Zomato- A Case Study
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Role
Product Designer
Timeline
Jan 2026 - Mar 2026
Project Type
Concept
Tools
Figma, Notion
Problem Statement
Booking a flight has become one of the smoothest parts of air travel. The experience after booking, however, is where passengers often begin to struggle. Whether it's a delayed flight, a missed boarding call, misplaced baggage, or simply finding the right help desk, users are left navigating stressful situations with limited guidance. Existing airline apps are heavily optimized for ticket purchases but offer very little support when travel plans go wrong. This project explores how a better post-booking experience can reduce uncertainty and help passengers recover with confidence.
Understanding the user
To understand these challenges beyond assumptions, I spoke with eight participants, including frequent business travelers and occasional flyers. While their travel habits were very different, a common pattern emerged: the most frustrating moments happened after the ticket had already been booked. Frequent travelers wanted timely information that helped them make quick decisions, whereas occasional flyers needed reassurance, guidance, and clarity during unfamiliar situations. These conversations helped me identify the emotional gaps in the current experience, which were later translated into personas, journey maps, and a competitive analysis to define the design direction.
The Solution
Based on the research, I focused on solving the moments where users needed help the most.
Core Features
Boarding Countdown — Real-time countdown before boarding closes.
Missed Flight Recovery — Guided recovery flow instead of a dead end.
Timeline Baggage Tracking — Real-time baggage journey with clear progress updates.
Smart Help Desk Navigation — Directions to the nearest support desk.
Integrated Support — AI chatbot with seamless human assistance.
Design Process
This project followed the Design Thinking framework.
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
Rather than treating these as isolated phases, the process remained iterative throughout the project.
From Ideas to Interface
The project followed a user-centered design process, beginning with research and moving through problem definition, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing. Low-fidelity wireframes allowed me to validate navigation and information hierarchy before moving into high-fidelity designs. The final interface uses a clean visual language with calm colors, minimal iconography, and adaptive screens that respond to different stages of a passenger's journey. Instead of overwhelming users with options, each screen focuses on providing the right information at the right moment.
Testing and Learnings
I tested the prototype with users focusing on baggage tracking, missed flights, boarding countdowns, and support flows.
What Worked
Users immediately understood the baggage timeline.
The recovery flow felt reassuring rather than stressful.
Navigation and support were easy to understand.
Biggest Learning
Testing earlier would have allowed faster iterations before polishing the UI. It reinforced the importance of validating ideas before investing time in visual design.
Reflection
Airlines have optimized the booking experience, but recovery remains overlooked.
This project taught me that great UX isn't just about making things look good—it's about helping people feel supported when things don't go according to plan.
Good design isn't tested during perfect journeys. It's tested during imperfect ones.