Wing It! Case Study
The Design Process: Research and Reporting | Hand-Sketched and Digitized Wireframes |Interactivity | Testing, Reporting and Continuous Improvement
Recently, I created a prototype flight booking website known as WingIt!, the first step of which was conducting interviews of potential Users in order to determine which features they value most in a flight-booking website.
Next, I created a simple chart as part of my Research Findings report in order to synthesize which items to highlight in my design, and thereby my User Goal Statement was formulated:
My User wants to feel informed and protected when booking commercial flights online.
During interviews, it became evident that Users would seek out and utilize a site that features clear, concise information presented in a way that helps them to avoid making potentially expensive mistakes when booking flights online. Therefore, I set out to create such a site based on my User Goal Statement.
Below are images created throughout the design process, from a simple research grid, to sketches, to digitized wireframes and onward to interactive wireframes.
A work in progress...
Finally, after making my wireframes interactive, I went on to conduct usability testing by observing would-be Users as they navigated the site while thinking out loud.
I observed one of my initial interviewees to see how the site stacked up against her expectations, as well as a self-professed "computer illiterate" who would like to travel more, and a young man who travels frequently for fun.
The general consensus was that the site comes across as straightforward, "super self-explanatory" and simple - in a good way. Folks appreciated the built-in flexibility.
Several changes are in the process of being implemented based upon the research findings.:
The progress bar has been removed. There was no reason to have both the nav bar and progress bar, since the nav bar serves multiple functions (and adds a touch of whimsy with the different colored jet plane icons).
I added a "Choose Your Own Adventure" button per Users' requests to include a trip randomization feature.
I added specific timeframes to the time parameter selection buttons.
I separated to and from flights onto separate pages.
Multiple Users suggested an opportunity to compare and choose between airports in major cities that have more than one airport nearby (specific examples given include Chicago and New York), so this is a feature I would like to add.
Additionally, I would like to make some of my buttons a bit more intuitive by changing the font and color of the font when they are selected, rather than just changing the tint of the button itself.
The above images are updates and changes made so far to the site based upon research.
In general, I have met my goal of helping Users to feel both informed and protected when using the site, as it is uncluttered and pertinent information is clearly displayed. However, I recognize and understand that there is always room for improvement and I continually strive to practice progress over perfection.