customers find it important to fly with airlines that have good loyalty programs and perks

• customers find convenience in time and good prices key factors when booking a flight

• customers feel least happy when waiting in security lines

• line ups and crowds are major pain points for travellers

• bad WIFI and internet connections are a struggle for customers at airports

• baggage claim can be a struggle for travellers trying to grab back off of the belt

RECOMMENDATIONS: KEY OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE TRAVELLERS EXPERIENCE

• developing frequent flyer benefits that allow access to premium facilities like private internet lounges and priority line services

• providing complimentary blankets and pillows on flights. 

• offering a different location for luggage pick up that doesn't require standing with the crowd or using the luggage belt

RECOMMENDATIONS: COMPANY ACTIONS

• continue to improve loyalty programs

• offer flight discounts and deals

• offer flights at a variety of times

The followed hypotheses were proposed based on previous research findings:

1. Providing the ability for travellers to reserve a time slot to access check in desk, security, boarding services and baggage claim will create a streamlined experience and waste less time for travellers.

2. We believe that by continuing to improve loyalty programs and increasing incentives with points and flight discounts, we can improve customer satisfaction by saving money for frequent travellers.

3. By providing premium access to lounges for loyalty members we may be able to provide better more secure internet access while ensuring travellers feel rewarded and thereby likely encourage a strong ongoing relationship with the brand.

To further build on these hypotheses by validating or invalidating them, a survey was conducted with a larger group of people. The focus of the survey was to verify the initial assumptions while providing a solid foundation of research based findings.

In order to ensure the right questions were being asked in the survey I considered a few points:

HYPOTHESIS ONE: Providing the ability for travellers to reserve a time slot to access check in desk, security, boarding services and baggage claim will create a streamlined experience and waste less time for travellers.

1. Will providing the option to book time slots waste less time for users?

2. Would travellers use an appointment booking system to save time?

3. What areas of the airport experience have the longest wait times?

HYPOTHESIS TWO: We believe that by continuing to improve loyalty programs and increasing incentives with points and flight discounts, we can improve customer satisfaction by saving money for frequent travellers.

1. Will improving loyalty programs and incentives increase customer satisfaction and save money?

2. Do travellers use rewards programs and does it affect their satisfaction?

3. Is it worthwhile to focus on improving rewards programs? 

HYPOTHESIS THREE: By providing premium access to lounges for loyalty members we may be able to provide better more secure internet access while ensuring travellers feel rewarded and thereby likely encourage a strong ongoing relationship with the brand.

1. Will travellers use private lounges to use the internet? 

2. Does feeling rewarded encourage customers to feel a strong relationship with a brand?

3. How important is the internet connection at an airport?

After the survey was conducted the following results and insights were found:

• Most people said they WOULD utilize online booking systems to avoid waiting in line ups. This provides strong evidence that most customers would take advantage of this program to reduce waiting times. This would keep their experience more pleasurable and keep satisfaction up.  

• NONE of the participants believed that check in at an airport had a long wait. This invalidates our assumption that check ins were an area for improvement when it comes to time wasted. 

• Waiting at the gate, security and getting off the plane were believed to be the areas with the longest wait times. These are the areas that can provide the most benefit from scheduled appointment times if possible.  

62.5% of participants believe that reducing the amount of waiting time at an airport is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

• Majority of people DO NOT use airline rewards programs but DO utilize rewards programs outside of airports. This area is greatly under utilized and we can increase customer satisfaction greatly by improving rewards programs.

• All of the participants believe that a good reward program would make them choose certain companies above others. This strong result proves that it is worthwhile to focus efforts on improving rewards programs.

• Good perks and good prices are extremely important to travellers. By continuing to provide great deals and perks for loyalty rewards members we can greatly increase customer satisfaction. 

 87.5% of participants believe that receiving good perks for being part of a rewards program is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

75% of participants believe that getting a good price when booking a flight is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

• The participants were divided when it comes to the use of private lounges. This sheds light on the fact that providing access to lounges may not be the most important thing for travellers. Not as many resources may be needed in this area and we may consider distributing resources elsewhere to improve other areas.    

• Fast internet was NOT the most important thing to any participants. This indicates that our initial hypothesis that secure internet was a priority may not be the case. It is an important thing to have for travellers but not the most important.   

The MOST IMPORTANT thing for survey participants is receiving good perks for being part of a rewards program.

Once the survey was completed at the results analyzed, it was found that some things were validated and some were not. Findings and insights include:

HYPOTHESIS ONE: Providing the ability for travellers to reserve a time slot to access check in desk, security, boarding services and baggage claim will create a streamlined experience and waste less time for travellers.

• Travellers would utilize an online appointment booking system to save time and avoid waiting in line ups. 

• Wait times can be improved for security, waiting at the gate and off boarding the plane specifically.

HYPOTHESIS TWO: We believe that by continuing to improve loyalty programs and increasing incentives with points and flight discounts, we can improve customer satisfaction by saving money for frequent travellers.

• Rewards programs are worth improving because they increase customer satisfaction and maintain loyalty to the brand.

• A large number of travellers do not currently use airline rewards programs. 

HYPOTHESIS THREE: By providing premium access to lounges for loyalty members we may be able to provide better more secure internet access while ensuring travellers feel rewarded and thereby likely encourage a strong ongoing relationship with the brand.

• Only some participants would use private lounges. 

• Internet connection is not the top priority for travellers. Increased perks are encouraged but other offers besides internet lounges may be more beneficial for the traveller. 

The completion of these research tasks provide a good foundation for the development of great user experiences that can improve the air travel experience.