Ever had a bad experience trying to book a flight online? Of course you have. According to JD Power, 87% of travelers used the web to book travel tickets in 2012, yet most sites are still stuck in the 90s. So international design agency Fi (opens in new tab) decided to do something about it.
The agency reviewed all major airline websites, and graded them against design and usability criteria including information architecture, interaction design and visual design. Disheartened by the results, they decided to present an alternative view of how a travel website might look and function.
The designs they came up with were centred around the user-centred propositions including:
- Syatic text and form fields replaced with relevant, attractive imagery and simple, intuitive toolsets.
- Icon-driven navigation to say more in less space.
- The best possible deals in real-time, based on the user’s location and preferences.
- Smart filtering options so the interface is infinitely flexible, and tailored to each specific user.
- A site that plays travel agent by offering intelligent options based on a small amount of information you provide
To expand on these and other principles, Fi has created a micro site (opens in new tab) that shows exactly how they would be put into practice, with mocked-up page examples and an array of thoughtful detail.
This is exactly that kind of disruption the online travel industry needs - and we hope there's a big player who's forward-looking enough to commission Fi to develop these intriguing designs.
You can check out the designs, and the thinking behind them, in full here (opens in new tab).
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What would you like to see on an airline website of the future? Share your views in the comments below!
