Design decisions protect NPS Score
Backend empowered magical passenger moments, fixing travel mishaps before they ruin the passenger journey.
Backend empowered magical passenger moments, fixing travel mishaps before they ruin the passenger journey.
Confident UX translates to magic moments for airline passengers.
My Role
My Role
Lead UX Designer & Researcher
Contribution
Contribution
Design strategy for a no-code application
Facilitate research activities
Build analysis and read-outs
Team lead and cross-functional partner
Present findings to client
Profile
Profile
National Airline
Difficult Stakeholder
Strategic Ledership
6-week project
Background
Background
Why did it matter?
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
Unknown travel changes
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
Unknown travel changes
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
Unknown travel changes
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
My Role
I led discovery phase with my blend of design thinking, research skills and visual storytelling.
My leadership set design apart
My leadership set design apart
Captured evidence
Captured evidence
Captured evidence
What was 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
I led interviews to expose user and system constraints limiting desired outcomes.
Exposed constraints limiting CX and NPS impact.
"De-risk" the strategy
"De-risk" the strategy
Address push-back
From stakeholder 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.
I used design thinking and visual storytelling to gain support from skeptical stakeholders.
From stakeholder skepticism to strategy supporters
Provide the Translation layer
Provide the translation layer
Translation layer
Design bridged insights between different collaborators
I was the bridge for design
-Packaged unstructured data with measurable frameworks to direct strategy.
-Brought design thinking into collaborative partnerships with the other work teams.
-Gathered requirements with data team, technical team, client stakeholders and design leadership.
-Used visual storytelling to transfer insightful knowledge into inspiration for design team.
I translated insights for different collaborators into design direction.
Translated insights for different collaborators
Research findings
Research Findings
Findings from discovery later
Slow backend → Slow crew → Missed moments → Lower NPS
How might backend design align to "magic" passenger moments?
Desired Outcomes
Desired Outcomes
Inflight team create
magic moments
😁
Magic moments =
happier passengers
NPS
Reduce IT
dependency
Non-coder user
can build
Reduce from hours to minutes
Reduce from hours to minutes
Design modular components reusable across n use cases
Design modular components reusable across n use cases
Scale system without scaling headcount
Scale system without scaling headcount
Signals
Clear
Requirements
Establish data standards → improve consistency & reliability
Establish data standards → improve consistency & reliability
Integrate core business levers into interface and system workflows
Integrate core business levers into interface and system workflows
Enabled repeatable measured decisions
Enabled repeatable measured decisions
Signals
Faster
deployment
Support near-real-time worker to passenger interaction
Real-time worker to passenger interaction
Enable situationally aware offer content
Enable situationally aware offer content
Deliver data on time for flight team to use
Deliver data on time for flight team to use
Signals
Inflight team create
magic moments
😁
Magic moments =
happier passengers
NPS
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
I mapped the backend user flow to reduce of the strategy
Lower the barrier for in-flight team to orchestrate a passenger experience
Lower the barrier for in-flight team to orchestrate passenger experience
Map of the improved backend user journey
Screenflow map of the improved backend user journey
Results
Results
of the new backend system
of the new backend system
The new backend system
Empowers magic moments to scale.
Empowers magic moments to scale.
Other teams such as baggage claim, sales were excited about the vision
Enabled measured decision making.
Enabled measured decision making.
First of its kind asset for governance
The backend UX surfaced as problems that were passenger facing.
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.
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
Reliant on outdated internal tools
Analysts puts together campaign data
Required IT support to hard code each campaign (not scalable)
Passenger Facing User
In-Flight Team
Touchpoint: Mobile app (Airplane)
Touchpoint: In Flight Service
Context: Mobile app (Airplane)
Technical delays data doesn't arrive on time
Data on device is not reliable
In-flight team not incentivized to use data
Campaign manager screen views
Campaign manager
Faster Deployment
Find a Campaign among hundreds of flights
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
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
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.
My screen designs lowered the barrier to making magical moments.
My screen designs lowered the barrier to making magical moments.
My screen designs 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.
Results
Results
A configurable workspace backend 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
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
...
faster deployment = prepared in-flight team
no code system = respond to service recovery
added flexibility = personalized campaigns
clear & consistent expectations = motivated crew participation
Backend UX→ InFlight UX → Magic for Passenger → NPS Improved
UX behind the scenes = visible measured impact
My research contributions shifted leadership’s focus from adding features to fixing the system.
Design reframes problems.
Short sprints can create lasting impact.
In just 5 weeks, we set the trajectory for a multi-year transformation.
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.
UX behind the scenes drove visible impact
Measure visible impact of behind the scenes UX
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