System thinking inspires front-end confidence

Confident UX delivers 4 key ingredients to magic moments for airline passengers.

My Role

My Role

Lead UX Designer & Researcher

I owned

I owned

  • Decision about design strategy for MVP

  • Generated clear understanding and alignment on strategy

  • Interaction design artifacts: workflow maps, user stories, and wireframes

  • Sign off on visual design of interactive prototype

  • Lead design communication across 3 collaborative teams

  • Delivery of presentations and work artifacts to client

Profile

Profile

National Airline

Stakeholder Influence

Strategic Ledership

6-week project

Why did it matter ?

Why did it matter ?

In 2021, U.S. air travel snapped back fast — 674M passengers flew, leisure surged, and customer patience

wore thin. Delta faced 8+ hour call waits, shifting COVID rules, and Omicron-driven cancellations that

tested traveler trust. Meanwhile, competitors raced ahead with touchless, flexible, and loyalty-boosting

moves. To capture returning demand and win back loyalty, Delta needed a CX engine to cut through chaos,

simplify journeys, and prove that design-led innovation could deliver right when it mattered most.

In 2021, U.S. air travel snapped back fast — 674M passengers flew, leisure surged, and customer patience

wore thin. Delta faced 8+ hour call waits, shifting COVID rules, and Omicron-driven cancellations that

tested traveler trust. Meanwhile, competitors raced ahead with touchless, flexible, and loyalty-boosting

moves. To capture returning demand and win back loyalty, Delta needed a CX engine to cut through chaos,

simplify journeys, and prove that design-led innovation could deliver right when it mattered most.

In 2021, U.S. air travel snapped back fast — 674M passengers flew, leisure surged, and customer patience wore thin. Delta faced 8+ hour call waits, shifting COVID rules, and Omicron-driven cancellations that tested traveler trust. Meanwhile, competitors raced ahead with touchless, flexible, and loyalty-boosting moves. To capture returning demand and win back loyalty, Delta needed a CX engine to cut through chaos, simplify journeys, and prove that design-led innovation could deliver right when it mattered most.

Problem

We need a plan for “magical passenger experience” in-flight

Goal: Retain high value passengers and improve NPS

Business Drivers

Industry ambiguity

Industry shifts

Rival Competition

Industry shifts

Customer demand

Industry shifts

User pains

Low

System standardization

Data & design

High

Skill requirement

Coding required, IT depenecy

Problem

We need a plan for “magical passenger experience” in-flight

Goal: Retain high value passengers and improve NPS

Business Drivers

Industry ambiguity

Industry shifts

Rival Competition

Industry shifts

Customer demand

Industry shifts

User pains

Low

System standardization

Data & design

High

Skill requirement

Coding required, IT depenecy

Problem

We need a plan for “magical passenger experience” in-flight

Goal: Retain high value passengers and improve NPS

Business Drivers

Industry ambiguity

Industry shifts

Rival Competition

Industry shifts

Customer demand

Industry shifts

User pains

Low

System standardization

Data & design

High

Skill requirement

Coding required, IT depenecy

Behind the Scenes

Real World Challenges

Real world constraints

Real world constraints

Fast pace

6 week project with hard constraints on delivery

6 week project

Fuzzy Role
Fuzzy role

Role of my UX team overlaps role of collaborative advisory team

Role of UX team overlaps role of collaborative advisory team

High Skepticism
Skepticism
Skepticism

Strong assumptions about user and story; Client with resistance

Strong assumptions & initial resistance

Discovery lead - design thinking, research skills and visual storytelling.

I brought clarity to the problem and reframed the project

I brought clarity to the problem and reframed the project

I delivered

11 cross-functional interviews

|

3 collaborative workshops

|

1 design strategy readout

Asking the right question changed thinking

What is limiting the customer experience system?

I create visual mapping

“By the time data insights reached us, the moment had already passed.” — In-Flight Services Team

“Only a few people could actually build or update campaigns.” — Technical Operations Team

“Previous internal tools were hard to use, so adoption dropped quickly.” — Business Analytics Team

“The system, not the idea, is the bottleneck.” — Director of Program & Operations

“We knew what we wanted to do — the system just couldn’t support it.” — Customer Experience Manager

Exposed constraints limiting CX and NPS impact.

Led with curiousity and explore to "De-risk" a shift

Address push-back

Turned skepticism to strategy supporters

I led co-creative workshops

-Defined MVP user stories grounded in real airline workflows

-Established acceptance criteria to de-risk build and align engineering

-Exposed pain points through a pain/problem matrix that guided prioritization

-Aligned 4 cross-functional work teams around a shared product direction.

From stakeholder skepticism to strategy supporters

Clarity earns collaborative support to change thinking

Translation layer

Bridged problem insights across 3 different context

I was the bridge for design

-Given unstructured interview data, I built measurable frameworks for cross-functional understanding pain points
-Brought user centered thinking to work processes with advisory and data collaborators

-Used visual storytelling to transfer insightful knowledge into inspiration for design team.

Translated insights for different collaborators

Research findings

Research Findings

Findings from discovery later

What do we build to have the most impact on "magic" passenger moments?

Prototype: app for the flight crew
backend system to support team

→ Fix backend system
✓ Empowers crew
✓ Capture Passenger moments
→ Protect Brand Promise

Inflight team create
magic moments

😁

Magic moments =
happier passengers

NPS

NPS

Desired Outcomes

Desired Outcomes

Inflight team create
magic moments

😁

Magic moments =
happier passengers

NPS

Reduce IT
dependency

Non-coder user
can build

Deliver data 1-hour prior to boarding

Deliver data 1-hour prior to boarding

Scale recognitions without scaling headcount

Scale recognitions without scaling headcount

Signals

Clear
Requirements

Integrate business levers into system

Integrate business levers into system

Enabled repeatable measured decisions

Enabled repeatable measured decisions

Signals

Faster
deployment

Real-time passenger interactions

Real-time passenger interactions

Enable situationally aware content offer

Enable situationally aware content offer

Signals

Better
Backend

Reduce from hours to minutes

Design modular components reusable across n use cases

Scale system without scaling headcount

Clear
Requirements

Establish data standards → improve consistency & reliability

Integrate core business levers into interface and system workflows

Enabled repeatable measured decisions

Faster
Deployment

Support near-real-time worker to passenger interaction

Enable situationally aware offer content

Deliver data on time for flight team to use

Design Decisions that Impacted Business

Delivering the MVP

Designing the Prototype

Delivering the MVP

Recommendation Engine

Recommendation Engine

Backend UX surfaced as blocker of of scale, timing, and reliability.

Blockers surfaced as backend problems that were passenger facing.

Delayed responses, left the in-flight crew without timely data relevant to moments to deliver in the cabin.

Before Design

Backend User

Tech user & Analyst user

Touchpoint: Work station (office)

Touchpoint: Research user needs

Context: Work station (office)

No platform, campaign tracking was done in excel

  • Rely on outdated internal tools

  • Analysts logjam workflow

  • Not scalable - Dependent on IT support to code

Passenger Facing User

In-Flight Team

Touchpoint: Mobile app (Airplane)

Touchpoint: In Flight Service

Context: Mobile app (Airplane)

  • Data doesn't arrive on time to use

  • Data not reliable

  • In-flight team using workarounds

Mapping user flow reduced skepticism of the strategy

Map of the improved backend user journey

Screenflow map of the improved backend user journey

UX Provenance for design strategy

User: Tech business user
Pain: Have to manually upload data; Effort to data to insights not timely; Alignment and approval not insync
Impact: Delays in delivery of campaign data to in-flight team deters interaction with passenger.

Reimagined the blindspots

Identified 5 key moments stalling the workflow (Manage campaigns, add/edit rules, apply campaigns across flights, campaign detail) and designed interactive prototype.

Navigating tension

Blockers surfaced as backend problems that were passenger facing.

Technical ambiguity:
Client declines recommendation

Blockers surfaced as backend problems that were passenger facing.

The client rejected the technical team's platform recommendation, instead the client chose to defer the platform decision to a time beyond the project timing. As a result; I had to lead an interactive prototype design with our realistic specs on what we would actually build.

Low fidelity iterations

Blockers surfaced as backend problems that were passenger facing.

From design concepts to clickable prototype

Blockers surfaced as backend problems that were passenger facing.

Role: UI Wireframes | Design Direction | Visual design approval

Blockers surfaced as backend problems that were passenger facing.

Campaign manager screen views
Campaign manager

Faster Deployment

Find a Campaign among hundreds of flights

I decided to design familiarity into the screen to ease anxiety of user adoption. The calendar view was inspired by Microsoft Outlook event schedule.r

Drilldown screen with a filterable menu. I designed a familiar experience so that users were eased into adoption.

I decided to add alternate view, and something familiar inspired by Microsoft Outlook calendar. This was a strategy to help with early adoption.

Alternate View toggle

Calendar View (Alternate view)- Inspired by Microsoft Outlook

Calendar View (Alternate view) - Inspired by Microsoft Outlook meeting scheduler

Calendar View (Alternate view) - Inspired by Microsoft Outlook meeting scheduler.

List View - Familiar convention since user was using spreadsheets.

List View (standard view)- Familiar convention since user was using spreadsheets.

Manage Campaign

Faster Deployment

Apply campaigns across flights

Alignment with business levers

Align design to business levers

New rules could quickly be proposed, but also drag and drop reduced error.

Execute dashboard list where business levers could be dragged and dropped onto campaigns.

Design new campaign rules on the fly

Apply rules across different flights; easier to manage flight and customer segments

Add new rules screen
Add new rules

Reduced IT dependence

Create logic with no code

Create logic to make campaigns work

Non-tech user can create logic with no code

Previously new campaigns had to be built by an IT resource, which often was a blocker.

Previously new campaigns had to be built by an IT resource, which often was a blocker and very expensive.

Analysts can create a campaign using a No Code interface

Analysts can create a campaigns without having to learn to code.

Backend User

Business Tech user

Touchpoint: Work station (office)

Mockup interactive prototype

  • Enables more users build & ship

  • Aligned to business levers

  • Backend delivers timely data

Passenger Facing User

In-Flight Team

Touchpoint: Mobile app (Airplane)

  • Crew confident in app

  • Able to curate moments with meaningful data

Resulting Design

New system lowered the barrier to making magical moments.

New system lowered the barrier to making magical moments.

User-friendly backend translates to magic for passenger

As design lead, I translated research into wireframes and partnered on visual production to deliver the final screens.

As design lead, I translated research into wireframes and partnered on visual production to deliver the final screens.

As design lead, I translated research into wireframes. Then I partnered with visual production to direct the final screens.

Backend User

Business Tech user

Touchpoint: Work station (office)

Mockup interactive prototype

  • Enables more users build & ship

  • Aligned to business levers

  • Backend delivers timely data

Passenger Facing User

In-Flight Team

Touchpoint: Mobile app (Airplane)

  • Crew confident in app

  • Able to curate moments with meaningful data

A configurable workspace backend that enabled clear campaigns in minutes.
A configurable workspace that enabled clear campaigns in minutes.

The shift gave crew context and freedom to create meaningful moments passengers actually feel.

Backend User

Business Tech user

Touchpoint: Work station (office)

Mockup interactive prototype

  • Enables more users build & ship

  • Aligned to business levers

  • Backend delivers timely data

Passenger Facing User

In-Flight Team

Touchpoint: Mobile app (Airplane)

  • Crew confident in app

  • Able to curate moments with meaningful data

Summary

Summary

...

UX behind the scenes = visible measured impact

Backend UX→ InFlight UX → Magic for Passenger → NPS Improved

  • faster deployment = prepared in-flight team

  • no code system = respond to service recovery

  • added flexibility = personalized campaigns

  • clear & consistent expectations = motivated crew participation

Design reframes problems.

My research contributions shifted leadership’s focus from adding features to fixing the system.

Short sprints can create lasting impact.

In just 5 weeks, we set the trajectory for a multi-year transformation.

Design reframes problems.
Design reframes problems.

My research contributions shifted leadership’s focus from adding features to fixing the system.

My research contributions shifted leadership’s focus from adding features to fixing the system.

Short sprints can create lasting impact.

In just 5 weeks, we set the trajectory for a multi-year transformation.

UX behind the scenes drove visible impact
Visible impact of behind the scenes UX

Backend UX→

InFlight UX →

Magic for Passenger →

NPS Improved

Backend UX→ InFlight UX →

Magic for Passenger → NPS Improved

Backend UX→ InFlight UX → Magic for Passenger → NPS Improved

  • faster deployment = prepared in-flight team

  • no code system = respond to service recovery

  • added flexibility = personalized campaigns

  • clear & consistent expectations = motivated crew participation

Design-led approach gets project unstuck
About
Designer Profile
Staff Designer | Human Touch High Impact
Case Study
Drove tool usage from 40% to 48%
Global Checmical | Enterprise Workflow Application
Design-led approach gets project unstuck
🔥 Browse all projects >>
Design-led approach gets project unstuck
About
Designer Profile
Staff Designer | Human Touch High Impact
Case Study
Drove tool usage from 40% to 48%
Global Checmical | Enterprise Workflow Application
Design-led approach gets project unstuck
🔥 Browse all projects >>

Rodney Echols | Staff Product & UX/UI Designer

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