AirLuggage
The AirLuggage App is designed to streamline the travel experience by managing luggage status from departure to arrival at the final destination airport. Users can easily track their luggage, locate baggage claim areas, and connect with airport customer service for any luggage-related issues.
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My Role
UX/UI Designer
Technology
Mobile App
Duration
October 2022 - February 2023
Tools
Figma
FgJam
Google Form
Zoom
UX Process
Five stages of the Design Thinking approach in Agile
Epathy
1
Define
2
Ideate
3
Prototype
4
5
Test
Background
In today's world, smartphones are ubiquitous, and travelers increasingly rely on mobile apps for information. This inspired me to develop a mobile app that helps passengers manage their luggage status upon arrival at their final destination airport. The app provides real-time updates on luggage status, directions to the baggage claim area, and seamless connectivity to airline customer service for any luggage-related issues.
Problem Space
Losing luggage during air travel is a significant source of stress for passengers. The anxiety of waiting at the baggage claim only to find that luggage hasn't arrived can be overwhelming, especially if it contains essential items like medication or work materials. Reporting missing luggage and enduring the waiting period to retrieve it adds to the frustration. Navigating unfamiliar surroundings without personal belongings and the time-consuming retrieval process further exacerbate the inconvenience, turning a potentially enjoyable travel experience into an ordeal.
The problem space is frustration in Air Baggage Management.
Empathy Phase
As a UX/UI designer, I employed various research methods during the empathy stage of the design thinking process to gain a comprehensive understanding of the problem I aimed to address.
UX Research
WHO?
WHEN?
WHAT?
WHERE?
HOW?
The research objective was to thoroughly comprehend the challenges associated with luggage management in air travel, focusing on identifying who, when, what, where, how, and appropriate responses when passengers experience frustration. I employed diverse research methods including secondary research, primary research (such as screener surveys and interviews), and competitive analysis to achieve this goal.
Secondary Research
During my secondary research phase, I delved into existing data relevant to my product concept. Here are key findings on how passengers typically obtain information about their luggage at the final destination airport:
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By checking the baggage belt column on the arrivals screen.
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By approaching one of the airline's agents at the airport.
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Through flight attendants' announcements upon landing at the final destination airport.
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Occasionally, via notifications from the airline's mobile app.
Primary Research
Screener Survey
I used a screener survey as a tool to make sure that I was conducting research with the right participants.
Here are examples of my questions that were included in the screener survey:
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When did you take your last trip, domestic or international, by airplane?
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How do you prefer to check in for your flight?
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How many pieces of baggage do you usually carry?
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What problems do you face while checking your baggage?
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How do you know where to pick up your baggage on landing?
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Have you had any problems with getting your baggage on arrival?
70%
According to the screener survey, 70% of participants encountered issues retrieving their luggage upon arrival.
Unmoderated Interview
After sending out the screener survey, I interviewed 5 participants chosen for their insights into the problem. I prepared interview questions beforehand and selected impactful quotes afterward. Here are a few examples:
"We did not know that our luggage did not make it until the belt on baggage claim stopped running."
Donna
"We were the only people left and there were no our bags. We had questions: where are our bags?"
David
"I heard an announcement in the plane what carousel my bags could be at. It was helpful info I knew where to go before leaving the plane."
Tina
"I feel pretty good about the airline app because it tells when my bags are loaded onto the airplane."
Brian
"I absolutely did not have an answer to my question of 'where my baggage is?'"
Julia
80%
The primary research revealed that approximately 80% of participants encountered a common issue: frustration while attempting to locate luggage information upon arriving at the final destination airport.
Competitive Analysis
As part of my competitive analysis, I evaluated the software product features related to air luggage management for three airline companies: Delta, Southwest, and Hawaiian Airlines. Below is an overview of the comparison table:
During competitor analysis, I discovered that Delta, Southwest, and Hawaiian Airlines offer comparable features. These include checking bags during flight check-in, printing bag tags at self-check-in kiosks, tracking flight status, and contacting customer service. Notably, Delta and Hawaiian Airlines now provide baggage carousel numbers in their updated mobile apps.
NONE
None of these airlines offer notifications for luggage issues, although the Delta app does provide some information on luggage status.
Define Phase
A successful solution requires a clear definition of the problem at hand. In this case, passengers frequently experience frustration when they attempt to locate information regarding their baggage claim number at the final destination airport.
Affinity Mapping
As a UX/UI Designer, I used affinity mapping to organize data and insights collected during the empathy phase. This involved grouping similar items together for analysis. Here's an example of my affinity map:
Here are examples of the groups that were formed:
Generally, I observed that frustrated individuals could be categorized into several passenger groups:
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Those experiencing a lack of awareness due to difficulty understanding the luggage's location.
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Individuals feeling a lack of control over the information concerning luggage location.
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Leaders who take initiative by navigating to the baggage claim area independently.
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Followers who quietly follow the crowd to the luggage retrieval area.
Empathy Map
As a UI/UX designer, I used an empathy map to organize user insights from interviews, helping me understand their pain points and goals better. Here's an example of the empathy map board I created:
Persona
As a UI/UX designer, I created a persona to answer the question "Who am I designing this product for?" This persona, Brian, embodies individuals who feel a lack of control when trying to obtain information about their luggage at the final destination airport. Brian's frustration stems from the uncertainty of whether his luggage is lost or not.
When luggage doesn't arrive at the baggage claim, travelers like Brian may experience anxiety and a sense of loss of control. The lack of control amplifies their stress levels as they wait uncertainly for their belongings. This uncertainty makes the luggage retrieval process emotionally challenging for many travelers.
Below is an example of the persona:
Journey Map
To visually depict Brian's process of finding his luggage, I crafted a journey map. This map first organizes Brian's actions into a timeline and then enriches it with his thoughts and emotions to create a narrative. Here's an example of the journey map for Brian:
How Might We
How Might We alleviate frustration in air luggage management by aiding airline passengers in accessing information about their luggage status and providing guidance to their baggage location?
How Might We minimize frustration for Brian during the process of disembarking and retrieving his luggage?
How Might We assist Brian in locating his luggage along with its current status?
How Might We inform passengers about luggage locations at designated baggage claims upon their arrival at the final destination airport?
Solution Statement
Create an app that guides Brian at the airport so he can retrieve his luggage status and find the support needed.
Information Architecture
Sitemap
As a UX/UI designer, I created a mobile sitemap to visually represent the hierarchy of the AirLuggage mobile app. It illustrates how pages are prioritized, linked, and labeled, and how users can navigate through the app.
Here is an example of the app sitemap:
User Flow
As a UI/UX designer, I created user flows to visually represent the experience I am crafting for Brian, ensuring he can easily retrieve his luggage and find the necessary support at the airport.
Here is an example of a user flow for when a passenger arrives at their final destination and begins searching for luggage status information. Using the AirLuggage mobile app, Brian successfully finds the information without any issues. After identifying himself, he is guided by an airport map, allowing him to navigate seamlessly to the baggage claim area.
User Story
The user stories included in my MVP focus on high-priority tasks designed to reduce Brian’s frustration in retrieving his luggage. The must-have features are:
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Retrieving the status of the passenger’s luggage.
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Providing directions to the baggage claim belt.
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Contacting customer support.
Here is an example of the user stories and MVP:
Ideation Phase | Round 1
In the ideation phase, I sketched designs for the primary mobile platform and one screen for desktop and tablet. After conducting guerrilla usability tests, I incorporated feedback and created low-fidelity wireframes in Figma, followed by another round of usability testing. I then developed high-fidelity wireframes and performed a final usability test to gather feedback and make final adjustments before finalizing the high-fidelity screens.
Sketches
As a UI/UX designer, I aimed to bring my ideas to life by sketching them out, moving concepts from my head onto paper.
During primary research, user interviews revealed several key points:
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Users took time to figure out where to go to find their luggage after arriving at the final destination airport.
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They experienced frustration when their luggage did not appear on the baggage belt.
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They spent more time than expected locating airline customer service.
These insights led me to sketch screens for important Red Routes, including:
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Luggage details to find luggage status.
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Found the luggage status and an airport map for directions to the baggage claim area.
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Luggage status notifications indicating "Your baggage has not arrived yet" with the option to check its location.
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Luggage status notifications indicate that the luggage status is not found, with the option to contact airline customer support.
Here are examples of the sketching screens:
Testing Phase | Round 1
Sketching the red routes of the AirLuggage app allowed me to effectively communicate my ideas and gather feedback during all rounds of usability testing.
Guerilla Usability Testing
As a UI/UX designer, I understand the importance of the design principle to "test early and test often." I conducted guerrilla usability testing with 5 participants to identify and address usability issues early on. For this, I used the latest revisions of the red route sketches and converted these sketched screens into a clickable prototype using Marvel. This allowed testers to interact with the screens in a realistic manner on their mobile phones.
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Retrieve luggage status information.
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Navigate to the baggage claim area.
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Contact airline customer service.
Findings
After conducting guerrilla usability testing, I identified several pain points. Here is one of them:
Ideation Phase | Round 2
Low-Fidelity Wireframe
After completing guerrilla usability testing and gathering user feedback, I incorporated design changes to multiple screens and then created low-fidelity wireframes.
Here are samples of the low-fidelity wireframes for all screens:
Testing Phase | Round 2
Usability Testing
I conducted the second round of usability testing for my design using an interactive low-fidelity prototype and involving 5 new participants to identify usability issues.
The tasks assigned to each participant were identical to those in the first round of testing and included:
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Retrieve luggage status information.
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Navigate to the baggage claim area.
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Contact airline customer service.
Findings
Following the second round of Usability Testing, I uncovered various pain points. Here's an example:
Ideation Phase | Round 3
During the third round of ideation, I progressed into the visual design phase, which involved creating a moodboard, developing the style guide, and ultimately crafting high-fidelity screens.
Style Guide
Color Palettes
Fonts
Icon Styles
UI Elements
Typography
Imagery
As a UI/UX designer, I created a style guide to establish the visual foundation of my project. It included color palettes, fonts, icon styles from Material Design Icons, and UI elements inspired by existing kits. I chose Roboto for its industry-standard usage and based sizing on industry examples and Material Design 3. Illustrations were also used to reinforce brand personality and user engagement. Here's an example of my style guide:
High-Fidelity Wireframe
Following the second round of usability testing, gathering user feedback, and advancing through the visual design phase, I developed high-fidelity wireframes.
Below are examples of the high-fidelity wireframes depicting all screens of the AirLuggage Mobile App:
Testing Phase | Round 3
Usability Testing
For the third round of usability testing, I followed the same process as in the previous two phases. I conducted five moderated usability tests remotely, involving five new participants who had previously experienced issues related to their luggage at the final destination airport. Each participant was assigned identical tasks and asked identical questions. Here are some examples of the tasks given:
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Retrieve luggage status information.
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Navigate to the baggage claim area.
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Contact airline customer service.
Findings
After completing the third round of Usability Testing, I received positive feedback regarding the design of both the user experience and user interface. However, during the testing phase, I noted that some participants expected additional options to contact airline customer support. Overall, though, there were no instances of confusion reported by any test participant while completing tasks.
Final Design
Prototype
Following positive feedback from the third round of testing, there were no alterations made to the high-fidelity wireframes in the final testing phase. Here is an example of the latest version of the interactive prototype for the AirLuggage mobile app.
Next step for this project
If I were to develop this project further, I would include the following features:
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Interactive GPS Airport Map for navigation assistance.
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Luggage status check before boarding the aircraft.
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Notifications for baggage status in case of flight delays.
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Information on luggage status for multi-leg journeys with delays.
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Scan option for confirmation numbers or luggage tags.
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Expanded customer support options such as requesting a call, initiating a call, or chatting with customer service.
Conclusion
Through this UX/UI design project, I've realized the critical importance of expediting the process of finding luggage information upon arrival at the final destination airport. In my view, the solution I've crafted has the potential to enhance the experience for individuals seeking such information while also enabling airlines to offer digital solutions that strengthen customer relationships and streamline luggage management issue resolution, ultimately saving time for all parties involved.