FlightCloud

Project overview

FlightCloud is a capstone project I did during my program in Design Management. For the project, we had to develop a business case for a real-world problem of a hypothetical business.
FlightCloud is an app that provides real-time updates to travellers. The information provided on the app is authentic and approved by various airports and governments. By providing timely and accurate updates, FlightCloud aims to minimize confusion among air travellers.

ROLE

Research

Design

TOOLS

User research

Business research

Market research

Competetive analysis

Business strategy

Figma

TEAM

Individual

DURATION

4 months

CLIENT

Academic

Problem

For international travel, one must go through many new formalities like getting covid 19 tests, filling out different immigration forms, quarantine planning, and so on.

The research found that the student travellers were the most affected and vulnerable group of travellers who can not avoid their travel and are subject to various issues like not accepting vaccination, quarantine rules, carrying multiple documents, waiting in queues for many hours, and many more.

Context

The airline industry has been hit by the pandemic with an estimated global loss of 370 billion US dollars during 2020-21. The covid-19 pandemic has reversed the upward trend of air travel for at least some years. Airlines worldwide could not accommodate the impact of the pandemic and suffered huge losses as there was no significant aid from the government.

In international travel, the most important thing is communication. Communication is crucial between passengers, airlines, and governments. During the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, changes in information regarding air travel were at an unpredictable pace and needed to be communicated effectively and accurately.

Outcome

To address this situation and based on human-centred research, FlightCloud is designed to become a one-stop solution for all travel-related problems. FlightCloud is a virtual itinerary and planner app for travellers. It provides the users with the latest updates on changes like flight cancellations, changes in border rules, and lines at airports and provides solutions for all these issues. It is designed to make life easier for travellers and make their travel seamless and tension free. It notifies the users to make

changes in their plans when required, reminding them of all the paperwork. It lets them book appointments for covid-19 tests and everything required for their travel. There is also a community of travellers who share their experiences, and their content is curated and verified by FlightCloud.

Key insights

From business research and conducting a survey with 16 people in 4 countries. Some of the key insights are:

36% of travellers in 2021 face confusion regarding safety protocols in different countries and airlines. (Statista)
41% of travellers in 2021 find unpredictable border closures. (Statista)
Confusion regarding the travel documents and protocols is still a concern. (CTV News)
Around 60% of people stated that they found it challenging to find accurate and updated information for their travel. (survey: self-conducted)
Student travellers faced problems like delays in issuing study permits at the airport, selective vaccinations acceptance and delays in document checks at border control.

Problem statement

Students travelling by air are unable to obtain reliable travel requirements because of the frequency of updates coming from multiple sources of information.

Proposed solution

FlightCloud is a mobile app that is programmed to provide updated information from authentic sources

at the fingertips of travellers. The app will provide information from multiple sources in the easiest and

most convenient way. It works as a planner for the user and allows them to change in the app itself. It is different from other app services as it will provide the alternatives and solutions required for a seamless and uninterrupted trip.

Core features

Partners with governments, airlines and travel agencies to provide the most updated and authentic information.

Provides the solutions in case of emergencies and changes in protocols. E.g. provide locations

for covid tests, documents required for entry requirements, vaccination certification requirements,

flight cancellations, time of waiting lines, interactive maps of airports etc.

Calculate waiting times at airports and update through push notifications.

Provides real-time information on waiting times.

Apply AI to make an itinerary according to the travel schedule of the user.

Community-driven content from other users to get the updates regarding their experiences of flight cleanliness, waiting at airports, covid test prices and their experience of the tests, etc.

Provides customer care services for airlines and airports at one place.

Saves all the documents in one place and checks whether they are valid.

Remind the users of their requirements and update them.

Process

Research- Competitive analysis

Research- User research

Business strategy

Design

User experience

Sketches

User testing

For testing, I sent the prototype to five of my peers. I created a testing plan asking them what features to follow and a brief of a prototype to help them understand what to expect.

The feedback that I got from user testing is:

One of the users mentioned that it looked like it monitors their screen activity on Instagram and they feel like it is violating their personal space.
‘I do not want to know my screen time as I use Instagram in my leisure time also It feels like guilt tripping’.
‘I think apps try to grow by trying to engage more users. But as a user definitely it will be a useful feature.’
‘Definitely, very helpful for a person like me'.
The flow of the app was easy to follow as the users were fairly familiar with Instagram.
Some mentioned that they do not prefer the placement of a timer in the front.
‘I like the idea but it can get contradictory. The timer is to monitor my time while sharing it on Instagram requires me to come on the platform and use it.’

Implementation of feedback:

Changed the colour of the timer from red to yellow as some users might find the red timer similar to screen recording and it might freak them out.
Labelled the timer as screen time so that the users do not get confused by looking at just the numbers.
Placed the edit button right on the screen time sharing so that the users can edit it right away and they would not have to dig in to go to settings.
Made the screen time sharing more consistent and playful. Added the screen time chart on the same screen to get a quick overview.

Final screens

Core features

A timer on the screen starts up every time the user logs in. It lets the user know how much time is elapsed to keep their screen time on check on Instagram.

By tapping the timer, users can check their screen time and share it with their friends. Competition and rewards will encourage the users to use the app responsibly. One with the lowest screen time in the week will be the winner.

Screen time timer stays prevalent on the app during the use.

Users can invite their friends for sharing screen time. The feature for screen time share and timer is completely optional as I did not want to overwhelm the users with the information.