Skyscanner

SkyScanner UX Revamp:
Fixing Pain Points, Elevating Travel

Time

8-10 weeks

School

Memorisely

Tools

Jotform, Typeform,
Dovetail, Useberry,
Google Slides,
Chat GPT, Figjam

Summary

Understanding the importance of UX research, I joined an 8-week bootcamp at Memorisely, where our team took on the challenge of improving the user experience on Skyscanner.com—a well-known travel search engine for flights, hotels, and car rentals. With the travel industry constantly evolving, user expectations are always shifting, making UX updates was essential.

Our goal was to uncover pain points in the user journey and improve the overall experience.

Through eight weeks of research, we uncovered key insights:

User Personas:
We identified four main traveler types—Tech-Savvy, Budget-Conscious, Empty Nesters, and Young Professionals. Understanding their unique needs helped shape our design decisions.
Core Functionalities:
Search, Compare, and Trust emerged as the most critical features. Optimizing the user journey for these behaviors directly impacts user satisfaction and booking choices.
Pain Points:
Users struggled with limited search filters, information overload, lack of transparency, and a frustrating mobile experience. Addressing these issues became a top priority.

At the end of the course, we also made recommendations for possible solutions based on the insights of the stakeholders and research findings. (see below)

Working in a global team with colleagues from Mexico and Poland, and thanks to the in-depth course material over the 8 weeks, I deepened my understanding of UX research theory, methods and tools. We applied our knowledge in a practical case study on Skyscanner and had the opportunity to refine our work through mentor feedback. One of the highlights for me was exploring AI tools and experimenting with Dovetail - I loved seeing how technology can improve UX research and streamline insights.

The research objectives

We began our work by defining the research objectives, which support as our guide throughout the entire project. These objectives kept us focused on addressing specific issues or questions. The research questions provided a framework that helped us determine the necessary information to gather from our participants.

Understand the background

Stakeholder interviews are essential at the start of a research project. To ensure successful research, we wanted to understand business challenges and goals, creating a shared vision for effective collaboration. We organized our questions into four categories and used ChatGPT to interview a Product Manager, Software Engineer, and Chief Marketing Officer. The four question categories were:  

Success metrics
Experience and insights
Key focus areas
Communication and workflow

The User

Following the stakeholder interviews, we focused on understanding Skyscanner users better. Although Skyscanner is already a well-known search site, our new goals required deeper insights. We used three primary research methods to gather more data:

The Screening Survey:
we targeted mobile users and experienced users with extensive travel experience on Skyscanner and other travel sites
looked for users willing to participate in future research
a 10-question survey (single/multi-choice and open-ended) using Typeform

The Research Survey:
formulated the questions to gathered information on traveler preferences wanted to identify pain points, problems, and gather information about user experiences explored how users interact with website features. We wanted to find out uncovered user needs with a 13-question survey (single choice, multiple choice, rating, open-ended, and single-ended questions) using Jotform

The User Interview and User testing:
We conducted fictional user interviews using ChatGPT based on survey responses and we analyzed the data with Dovetail. We used the data we already gathered and gained from the surveys to formulate the questions for the Interview Script. Our team tested the user interface with scenario-based tasks via Zoom.

The issues

After synthesising the data using Chat GPT and Dovetail, we created an affinity map grouping the insights and pain points, and identified the following issues:

Search
Users need better filter options and improved mobile experience.
Difficulty in narrowing search results.
Feeling overwhelmed with too much information.
Difficulty finding contact information or customer support
Want more content, travel tips, planning tools and sustainable travel advice

Compare
Importance of clear price distinctions and the ability to compare offers
Users want to see the best deals that meet their needs.
Features such flight duration and sustainable options are important for decision-making

Trust
Hidden fees are a major issue
Transparency is essential, with a need for clear information on allowances and cancellation policies
Users prefer booking directly with airlines over third-party booking sites

S.W.O.T

Our analysis revealed several areas where Skyscanner can potentially improve its user experience.

Direct competitors (Kayak ad Google Flights)
Skyscanner needs to make prices clearer, add more ways to filter searches, and improve its mobile app.
It should also simplify the information users see and improve customer support. Adding trip planning tools and more detailed information will help Skyscanner stand out. 
Indirect competitors (Booking.com and Tripadvisor)
Skyscanner can retain users by launching a loyalty programme and offering mobile-only deals. It should also allow users to share reviews and travel ideas. Working with popular travel influencers can make Skyscanner more popular and useful for travellers.

Competitors

Recommendations

Enhance search functionality:
Improve filtering options, simplify information, and provide better mobile experience
Improve comparison capabilities:  
Offer clear price distinctions, highlight the best offers, and include flight duration and sustainability options
Increase transparency:
 Provide clear information on allowances, cancellation policies, and hidden fees
Personalize the user experience:
 Implement personalization features and voice interface integration
Expand travel planning tools:
 Offer more content, travel tips, planning tools, and sustainable travel options
Build a loyal user community:  
Introduce loyalty programs, enable user reviews and travel ideas, and collaborate with travel influencers
Optimize for mobile:  
Enhance the mobile app and focus on mobile-exclusive deals
Prioritize sustainability:
 Incorporate sustainable travel options and promote eco-friendly practices