Supporting Families in Air Travel
UX Research / Problem Definition / In Progress
Project Overview
Air travel can be stressful, especially for families with young children or travelers with sensory sensitivities. From crowded spaces and long lines to unclear procedures and unexpected delays, the journey often feels unpredictable and overwhelming.
This project explores how the air travel experience could be calmer, clearer, and more supportive for those who need it most. At this stage, the focus is on understanding traveler challenges through survey and interview research, with design directions still being explored.
The Problem
Traveling involves multiple stages - from planning and booking to check-in, boarding, and the flight itself, and each stage can create stress and uncertainty. Families, particularly those with infants and young children, face challenges such as overstimulation, unclear processes, and unpredictable procedures, which can lead to anxiety and frustration.
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Even small improvements like clearer guidance, supportive processes, or calming environments could make the entire journey feel more manageable. These opportunities became the foundation for defining how design could better support travelers with younger kids.
Understanding the user
User research: summary
I conducted a survey with parents from the school community where I currently work to understand challenges in the air travel experience. I also completed one in-person interview with a parent of young children to gain deeper insight into specific pain points, particularly around traveling with infants. This research informed key themes around clarity, predictability, and family-centered support.
User research: discoveries
Survey Insights:
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A primary pain point for parents is the lack of standardized, accessible information regarding airline-specific rules and airport amenities.
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While many parents use screens to manage children during the flight, the airport experience itself, specifically the period spent waiting and navigating terminals, is a major stressor.
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The research highlights that the stress of travel does not end upon landing; instead, it shifts into a high-stakes physical and logistical challenge.
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In-Person Interview Insights:
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Confusion when traveling with infants under 2.
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Unclear guidance on whether a separate ticket is needed for an infant.
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Security procedures don’t always and sufficiently support parents with babies.
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Airlines not prioritizing families sitting together increases stress and worry about leaving children next to strangers.
Two direct quotes that represent the core frustrations of the respondents:
"Every airline and airplane has own rules regarding car seats (required? allowed?), check in, strollers, what counts as carry on, are strollers oversize baggage or not, bassinet availability… We have to buffer extra time at the airport every time."
"Eliminate decision making - make decisions accessible and showcase everything simply."
Representative users
Personas: overview
These personas represent two family travel needs identified through research. Sarah reflects a highly organized parent traveling with very young children, where clear rules, logistics, and family-friendly information are essential to reducing stress. Louisa represents a parent of older children with accessibility needs, where predictability, simplicity, and emotional regulation are especially important.​
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While both personas value comfort and structure, they differ in life stage, accessibility needs, and preferred tools, helping highlight a broader range of challenges and opportunities across the family travel journey.
Persona-Based Problem Framing
Primary Persona — Sarah Lee
Problem Statement
Sarah is a highly organized parent traveling with two young children, but unclear airline rules, hard-to-find family services, and unpredictable logistics make air travel stressful despite her preparation.
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Design Goals
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Clarify airline rules for families traveling with young children
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Make family-friendly services easy to find throughout the journey
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Help parents feel confident and prepared before and during travel
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Design Hypothesis
If parents are given clear, centralized guidance and reliable family-focused information, they will feel more confident and less stressed when traveling with young children.​
Secondary Persona - Louisa Parks
Problem Statement
Louisa travels with two older children, one with accessibility needs, and struggles with overwhelming tools and unpredictable travel processes that increase stress, especially before departure.
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Design Goals
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Create a predictable, step-by-step travel experience
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Reduce cognitive load for families with accessibility needs
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Support emotional regulation through clear structure and preparation
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Design Hypothesis
If the travel journey is structured into clear, predictable steps, families with accessibility needs will feel calmer and better supported.
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How Might We Themes
​Based on survey and interview insights, I synthesized six opportunity areas and prioritized the three below for design exploration. These opportunity areas will guide ideation and concept development in the next phase of the project.
Theme 1: Clarity & Predictability for Families
HMW:
How might we reduce uncertainty for families traveling with children by clearly communicating rules, expectations, and next steps throughout the journey?
Why this matters:
Confusing policies, unclear preparation requirements, and fear of “doing something wrong” are major sources of stress for parents.
Theme 2: Family & Accessibility Support
HMW:
How might we make air travel feel more predictable and supportive for families with accessibility, sensory, or emotional regulation needs?
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Why this matters:
Noise, transitions, and unpredictable processes increase anxiety for children and caregivers, especially when additional accessibility needs are involved.
Theme 3: Unified Travel Guidance for Families
HMW:
How might we bring preparation, guidance, and support into one intuitive experience designed specifically for families traveling with children?
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Why this matters:
Parents currently rely on fragmented tools and information sources, increasing cognitive load and stress throughout the journey.
Next steps
At this stage, I’m exploring multiple potential directions since the research is still quite broad. The next steps will involve ideation, low-fidelity prototyping, and testing early concepts to see which solutions best address the needs uncovered in the survey and interview. The project is still in progress, but the research and problem definition provide a strong foundation for designing experiences that make traveling with kids more human-centered, calm, and predictable.
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Status: Exploratory - no final design direction has been chosen yet.
Next steps:
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Brainstorm multiple solution concepts based on HMWs
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Sketch wireframes and low-fi prototypes
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Test early concepts with users
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Refine design direction based on feedback