Designing the future of United Airline lobbies
Making the lobby experience efficient for infrequent travelers
My Role
UX designer, User researcher
Timeline
6 months
Team
- Team of 2 masters students (including me)
- Lobby Product Manager @United
- UX Researcher @United
Tools Used
Figma, Otter
PROJECT SCOPE
Rethink the airport lobby experience (everything pre-TSA)
United wants to reduce confusion, speed up processes, and help passengers move through the lobby with less reliance on staff. They are especially focused on helping infrequent travelers, who make up 70% of their customers and often feel overwhelmed when they arrive at the airport.
PRPOJECT GOAL
How might we
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What is the current experience of an infrequent traveler?
How do infrequent travelers navigate self-service technology?
What are the problems that infrequent travelers face with self-service technology in the lobby?
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
What we did
Contextual Inquiry
Contextual Inquiry (April 29th)
5-6 Airline agents
United Lobby at SeaTac
Observe the current flow and probe the experts
Walk-Up Interviews
Walk-Up Informal Interviews (May 1st)
15 United travelers (5 Frequent/ 10 Infrequent)
4 Boarding Gates at SeaTac (A4, A5, A8, A10)
Diverse user accounts captured in context
RESEARCH INSIGHTS
What we found out
Pre-Arrival
Infrequent travelers need clear, personalized guidance before arrival. Without setting the right expectations, they risk going down unhappy paths in the lobby
Wrong expectations and uncertainty around baggage and check-in leads travelers to waste time, stand in the wrong queues, have regrets around things they didn’t know beforehand
“I had checked in beforehand, and didn't have any bags to drop. I just, you know don't fly very often, (so I didn’t know I could bypass lobby) I pretty much just went through my info and accepted that it was correct.”
— P2 (Infrequent, Domestic Traveler)
“Our ticket said Economy Plus, so we thought we were allowed 32 kilos worldwide. My luggage was overweight. We had no idea what to do. The agent handled everything.
— P6 (Infrequent Travelers)
Baggage allowance appears on kiosk in lobby after reservation is pulled up - sometimes this is where travelers first realise their baggage allowance
Travelers repacking their overweight bags in the middle of the lobby due to lack of a designated station and fear of losing their spot in the queue
Navigation
Travelers need a reliable source of truth to navigate the lobby. Current signage creates information overload, leading travelers to rely on guesswork and social cues.
This confusion is most apparent at the start and end of the self-service process: knowing which kiosk to go to, how to activate it, and what to do afterward. These gaps slow travelers down and currently are a major blind spot in how United tracks and supports the lobby.
“This is my first time in Seattle, but so I didn't know the airport, but I didn't know where security was, TSA was, so I was a little confused. I felt like everybody was as confused as me, yeah? Because I was like, do we go here or here? And they're like, No, this is for first class and this is for and I just didn't feel like that was clear, yeah, like a person who's just walking in”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler) - First Time United User
“Sometimes we feel like bag drop locations are not easy to find. There are some signs, then again that depends on the airport. Some airports are complicated.”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler)
Signage at SEA United lobby directing travelers to bag drop shortcut, agent assistance & standard bag drop lines.
In the Lobby
In high-stakes environments like the airport, travelers seek reassurance at every step. Without it, even intuitive systems can feel risky or unreliable.
When system feedback lacks clarity or consequences feel high, travelers second-guess their actions and seek hand holding from agents. Better system feedback can help travelers feel confident in their actions when using the self-service technology
“As an introvert it's nice to not interact with humans. But I’ll say for complex things like the airport, I'm a bit more nervous using a kiosk than a human. McDonald's is different. If they mess up my order, big deal, you know what I mean. But I kind of do like to deal with a human at the airport if possible, because I just don't want to screw something up and then have like ripple effects.”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler, first time flying United)
“The bag needs to be tagged. If there’s any- thing wrong in the way I’ve done it they can check and correct it. We just want to be sure”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler, United Flyer)
“Pretty much just - ‘what should I do next?’ when there is a big yellow ‘NEXT’ button on the screen”
— Airline Agent
What are common questions you get?
Agent Helping and Reassuring Self service process
Edge Cases
Infrequent travelers need quick support when tech fails or they’ll avoid it. They often lack the time or confidence to recover from system errors alone.
Infrequent travelers, in particular, feel vulnerable when things go wrong and are more likely to abandon self-service altogether. They would rather speak to a human then be at risk of missing their flight.
“Last year we had an issue with the one when you first walk in and there was no agent, and then we had to wait for someone to come help us... I missed the cut off for the checked bag... if an agent would have been live and helping me, I wouldn’t have missed the check bag and missed my flight.”
— P11 (Infrequent Traveler)
“That happened once when I was flying to the Bahamas in college, I waited to use the kiosk, but it couldn’t scan my passport. Then I had to get in line, and by the time I got to the counter, I’d missed my flight and had to rebook.”
— P10 (Infrequent Traveler)
“I very rarely print out [bag tag]. But if I get nervous, like the web issues are bad, or worried about the system, I'll stop at the ticketing counter and have them do it.”
— P8 (Infrequent Traveler)
Kiosk light signals indicating status: green for ready to use, white for in use and red for error or agent assistance required.
GOAL
Create an intuitive and seamless check-in experience that supports unfamiliar passengers
DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
1
Provide clear, contextual, and personalised information - preparing travelers before arrival to set clear expectations
2
Create a sense of reassurance throughout the experience to empower travelers to adopt self-service
3
Provide quick, accessible support for edge cases & error handling to increase users’ trust in the system/ process
4
Must be simple without adding new steps or complexity to prevent additional friction
STAY TUNED FOR MORE!
Work in progress
IDEATION
Focused on divergence
No bad ideas, just broad exploration
Ideated in Journey Stages
Used journey stages to organize and ground ideation
**These ideas helped us explore bold directions before filtering down by feasibility and our design must haves.
Welcome to this cozy corner of the internet ☕️
Call
+1 2065369593
Write
kashvigoel38@gmail.com
Follow
Designing the future of United Airline lobbies
Making the lobby experience efficient for infrequent travelers
My Role
UX designer, User researcher
Timeline
6 months
Team
- Team of 2 masters students (including me)
- Lobby Product Manager @United
- UX Researcher @United
Tools Used
Figma, Otter
PROJECT SCOPE
Rethink the airport lobby experience (everything pre-TSA)
United wants to reduce confusion, speed up processes, and help passengers move through the lobby with less reliance on staff. They are especially focused on helping infrequent travelers, who make up 70% of their customers and often feel overwhelmed when they arrive at the airport.
PRPOJECT GOAL
How might we
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What is the current experience of an infrequent traveler?
How do infrequent travelers navigate self-service technology?
What are the problems that infrequent travelers face with self-service technology in the lobby?
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
What we did
Contextual Inquiry
Contextual Inquiry (April 29th)
5-6 Airline agents
United Lobby at SeaTac
Observe the current flow and probe the experts
Walk-Up Interviews
Walk-Up Informal Interviews (May 1st)
15 United travelers (5 Frequent/ 10 Infrequent)
4 Boarding Gates at SeaTac (A4, A5, A8, A10)
Diverse user accounts captured in context
RESEARCH INSIGHTS
What we found out
Pre-Arrival
Infrequent travelers need clear, personalized guidance before arrival. Without setting the right expectations, they risk going down unhappy paths in the lobby
Wrong expectations and uncertainty around baggage and check-in leads travelers to waste time, stand in the wrong queues, have regrets around things they didn’t know beforehand
“I had checked in beforehand, and didn't have any bags to drop. I just, you know don't fly very often, (so I didn’t know I could bypass lobby) I pretty much just went through my info and accepted that it was correct.”
— P2 (Infrequent, Domestic Traveler)
“Our ticket said Economy Plus, so we thought we were allowed 32 kilos worldwide. My luggage was overweight. We had no idea what to do. The agent handled everything.
— P6 (Infrequent Travelers)
Baggage allowance appears on kiosk in lobby after reservation is pulled up - sometimes this is where travelers first realise their baggage allowance
Travelers repacking their overweight bags in the middle of the lobby due to lack of a designated station and fear of losing their spot in the queue
Navigation
Travelers need a reliable source of truth to navigate the lobby. Current signage creates information overload, leading travelers to rely on guesswork and social cues.
This confusion is most apparent at the start and end of the self-service process: knowing which kiosk to go to, how to activate it, and what to do afterward. These gaps slow travelers down and currently are a major blind spot in how United tracks and supports the lobby.
“This is my first time in Seattle, but so I didn't know the airport, but I didn't know where security was, TSA was, so I was a little confused. I felt like everybody was as confused as me, yeah? Because I was like, do we go here or here? And they're like, No, this is for first class and this is for and I just didn't feel like that was clear, yeah, like a person who's just walking in”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler) - First Time United User
“Sometimes we feel like bag drop locations are not easy to find. There are some signs, then again that depends on the airport. Some airports are complicated.”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler)
Signage at SEA United lobby directing travelers to bag drop shortcut, agent assistance & standard bag drop lines.
In the Lobby
In high-stakes environments like the airport, travelers seek reassurance at every step. Without it, even intuitive systems can feel risky or unreliable.
When system feedback lacks clarity or consequences feel high, travelers second-guess their actions and seek hand holding from agents. Better system feedback can help travelers feel confident in their actions when using the self-service technology
“As an introvert it's nice to not interact with humans. But I’ll say for complex things like the airport, I'm a bit more nervous using a kiosk than a human. McDonald's is different. If they mess up my order, big deal, you know what I mean. But I kind of do like to deal with a human at the airport if possible, because I just don't want to screw something up and then have like ripple effects.”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler, first time flying United)
“The bag needs to be tagged. If there’s any- thing wrong in the way I’ve done it they can check and correct it. We just want to be sure”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler, United Flyer)
“Pretty much just - ‘what should I do next?’ when there is a big yellow ‘NEXT’ button on the screen”
— Airline Agent
What are common questions you get?
Agent Helping and Reassuring Self service process
Edge Cases
Infrequent travelers need quick support when tech fails or they’ll avoid it. They often lack the time or confidence to recover from system errors alone.
Infrequent travelers, in particular, feel vulnerable when things go wrong and are more likely to abandon self-service altogether. They would rather speak to a human then be at risk of missing their flight.
“Last year we had an issue with the one when you first walk in and there was no agent, and then we had to wait for someone to come help us... I missed the cut off for the checked bag... if an agent would have been live and helping me, I wouldn’t have missed the check bag and missed my flight.”
— P11 (Infrequent Traveler)
“That happened once when I was flying to the Bahamas in college, I waited to use the kiosk, but it couldn’t scan my passport. Then I had to get in line, and by the time I got to the counter, I’d missed my flight and had to rebook.”
— P10 (Infrequent Traveler)
“I very rarely print out [bag tag]. But if I get nervous, like the web issues are bad, or worried about the system, I'll stop at the ticketing counter and have them do it.”
— P8 (Infrequent Traveler)
Kiosk light signals indicating status: green for ready to use, white for in use and red for error or agent assistance required.
Pre-Arrival
Infrequent travelers need clear, personalized guidance before arrival. Without setting the right expectations, they risk going down unhappy paths in the lobby
Wrong expectations and uncertainty around baggage and check-in leads travelers to waste time, stand in the wrong queues, have regrets around things they didn’t know beforehand
“I had checked in beforehand, and didn't have any bags to drop. I just, you know don't fly very often, (so I didn’t know I could bypass lobby) I pretty much just went through my info and accepted that it was correct.”
— P2 (Infrequent, Domestic Traveler)
“Our ticket said Economy Plus, so we thought we were allowed 32 kilos worldwide. My luggage was overweight. We had no idea what to do. The agent handled everything.
— P6 (Infrequent Travelers)
Baggage allowance appears on kiosk in lobby after reservation is pulled up - sometimes this is where travelers first realise their baggage allowance
Travelers repacking their overweight bags in the middle of the lobby due to lack of a designated station and fear of losing their spot in the queue
Navigation
Travelers need a reliable source of truth to navigate the lobby. Current signage creates information overload, leading travelers to rely on guesswork and social cues.
This confusion is most apparent at the start and end of the self-service process: knowing which kiosk to go to, how to activate it, and what to do afterward. These gaps slow travelers down and currently are a major blind spot in how United tracks and supports the lobby.
“This is my first time in Seattle, but so I didn't know the airport, but I didn't know where security was, TSA was, so I was a little confused. I felt like everybody was as confused as me, yeah? Because I was like, do we go here or here? And they're like, No, this is for first class and this is for and I just didn't feel like that was clear, yeah, like a person who's just walking in”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler) - First Time United User
“Sometimes we feel like bag drop locations are not easy to find. There are some signs, then again that depends on the airport. Some airports are complicated.”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler)
Signage at SEA United lobby directing travelers to bag drop shortcut, agent assistance & standard bag drop lines.
In the Lobby
In high-stakes environments like the airport, travelers seek reassurance at every step. Without it, even intuitive systems can feel risky or unreliable.
When system feedback lacks clarity or consequences feel high, travelers second-guess their actions and seek hand holding from agents. Better system feedback can help travelers feel confident in their actions when using the self-service technology
“As an introvert it's nice to not interact with humans. But I’ll say for complex things like the airport, I'm a bit more nervous using a kiosk than a human. McDonald's is different. If they mess up my order, big deal, you know what I mean. But I kind of do like to deal with a human at the airport if possible, because I just don't want to screw something up and then have like ripple effects.”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler, first time flying United)
“The bag needs to be tagged. If there’s any- thing wrong in the way I’ve done it they can check and correct it. We just want to be sure”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler, United Flyer)
“Pretty much just - ‘what should I do next?’ when there is a big yellow ‘NEXT’ button on the screen”
— Airline Agent
What are common questions you get?
Agent Helping and Reassuring Self service process
Edge Cases
Infrequent travelers need quick support when tech fails or they’ll avoid it. They often lack the time or confidence to recover from system errors alone.
Infrequent travelers, in particular, feel vulnerable when things go wrong and are more likely to abandon self-service altogether. They would rather speak to a human then be at risk of missing their flight.
“Last year we had an issue with the one when you first walk in and there was no agent, and then we had to wait for someone to come help us... I missed the cut off for the checked bag... if an agent would have been live and helping me, I wouldn’t have missed the check bag and missed my flight.”
— P11 (Infrequent Traveler)
“That happened once when I was flying to the Bahamas in college, I waited to use the kiosk, but it couldn’t scan my passport. Then I had to get in line, and by the time I got to the counter, I’d missed my flight and had to rebook.”
— P10 (Infrequent Traveler)
“I very rarely print out [bag tag]. But if I get nervous, like the web issues are bad, or worried about the system, I'll stop at the ticketing counter and have them do it.”
— P8 (Infrequent Traveler)
Kiosk light signals indicating status: green for ready to use, white for in use and red for error or agent assistance required.
GOAL
Create an intuitive and seamless check-in experience that supports unfamiliar passengers
DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
1
Provide clear, contextual, and personalised information - preparing travelers before arrival to set clear expectations
2
Create a sense of reassurance throughout the experience to empower travelers to adopt self-service
3
Provide quick, accessible support for edge cases & error handling to increase users’ trust in the system/ process
4
Must be simple without adding new steps or complexity to prevent additional friction
STAY TUNED FOR MORE!
Work in progress
IDEATION
Focused on divergence
No bad ideas, just broad exploration
Ideated in Journey Stages
Used journey stages to organize and ground ideation
**These ideas helped us explore bold directions before filtering down by feasibility and our design must haves.
Welcome to this cozy corner of the internet ☕️
Call
+1 2065369593
Write
kashvigoel38@gmail.com
Follow
Designing the future of United Airline lobbies
Making the lobby experience efficient for infrequent travelers
My Role
UX designer, User researcher
Timeline
6 months
Team
- Team of 2 masters students (including me)
- Lobby Product Manager @United
- UX Researcher @United
Tools Used
Figma, Otter
PROJECT SCOPE
Rethink the airport lobby experience (everything pre-TSA)
United wants to reduce confusion, speed up processes, and help passengers move through the lobby with less reliance on staff. They are especially focused on helping infrequent travelers, who make up 70% of their customers and often feel overwhelmed when they arrive at the airport.
PRPOJECT GOAL
How might we
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What is the current experience of an infrequent traveler?
How do infrequent travelers navigate self-service technology?
What are the problems that infrequent travelers face with self-service technology in the lobby?
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
What we did
Contextual Inquiry
Contextual Inquiry (April 29th)
5-6 Airline agents
United Lobby at SeaTac
Observe the current flow and probe the experts
Walk-Up Interviews
Walk-Up Informal Interviews (May 1st)
15 United travelers (5 Frequent/ 10 Infrequent)
4 Boarding Gates at SeaTac (A4, A5, A8, A10)
Diverse user accounts captured in context
RESEARCH INSIGHTS
What we found out
Pre-Arrival
Infrequent travelers need clear, personalized guidance before arrival. Without setting the right expectations, they risk going down unhappy paths in the lobby
Wrong expectations and uncertainty around baggage and check-in leads travelers to waste time, stand in the wrong queues, have regrets around things they didn’t know beforehand
“I had checked in beforehand, and didn't have any bags to drop. I just, you know don't fly very often, (so I didn’t know I could bypass lobby) I pretty much just went through my info and accepted that it was correct.”
— P2 (Infrequent, Domestic Traveler)
“Our ticket said Economy Plus, so we thought we were allowed 32 kilos worldwide. My luggage was overweight. We had no idea what to do. The agent handled everything.
— P6 (Infrequent Travelers)
Baggage allowance appears on kiosk in lobby after reservation is pulled up - sometimes this is where travelers first realise their baggage allowance
Travelers repacking their overweight bags in the middle of the lobby due to lack of a designated station and fear of losing their spot in the queue
Navigation
Travelers need a reliable source of truth to navigate the lobby. Current signage creates information overload, leading travelers to rely on guesswork and social cues.
This confusion is most apparent at the start and end of the self-service process: knowing which kiosk to go to, how to activate it, and what to do afterward. These gaps slow travelers down and currently are a major blind spot in how United tracks and supports the lobby.
“This is my first time in Seattle, but so I didn't know the airport, but I didn't know where security was, TSA was, so I was a little confused. I felt like everybody was as confused as me, yeah? Because I was like, do we go here or here? And they're like, No, this is for first class and this is for and I just didn't feel like that was clear, yeah, like a person who's just walking in”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler) - First Time United User
“Sometimes we feel like bag drop locations are not easy to find. There are some signs, then again that depends on the airport. Some airports are complicated.”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler)
Signage at SEA United lobby directing travelers to bag drop shortcut, agent assistance & standard bag drop lines.
In the Lobby
In high-stakes environments like the airport, travelers seek reassurance at every step. Without it, even intuitive systems can feel risky or unreliable.
When system feedback lacks clarity or consequences feel high, travelers second-guess their actions and seek hand holding from agents. Better system feedback can help travelers feel confident in their actions when using the self-service technology
“As an introvert it's nice to not interact with humans. But I’ll say for complex things like the airport, I'm a bit more nervous using a kiosk than a human. McDonald's is different. If they mess up my order, big deal, you know what I mean. But I kind of do like to deal with a human at the airport if possible, because I just don't want to screw something up and then have like ripple effects.”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler, first time flying United)
“The bag needs to be tagged. If there’s any- thing wrong in the way I’ve done it they can check and correct it. We just want to be sure”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler, United Flyer)
“Pretty much just - ‘what should I do next?’ when there is a big yellow ‘NEXT’ button on the screen”
— Airline Agent
What are common questions you get?
Agent Helping and Reassuring Self service process
Edge Cases
Infrequent travelers need quick support when tech fails or they’ll avoid it. They often lack the time or confidence to recover from system errors alone.
Infrequent travelers, in particular, feel vulnerable when things go wrong and are more likely to abandon self-service altogether. They would rather speak to a human then be at risk of missing their flight.
“Last year we had an issue with the one when you first walk in and there was no agent, and then we had to wait for someone to come help us... I missed the cut off for the checked bag... if an agent would have been live and helping me, I wouldn’t have missed the check bag and missed my flight.”
— P11 (Infrequent Traveler)
“That happened once when I was flying to the Bahamas in college, I waited to use the kiosk, but it couldn’t scan my passport. Then I had to get in line, and by the time I got to the counter, I’d missed my flight and had to rebook.”
— P10 (Infrequent Traveler)
“I very rarely print out [bag tag]. But if I get nervous, like the web issues are bad, or worried about the system, I'll stop at the ticketing counter and have them do it.”
— P8 (Infrequent Traveler)
Kiosk light signals indicating status: green for ready to use, white for in use and red for error or agent assistance required.
Pre-Arrival
Infrequent travelers need clear, personalized guidance before arrival. Without setting the right expectations, they risk going down unhappy paths in the lobby
Wrong expectations and uncertainty around baggage and check-in leads travelers to waste time, stand in the wrong queues, have regrets around things they didn’t know beforehand
“I had checked in beforehand, and didn't have any bags to drop. I just, you know don't fly very often, (so I didn’t know I could bypass lobby) I pretty much just went through my info and accepted that it was correct.”
— P2 (Infrequent, Domestic Traveler)
“Our ticket said Economy Plus, so we thought we were allowed 32 kilos worldwide. My luggage was overweight. We had no idea what to do. The agent handled everything.
— P6 (Infrequent Travelers)
Baggage allowance appears on kiosk in lobby after reservation is pulled up - sometimes this is where travelers first realise their baggage allowance
Travelers repacking their overweight bags in the middle of the lobby due to lack of a designated station and fear of losing their spot in the queue
Navigation
Travelers need a reliable source of truth to navigate the lobby. Current signage creates information overload, leading travelers to rely on guesswork and social cues.
This confusion is most apparent at the start and end of the self-service process: knowing which kiosk to go to, how to activate it, and what to do afterward. These gaps slow travelers down and currently are a major blind spot in how United tracks and supports the lobby.
“This is my first time in Seattle, but so I didn't know the airport, but I didn't know where security was, TSA was, so I was a little confused. I felt like everybody was as confused as me, yeah? Because I was like, do we go here or here? And they're like, No, this is for first class and this is for and I just didn't feel like that was clear, yeah, like a person who's just walking in”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler) - First Time United User
“Sometimes we feel like bag drop locations are not easy to find. There are some signs, then again that depends on the airport. Some airports are complicated.”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler)
Signage at SEA United lobby directing travelers to bag drop shortcut, agent assistance & standard bag drop lines.
In the Lobby
In high-stakes environments like the airport, travelers seek reassurance at every step. Without it, even intuitive systems can feel risky or unreliable.
When system feedback lacks clarity or consequences feel high, travelers second-guess their actions and seek hand holding from agents. Better system feedback can help travelers feel confident in their actions when using the self-service technology
“As an introvert it's nice to not interact with humans. But I’ll say for complex things like the airport, I'm a bit more nervous using a kiosk than a human. McDonald's is different. If they mess up my order, big deal, you know what I mean. But I kind of do like to deal with a human at the airport if possible, because I just don't want to screw something up and then have like ripple effects.”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler, first time flying United)
“The bag needs to be tagged. If there’s any- thing wrong in the way I’ve done it they can check and correct it. We just want to be sure”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler, United Flyer)
“Pretty much just - ‘what should I do next?’ when there is a big yellow ‘NEXT’ button on the screen”
— Airline Agent
What are common questions you get?
Agent Helping and Reassuring Self service process
Edge Cases
Infrequent travelers need quick support when tech fails or they’ll avoid it. They often lack the time or confidence to recover from system errors alone.
Infrequent travelers, in particular, feel vulnerable when things go wrong and are more likely to abandon self-service altogether. They would rather speak to a human then be at risk of missing their flight.
“Last year we had an issue with the one when you first walk in and there was no agent, and then we had to wait for someone to come help us... I missed the cut off for the checked bag... if an agent would have been live and helping me, I wouldn’t have missed the check bag and missed my flight.”
— P11 (Infrequent Traveler)
“That happened once when I was flying to the Bahamas in college, I waited to use the kiosk, but it couldn’t scan my passport. Then I had to get in line, and by the time I got to the counter, I’d missed my flight and had to rebook.”
— P10 (Infrequent Traveler)
“I very rarely print out [bag tag]. But if I get nervous, like the web issues are bad, or worried about the system, I'll stop at the ticketing counter and have them do it.”
— P8 (Infrequent Traveler)
Kiosk light signals indicating status: green for ready to use, white for in use and red for error or agent assistance required.
GOAL
Create an intuitive and seamless check-in experience that supports unfamiliar passengers
DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
1
Provide clear, contextual, and personalised information - preparing travelers before arrival to set clear expectations
2
Create a sense of reassurance throughout the experience to empower travelers to adopt self-service
3
Provide quick, accessible support for edge cases & error handling to increase users’ trust in the system/ process
4
Must be simple without adding new steps or complexity to prevent additional friction
STAY TUNED FOR MORE!
Work in progress
IDEATION
Focused on divergence
No bad ideas, just broad exploration
Ideated in Journey Stages
Used journey stages to organize and ground ideation
**These ideas helped us explore bold directions before filtering down by feasibility and our design must haves.
Welcome to this cozy corner of the internet ☕️
Call
+1 2065369593
Write
kashvigoel38@gmail.com
Follow
Designing the future of United Airline lobbies
Making the lobby experience efficient for infrequent travelers
My Role
UX designer, User researcher
Timeline
6 months
Team
- Team of 3 masters students (including me)
- Lobby Product Manager @United
- UX Researcher @United
Tools Used
Figma, Otter
PROJECT SCOPE
Rethink the airport lobby experience (everything pre-TSA)
United wants to reduce confusion, speed up processes, and help passengers move through the lobby with less reliance on staff. They are especially focused on helping infrequent travelers, who make up 70% of their customers and often feel overwhelmed when they arrive at the airport.
PRPOJECT GOAL
How might we
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What is the current experience of an infrequent traveler?
How do infrequent travelers navigate self-service technology?
What are the problems that infrequent travelers face with self-service technology in the lobby?
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
What we did
Contextual Inquiry
Contextual Inquiry (April 29th)
5-6 Airline agents
United Lobby at SeaTac
Observe the current flow and probe the experts
Walk-Up Interviews
Walk-Up Informal Interviews (May 1st)
15 United travelers (5 Frequent/ 10 Infrequent)
4 Boarding Gates at SeaTac (A4, A5, A8, A10)
Diverse user accounts captured in context
RESEARCH INSIGHTS
What we found out
Pre-Arrival
Infrequent travelers need clear, personalized guidance before arrival. Without setting the right expectations, they risk going down unhappy paths in the lobby
Wrong expectations and uncertainty around baggage and check-in leads travelers to waste time, stand in the wrong queues, have regrets around things they didn’t know beforehand
“I had checked in beforehand, and didn't have any bags to drop. I just, you know don't fly very often, (so I didn’t know I could bypass lobby) I pretty much just went through my info and accepted that it was correct.”
— P2 (Infrequent, Domestic Traveler)
“Our ticket said Economy Plus, so we thought we were allowed 32 kilos worldwide. My luggage was overweight. We had no idea what to do. The agent handled everything.
— P6 (Infrequent Travelers)
Baggage allowance appears on kiosk in lobby after reservation is pulled up - sometimes this is where travelers first realise their baggage allowance
Travelers repacking their overweight bags in the middle of the lobby due to lack of a designated station and fear of losing their spot in the queue
Navigation
Travelers need a reliable source of truth to navigate the lobby. Current signage creates information overload, leading travelers to rely on guesswork and social cues.
This confusion is most apparent at the start and end of the self-service process: knowing which kiosk to go to, how to activate it, and what to do afterward. These gaps slow travelers down and currently are a major blind spot in how United tracks and supports the lobby.
“This is my first time in Seattle, but so I didn't know the airport, but I didn't know where security was, TSA was, so I was a little confused. I felt like everybody was as confused as me, yeah? Because I was like, do we go here or here? And they're like, No, this is for first class and this is for and I just didn't feel like that was clear, yeah, like a person who's just walking in”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler) - First Time United User
“Sometimes we feel like bag drop locations are not easy to find. There are some signs, then again that depends on the airport. Some airports are complicated.”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler)
Signage at SEA United lobby directing travelers to bag drop shortcut, agent assistance & standard bag drop lines.
In the Lobby
In high-stakes environments like the airport, travelers seek reassurance at every step. Without it, even intuitive systems can feel risky or unreliable.
When system feedback lacks clarity or consequences feel high, travelers second-guess their actions and seek hand holding from agents. Better system feedback can help travelers feel confident in their actions when using the self-service technology
“As an introvert it's nice to not interact with humans. But I’ll say for complex things like the airport, I'm a bit more nervous using a kiosk than a human. McDonald's is different. If they mess up my order, big deal, you know what I mean. But I kind of do like to deal with a human at the airport if possible, because I just don't want to screw something up and then have like ripple effects.”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler, first time flying United)
“The bag needs to be tagged. If there’s any- thing wrong in the way I’ve done it they can check and correct it. We just want to be sure”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler, United Flyer)
“Pretty much just - ‘what should I do next?’ when there is a big yellow ‘NEXT’ button on the screen”
— Airline Agent
What are common questions you get?
Agent Helping and Reassuring Self service process
Edge Cases
Infrequent travelers need quick support when tech fails or they’ll avoid it. They often lack the time or confidence to recover from system errors alone.
Infrequent travelers, in particular, feel vulnerable when things go wrong and are more likely to abandon self-service altogether. They would rather speak to a human then be at risk of missing their flight.
“Last year we had an issue with the one when you first walk in and there was no agent, and then we had to wait for someone to come help us... I missed the cut off for the checked bag... if an agent would have been live and helping me, I wouldn’t have missed the check bag and missed my flight.”
— P11 (Infrequent Traveler)
“That happened once when I was flying to the Bahamas in college, I waited to use the kiosk, but it couldn’t scan my passport. Then I had to get in line, and by the time I got to the counter, I’d missed my flight and had to rebook.”
— P10 (Infrequent Traveler)
“I very rarely print out [bag tag]. But if I get nervous, like the web issues are bad, or worried about the system, I'll stop at the ticketing counter and have them do it.”
— P8 (Infrequent Traveler)
Kiosk light signals indicating status: green for ready to use, white for in use and red for error or agent assistance required.
Pre-Arrival
Infrequent travelers need clear, personalized guidance before arrival. Without setting the right expectations, they risk going down unhappy paths in the lobby
Wrong expectations and uncertainty around baggage and check-in leads travelers to waste time, stand in the wrong queues, have regrets around things they didn’t know beforehand
“I had checked in beforehand, and didn't have any bags to drop. I just, you know don't fly very often, (so I didn’t know I could bypass lobby) I pretty much just went through my info and accepted that it was correct.”
— P2 (Infrequent, Domestic Traveler)
“Our ticket said Economy Plus, so we thought we were allowed 32 kilos worldwide. My luggage was overweight. We had no idea what to do. The agent handled everything.
— P6 (Infrequent Travelers)
Baggage allowance appears on kiosk in lobby after reservation is pulled up - sometimes this is where travelers first realise their baggage allowance
Travelers repacking their overweight bags in the middle of the lobby due to lack of a designated station and fear of losing their spot in the queue
Navigation
Travelers need a reliable source of truth to navigate the lobby. Current signage creates information overload, leading travelers to rely on guesswork and social cues.
This confusion is most apparent at the start and end of the self-service process: knowing which kiosk to go to, how to activate it, and what to do afterward. These gaps slow travelers down and currently are a major blind spot in how United tracks and supports the lobby.
“This is my first time in Seattle, but so I didn't know the airport, but I didn't know where security was, TSA was, so I was a little confused. I felt like everybody was as confused as me, yeah? Because I was like, do we go here or here? And they're like, No, this is for first class and this is for and I just didn't feel like that was clear, yeah, like a person who's just walking in”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler) - First Time United User
“Sometimes we feel like bag drop locations are not easy to find. There are some signs, then again that depends on the airport. Some airports are complicated.”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler)
Signage at SEA United lobby directing travelers to bag drop shortcut, agent assistance & standard bag drop lines.
In the Lobby
In high-stakes environments like the airport, travelers seek reassurance at every step. Without it, even intuitive systems can feel risky or unreliable.
When system feedback lacks clarity or consequences feel high, travelers second-guess their actions and seek hand holding from agents. Better system feedback can help travelers feel confident in their actions when using the self-service technology
“As an introvert it's nice to not interact with humans. But I’ll say for complex things like the airport, I'm a bit more nervous using a kiosk than a human. McDonald's is different. If they mess up my order, big deal, you know what I mean. But I kind of do like to deal with a human at the airport if possible, because I just don't want to screw something up and then have like ripple effects.”
— P7 (Frequent Traveler, first time flying United)
“The bag needs to be tagged. If there’s any- thing wrong in the way I’ve done it they can check and correct it. We just want to be sure”
— P1 (Frequent Traveler, United Flyer)
“Pretty much just - ‘what should I do next?’ when there is a big yellow ‘NEXT’ button on the screen”
— Airline Agent
What are common questions you get?
Agent Helping and Reassuring Self service process
Edge Cases
Infrequent travelers need quick support when tech fails or they’ll avoid it. They often lack the time or confidence to recover from system errors alone.
Infrequent travelers, in particular, feel vulnerable when things go wrong and are more likely to abandon self-service altogether. They would rather speak to a human then be at risk of missing their flight.
“Last year we had an issue with the one when you first walk in and there was no agent, and then we had to wait for someone to come help us... I missed the cut off for the checked bag... if an agent would have been live and helping me, I wouldn’t have missed the check bag and missed my flight.”
— P11 (Infrequent Traveler)
“That happened once when I was flying to the Bahamas in college, I waited to use the kiosk, but it couldn’t scan my passport. Then I had to get in line, and by the time I got to the counter, I’d missed my flight and had to rebook.”
— P10 (Infrequent Traveler)
“I very rarely print out [bag tag]. But if I get nervous, like the web issues are bad, or worried about the system, I'll stop at the ticketing counter and have them do it.”
— P8 (Infrequent Traveler)
Kiosk light signals indicating status: green for ready to use, white for in use and red for error or agent assistance required.
GOAL
Create an intuitive and seamless check-in experience that supports unfamiliar passengers
DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
1
Provide clear, contextual, and personalised information - preparing travelers before arrival to set clear expectations
2
Create a sense of reassurance throughout the experience to empower travelers to adopt self-service
3
Provide quick, accessible support for edge cases & error handling to increase users’ trust in the system/ process
4
Must be simple without adding new steps or complexity to prevent additional friction
STAY TUNED FOR MORE!
Work in progress
IDEATION
Focused on divergence
No bad ideas, just broad exploration
Ideated in Journey Stages
Used journey stages to organize and ground ideation
**These ideas helped us explore bold directions before filtering down by feasibility and our design must haves.
Welcome to this cozy corner of the internet ☕️
Call
+1 2065369593
Write
kashvigoel38@gmail.com
Follow