TripBits — Case Study · Process

The full process

The research, personas and flows behind TripBits — Case Study. The case study covers the decisions; this is the work underneath them.

02 — User Research

User Persona & Goals

Understanding who we design for — their motivations, goals, and pain points.

👤
Priya Sharma
Frequent Business Traveller, 28
  • Book flights in under 2 minutes
  • Track loyalty points across airlines
  • Avoid hidden fees at checkout
  • Surprise fees revealed only at payment
  • Cluttered search results with no smart ranking
🧑
Rahul Mehta
Weekend Explorer, 34
  • Find the best deals on flights
  • Discover new destinations with ease
  • Rebook cancelled trips without friction
  • Overwhelming number of options with no guidance
  • No price transparency until checkout
👩
Anita Patel
Family Vacation Planner, 42
  • Book flights for the entire family in one session
  • Filter for family-friendly flight options
  • Select seats together during booking
  • Complex multi-passenger booking flows
  • No family bundle or group discount options

03 — Business Challenges

Core Challenges

The systemic problems preventing users from completing bookings with confidence.

💸

Checkout Anxiety

67% of users abandon at the payment step when unexpected fees appear. Trust is broken at the most critical moment in the funnel.

🔍

Search Overwhelm

50+ unfiltered results with no intelligent ranking create decision paralysis. Users spend more time comparing than dreaming about travel.

💔

Emotional Disconnect

Apps show data, not destinations. There is no emotional hook to inspire the booking journey — only rows of times, codes, and price tags.

No Loyalty Integration

Loyalty points and rewards are invisible during search and checkout, removing a key motivator for repeat bookings and brand stickiness.


04 — Secondary Research

Market Insights

Booking Abandonment
67%
Payment Step Drop-off
Industry data shows 67% of users abandon flight bookings at the payment step, driven primarily by surprise fees and complex checkout flows.
Search Behaviour
3.2×
Average Searches Before Booking
Users perform an average of 3.2 searches across sessions before committing to a flight, indicating high decision friction and lack of confidence.
User Preference
89%
Prefer Transparent Upfront Pricing
89% of surveyed travellers say all-inclusive upfront pricing is the single most important factor in choosing a booking platform over competitors.

07 — User Flow

The Journey

01
Discover
Browse destination-first inspirational visuals and trending travel picks
02
Search Flights
Use smart search with flexible date intelligence and upfront pricing
03
Filter & Compare
Intelligent filters surface the best options — ranked by value, not just price
04
Select Seat
Interactive seat map with real-time availability and family grouping
05
Review & Pay
All-inclusive price summary with zero hidden fees before final confirmation
06
Confirmation
Celebratory booking confirmation with TripBits loyalty points earned

08 — Toolkits

Tools & Workflow

The tools and methods used throughout the design process.

🎨
Figma
UI Design & Prototyping
🖌️
Canva
Visual Assets & Presentation
✏️
Adobe Illustrator
Icon Design & Illustration
📱
Behance Mobile
Portfolio Publishing & Sharing

02 — Process

From Insight
to Interface

The process for TripBits was grounded in a straightforward observation: when something goes wrong mid-booking — a price change, a confusing seat map, an unclear baggage policy — people don't just abandon the flow. They abandon the platform. The research shaped the brief. What follows is an honest account of how that understanding drove every design decision.

01

User Research

150 in-depth interviews across frequent and occasional travellers. Identified anxiety triggers, delight moments, and emotional peaks in the existing booking journey.

02

Emotional Journey Mapping

Plotted emotional valence across the entire booking funnel. Found the exact moments where excitement turned to frustration — the fee reveal, the date picker, the seat map.

03

Booking Flow Redesign

Collapsed the 12-step legacy flow into 3 milestone-based steps. Transparent pricing from step one eliminated the dreaded checkout surprise.

04

Mobile-First Design System

Built a component library purpose-built for travel booking: destination cards, smart search, flexible date intelligence, gamified reward chips, and motion transitions.

05

Prototype Testing

Tested 3 rounds of high-fidelity prototypes with 40 participants. Each round refined the emotional tone, micro-interaction timing, and pricing transparency cues.


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