EZTravel - Web Design
Airline and flight booking websites are often overwhelming, cluttered, and confusing. With hidden fees, unclear navigation, and a lack of transparency, users frequently leave frustrated, or abandon their booking altogether. EZTravel is a project where I set out to address these pain points and design a website with clarity, accessibility and user needs as the focus.
About the Project
Problem
Through usability testing, user interviews and competitor analysis, I identified several recurring pain points with flight booking websites:
Confusing UI elements made it hard to complete basic tasks.
Hidden fees created frustration and distrust.
Unclear next steps in the booking process increased drop-off rates.
Unexplained elements left users second-guessing their choices.
Solution
The goal was to focus on qualitative research and combine the best practices from existing platforms with user-centred refinements. Key improvements included:
Transparent Pricing: Breaking down fees clearly at each stage, eliminating surprises.
Simplified Navigation: Clear progression through search, selection, and checkout steps.
Smart Defaults: Auto-filling departure airports and personal data based on user history.
Contextual Guidance: Clear explanations for each element to reduce confusion.
My Role
UI Design
UX Design
Software
Figma
Miro
Google Docs
Zoom
Methods
Usability Testing
Affinity Diagram
User Journey Map
Flow Diagram
Wireframe
Prototype
Research
User Interviews
"The text can be very small and very hidden for like… key information"
"I really dislike this, it's like a text wall”, “Now I’m like, what does any of this mean?"
“It didn’t suggest that you put your date in there, I wasn't sure where to click"
Usability Testing
The usability test revealed consistent issues such as difficulty locating total costs, uncertainty about next steps, and a lack of clarity. These insights directly informed design decisions, ensuring that the final solution adhered to the users' mental models and also addressed real user pain points.
Affinity Diagram
Next I mapped the data, using an affinity diagram. By grouping similar observations and pain points, clear themes began to emerge — such as hidden fees, unclear navigation, and inconsistent UI elements. This was key in informing my design decisions down the line.
Customer Journey Map
Using the data from the research stages I was able reliably back this journey map up with real qualitative data and first-hand examples, thus providing an accurate customer journey map to help in the future UX design stages.
Mapping this allowed me to emulate what the customer feels when they proceed through the website. What are they thinking? What are their priorities? What does each step make them feel?
Flow Diagram
The next step was to break down the booking process into clear, step-by-step interactions, simulating the user flow. By visualising the user flow, I was able to identify the main path users would take while also identifying any edge cases that would need to be covered in the design.
Design
Wireframe
Next was sketching some low-fidelity wireframes, focusing on layout, navigation, and overall flow rather than visual details. This quick, iterative approach allowed me to explore multiple ideas, test different structures, and refine the booking process before moving into high-fidelity designs in Figma
Prototype
After refining the wireframes, I developed an interactive prototype in Figma to bring the booking experience to life. These prototypes allowed me to simulate real user interactions, validate design decisions, and gather feedback through usability testing. This step was crucial in translating the research I'd done into a real tangible experience.
Check out the interactive prototype below!
Reflection
This project was an amazing learning experience, that allowed me to fully immerse myself in the UX design process.
By diving into the research stage and gathering qualitative data I was able to confidently translate it into effective design solutions. I was surprised by how often similar pain points occurred for the users, such as unclear navigation and misleading prices. It struck me how design is a way of communicating with users, when you respect their wants and needs, you're able to design effectively and efficiently.
I also realised just how essential user testing is. The initial testing stage allowed me to gain critical insights about competitors, also having tested my prototype with users, I was able to cover any blind spots I'd missed, for example; clicking the site logo to return to the home page.
I'm not only happy with the final outcome, but also confident that it fills the user's needs and addresses any common issues they encounter when booking flights.