Star Alliance - Website redesign

Creating a seamless and premium digital experience for millions of travellers across the network

Star Alliance

One of the largest global airline alliances, consisting of 26 member airlines, that provides customers with travel services and benefits.

The goal

To design a new website with the traveller in mind, that

  • delivers a premium brand experience for all customers across all digital platforms;

  • provides dynamic, relevant, timely and personalised content;

  • improves the usability of existing processes and tools that are complicated and confusing;

  • is responsive for mobile, tablet and desktop, allowing users to access information wherever they are;

  • is a modular and scalable solution that will allow for updates and changes, and one that will allow the client to manage content more easily;

Considerations - content will be delivered in multiple languages, therefore it is important to consider and accommodate the length and size of textual content at all stages of the project.

My role

Lead UX Designer. My responsibility was to work with the client to carry out a complete redesign of the site. More specifically, this involved facilitating workshops, gathering requirements, reviewing research, and translating these inputs into newly designed, responsive templates in Axure.

In addition to providing the client with ongoing UX support, I delivered further projects that covered key sections and functionality within the site, such as Book & Fly.

Approach

Site maps

One of my first steps was to produce a sitemap of the existing site to illustrate the complex structure of the information architecture, and the sheer volume of content that needed to be updated and maintained.

Later, I was able to produce an updated sitemap, based on a templated solution that allowed me to simplify the structure of the sitemap significantly.

Original sitemap

Updated sitemap

Desk research

I then carried out desk research and reviewed existing research and client documents.

Workshops in Frankfurt - 2 days

  • Prepared, facilitated and led sessions with key stakeholders.

  • Discussed pain points and complicated information architecture.

  • Gathered requirements - worked with the client to identify and understand the requirements for a complete site redesign.

  • Prepared and conducted stakeholder interviews.

  • Discussed research and audience.

Gathering requirements - Workshop, Frankfurt

User journeys

I created user journeys for all key user tasks, such as booking a trip.

User journey - Booking trip

Sketches & paper prototypes

As part of exploration and ideation, I produced sketches and prototypes for each of the key user journeys.

Sketch - Services page

Paper prototype - Sign up for Frequent Flyer Programme

Wireframes

  • Created clickable wireframes (templates) in Axure, for mobile and desktop.

  • Annotated all wireframes with descriptions, interactions and cases, where applicable.

  • Carried out regular reviews with the client, and followed-up with updates and iterations.

  • Produced a functional spec to document user journeys and wireframes.

Wireframes (templates) - Homepage

Wireframes (templates) - General content

Wireframes (templates) - Airport detail, Gold Track

Annotations, e.g. action button

Smart Bar concept

  • The aim of the Smart Bar was to provide the user with a more personalised experience by asking short, targeted questions in order to surface relevant, timely content.

  • This was a team effort, where I worked collaboratively with other UX and UI designers and developers.

  • Following team discussions and analysis, I produced a document detailing the Smart Bar* concept - functionality, interactions, flows, rules, different states/views, and responsive solutions.

Smart Bar concept - Desktop workings

Smart Bar concept - Mobile workings

Flow example - Airport details

Smart Bar concept - Interactions

Smart Bar desktop UI

Additional work

  • I provided ongoing UX support to Star Alliance.

  • Worked on multiple side projects, such as Book & Fly, Gold Track, Lounges, Connecting Partners, Services.

Outcomes

A complete redesign of the Star Alliance website, one that:

  • has a scalable structure that is modular and based on templates;

  • has a premium look and feel;

  • is fully responsive, allowing users to access content on the go;

  • provides users with travel tools that are simplified and easier to complete;

  • displays more concise and easy to read content;

Homepage

Flight Search functionality

Template example

Personal achievements

Responsible for producing and delivering modular templates (Axure) for the complete site redesign of one of the largest global airline alliances.

Prepared and facilitated workshops and interviews with key stakeholders at client headquarters in Frankfurt.

Worked within a multidisciplinary team - shared ideas and concepts, discussed challenges, and worked together to achieve an optimal solution.

Delivered a number of additional projects for the client, and provided ongoing UX support.