Improving Trust & Conversion in Flight Booking
This project explored why users hesitate or abandon flight bookings on Skyscanner, with a focus on trust, pricing transparency, and decision making during comparison. Using a mixed method research approach, we identified where confidence breaks down in the booking flow and translated findings into actionable UX opportunities.
My Role & Contribution
I worked as part of a small UX research team, with hands-on responsibility for research planning, usability testing, synthesis, and UI prototyping.
Research Focus
The research centered on three objectives directly tied to conversion:
Hesitation — where users pause or drop off
Trust — what builds or erodes confidence
Selection — how users compare and choose flights
Research Methods & Scale
We combined quantitative and qualitative methods to capture both attitudes and behaviors.
Screening Survey — 43 participants
Research Survey — 16 qualified users
Unmoderated Usability Tests — 9 participants
Early Signals from Surveys
Survey responses showed that trust issues begin before checkout, not during payment.
Common themes included:
Late-appearing fees
Unclear baggage and seat details
Preference for booking directly with airlines
Usability Testing
We designed two unmoderated tasks to observe hesitation in real time:
Selecting the cheapest direct flight with baggage
Task1 (See the prototype here)Completing a booking via third-party redirect
Task 2 (See the prototype here)
What We Observed
Key behavioral patterns emerged during testing:
Hesitation increased at third party redirects
Missing baggage info disrupted confident selection
Users cross-checked prices or reconsidered bookings
Key Insights
Across surveys and usability tests, three insights remained consistent:
Upfront clarity reduces hesitation
Third party redirects lower trust
Transparency matters as much as price
Synthesis & Research Artifacts
We used affinity mapping and clustering to translate raw data into clear UX direction.
Outputs included:
Affinity maps
User persona and scenario
UX opportunity areas
From Insights to UX Opportunities
Based on the research, we identified testable UX directions:
Clearer upfront pricing
Improved filters (price + direct + baggage)
More integrated booking experiences
