Getting to your plane seat should be easy, even during a pandemic.

Traveling by plane can be tricky. It requires us, travellers, to combine a lot of information from different source to successfully get to our destination. The global pandemic brought new traviel restrictions and requirements that made it even harder. But it doesn't have to be that way.

T-Check simplifies the process for a carefree travel experience.

Emphathise

Define

Ideate

Prototype

Test

Step 1
Empathise

First things first. To create something truly meaningful for our users we first need to understand them. To make sure I created something relevant, I interviewed three people who had travelled by plane during the pandemic. This helped me identify their struggles and wishes. As a summary, I created a user journey map with their pain points and favourite moments.

Nina, 55
Madrid -> Helsinki
traveling with her dog to visit family

“I spent hours searching for information(…). On top of that this would change each day. It was horrible.”

Johannes, 25
Frankfurt -> Seoul
moving abroad to study

“I always have to ask where the check-in courters are. (...) It’s insane how many steps you have to do at the airport.”

Jesus, 53
Madrid -> Dubai
traveling for work

"With covid there is so much uncertainty… you can’t really be sure you’ll be let in the country."

Step 2
Define

GOAL

Support plane travelers in all needed steps, from organizing their trip to finding their plane seat

BENCHMARK

To ensure T-Check brings something new to the market, I researched other apps offering a similar service. I found the most common format to be travel itineraries. With my app, I aim to use a new pattern in the field, checklists.

VALUE PROPOSITION

Checklists are recognizable, simple and easy to use.

Step 3
Ideate

I drafted a clear information architecture to solve the most common issues found in the interviews. From that, the app concept was developed with simplified wireframes.

COMMON ISSUES

• What COVID documents do I need?
• Do I need a visa?
• How many bags can I take with me and how much weight is allowed?
• What time should I be at the airport?
• Where are the check-in counters?
• Where do I have to show which documents?
• Did they change my gate?
• What was my seat again?

Step 4
Prototype

With the information architecture and wireframes ready, I created the first prototype to test out with users. This included three app areas: home, documents and notifications.

The app is based on a checklist concept that supports the user preparing for the trip, navigating all steps at the airport and getting to their seat at the plane.

TEST

To find issues and room for improvement, I interviewed five users. They were asked to complete a set of simple tasks while thinking out loud.

I collected all mentioned issues in an excel sheet, where they were sorted and prioritised. With just five interviews of 30 minutes, I found 83 issues to fix.

The app is based on a checklist concept that supports the user preparing for the trip, navigating all steps at the airport and getting to their seat at the plane.

Issues from the stages highlighted in the user journey map as negative were prioritised

ITERATE

Iterate

For the first iteration, I prioritised 14 issues and created a high-fidelity version. I also made improvements in consistency and created a styleguide.

ONBOARDING
Teaching users to use the app with a simple onboarding

FIRST TRIP ADDED
We’re ready to prep for the first trip!

NOTIFICATIONS & DOCUMENTS
Keeping the user informed and with their travel documents always in hand

ACTIVE USER
The home screen of someone who’s added multiple trips and some are in the past

PREP STEPS
Detailed checklist of everything to do before the day of the trip

AIRPORT STEPS
Status of steps already at the airport

Final thoughts

Following the Design Thinking method was incredible helpful in developing something meaningful. The app concept was validated through user interviews.

T-Check offers a convenient checklist of all tasks users need to complete before a trip and on the day of the trip at the airport. The app is particularly useful in times of COVID, when travelling requirements are less clear than usual.

If the app was to be developed, there would be more design iterations to improve and expand the functions of the app. The biggest technical challenge would be to gather a database with all needed information, which is currently fragmented.

Being able to see past trips is a nice plus for users to collect trips as memories and encourage them to keep using the app

Overall the process taught me a lot and was very enjoyable.

Thank you for making it this far.
Safe travels!