London Heathrow

About

The Heathrow Mobile App is a user-friendly platform designed to enhance the travel experience at Heathrow Airport. It provides real-time flight updates, terminal navigation, live security wait times, and personalised travel information. The app simplifies the journey with features like parking reservations, lounge bookings, and exclusive retail offers, making every step from check-in to departure seamless and stress-free.

My Role

Initially as Lead Product Designer, I collaborated with Heathrow's Director and Product Manager to align our design strategy and roadmap with Heathrow's goals for the product. I facilitated workshops, design sprints, and activities with users, stakeholders, and other designers to deliver incremental app improvement and measurable results. This role expanded to Experience Design Director, helping set the overall product strategy and passenger experience vision.

Goals

Maintain or increase app rating
Increase app downloads
Increase user engagement: flights added, increase revenue and service bookings: car parking, food orders, lounge access

Challenge

Often stressful situations: Catching a flight, Getting to the airport, Navigating the airport, Getting through security
Ease of access to real-time information
Outdated navigation, information architecture, information
COVID created an environment where these stresses were elevated and ease of access to information and seamless passenger journeys were more important than ever.

Learning Agenda

Why would passengers download an airport app?
What are the most stressful and painful moments for passengers?
How might we identify stress mitigation possibilities through interviews and observations?
Who is most likely to download the app and why would they keep it?

Insights

50% of passengers want more information to decrease stress
69% of passengers are more likely to visit shops with real-time visibility of gate information and time needed to get to gate
Frequent flyers are most likely to download and keep the app
Top reasons to download the app: Airport Guide, Flight Information, Free Wi-Fi

Category References: Disney World, Changi Airport, Journey Planning UI Trend.
New Technology: Indoor Navigation, iOS Live Activities, iOS Widgets.

Design Activities

Customer journey mapping and vision
Task analysis
User flow mapping
Wireframe prototype and usability testing
UI / Design system modernisation

OKRs

New Features:
Journey planner with context based, personalised content
Enhanced indoor way finding
Live security waiting times
Live activities and push notifications
Live chat
‍
Recent Results:
4.5 Star Rating, 4.8k Reviews. 28% increase in ratings and 25% increase in reviews.
Exceeded revenue goal by 37%
16% increase in spend per user
200k+ app downloads