Delta Dining Service
Delta Dining Service
Delta Dining Service
Personal Project
Delta Air Lines, a global leader in air travel, offers food and beverage service on flights. Delta's In-flight Service digitalizes onboard dining order and snack ordering services, making it accessible via its Skymile mobile platforms for a more accessible and efficient
Timeline
2 weeks
Tools
Figma
Maze
Team
Allison, UX Researcher
Yuko, UX Researcher
Jiyeon, UXUI Designer
Disipline
UX Design
UX Research
UI Design
Problem
How might we enhance inflight catering services to ensure a seamless and pleasant experience for passengers and the cabin crew?
Opportunity
We aimed to seamlessly integrate inflight catering services, traditionally a physical experience, into a streamlined digital process.
Solution
In-Flight Dining Order Submission
In-Flight Dining Order Submission
A digital inflight dining service lets passengers order meals from their seats, saving time and enhancing the experience with personalized options.
A digital inflight dining service lets passengers order meals from their seats, saving time and enhancing the experience with personalized options.
Modify In-Flight Dining Order
Modify In-Flight Dining Order
Real-time order editing lets passengers modify meals directly from their seats, enhancing flexibility and streamlining the inflight dining experience without crew assistance.
Real-time order editing lets passengers modify meals directly from their seats, enhancing flexibility and streamlining the inflight dining experience without crew assistance.
Browse Flight Fuel Menu & Add to Cart
Browse Flight Fuel Menu & Add to Cart
Flight Fuel lets passengers independently browse, order, and pay for snacks and drinks, with quick access to info and a 'Quick Add' option.
Flight Fuel lets passengers independently browse, order, and pay for snacks and drinks, with quick access to info and a 'Quick Add' option.
Pay & Checkout Flight Fuel Order
Pay & Checkout Flight Fuel Order
Online checkout replaces cart-based payments, speeding up service and enhancing comfort while minimizing contact, all from the passenger’s seat.
Online checkout replaces cart-based payments, speeding up service and enhancing comfort while minimizing contact, all from the passenger’s seat.
Research
User Interview
Our team interviewed flight attendants and frequent flyers from Delta and other airlines to understand their challenges and needs. We gathered three common pain points both from the travelers and the cabin crew. The interviewees felt like the manual meal order-taking on flights is outdated and inefficient, causing delays and management issues, especially on crowded flights.
3 Key Insights
01 Speed
“Watching flight attendants take meal orders row by row is painfully slow. It feels really inefficient.”
02 Delays
“On packed flights, the order-taking process can slow things down.”
03 Management
"Recording orders by hand in a cramped cabin full of passengers can lead to mix-ups and a lot of back-and-forth."
User Persona
Our team has developed two user personas, one representing flight attendants and the other representing travelers, to address and target the specific challenges faced by both service providers and recipients in the airline industry.
Current State of Service
01 Pre-selection
01
Pre-selection
Delta Airlines lets first-class passengers pre-select meals 24 hours before, while others wait for flight attendants to collect orders onboard.
02 Tap-to-Pay service
02
Tap-to-Pay service
The airline offers Tap-to-Pay for Flight Fuel purchases, allowing passengers to use digital wallets or contactless cards after ordering.
Design
Feature Placement
My research showed Delta's Wi-Fi login requires a SkyMiles account, presenting an opportunity to integrate the inflight dining feature. Orders could be transferred to flight attendants, and the SkyMiles login would eliminate the need for separate ID verification for alcohol.
User Flow
I reflected the physical ordering process in the user flow by mirroring real-world steps from selection to checkout.
Low-Fi Sketches
I began to sketch what screens of the user’s journey from menu browsing to order confirmation would look like and how the user would navigate through the screens. My primary focus of the design was to ensure an intuitive, user-friendly interface that would facilitate a quick and effortless ordering process. I aimed to create a logical flow that would naturally guide users from one step to the next, with clear visual cues and minimal text to reduce cognitive load.
Utilizing Exisiting Design System
I utilized the existing design system to ensure consistency, streamline development, and maintain a cohesive user experience that aligns with the overall brand identity.
Enhancing Speed and Convenience
Quick Add-to-Cart Button
Allows passengers to quickly add items with a single tap, speeding up the ordering process.
Visual Appeal to Boost Inflight Dining Engagement
Eye-Catching Image
Image is placed to draw attention to the Flight Fuel feature, assisting the users in discovering the feature and encouraging passengers to explore.
Enlarged Food Images to Stimulate Appetite
I used enlarged images of the food to evoke a sense of hunger and entice passengers to place orders.
Accessibility in Design
Since passengers from various countries use the inflight service, we focus on accessibility, making it easy for everyone to use regardless of their background.
Image-Focused Design
The product card design emphasizes images, as visuals are universally understood, allowing passengers to easily recognize and select items regardless of language or background.
Muti-Language Service
The design can be extended to offer multi-language support, increasing accessibility for non-English-speaking travelers
Take Away
Potential Sucess Metric
If I had more time and this feature launched, these are the success metrics I would use to measure its effectiveness and user satisfaction.
Average Order Time
I will track Average Order Time, aiming for under 1 minute for dining orders and 2 minutes for Flight Fuel checkout, to ensure a quick, seamless process and minimize user flow issues.
Repeat Usage
Repeat Usage measures the percentage of frequent flyers using the dining service multiple times. A rate of 30% or higher indicates strong user satisfaction, convenience, and long-term engagement.
Key Learnings
Communication is Key to Team Success
Effective communication with a UX researcher underscored the value of empathy, openness, and flexibility, leading to mutual adaptation and an integrated approach. This collaborative experience enhanced my skills and deepened my understanding of interdisciplinary work in crafting exceptional user experiences.
Personal Passion Project
Delta Dining Service
Delta's In-flight Service digitizes onboard dining ordering services, making ordering more accessible via the Skymile mobile platforms.
Timeline
2 weeks
Tools
Figma
Maze
Team
Allison, UX Researcher
Yuko, UX Researcher
Jiyeon, UXUI Designer
Disipline
UX Design
UX Research
UI Design
Problem
Problem Discovery
While flying with Delta Airlines, my experience with the catering service was slow and inefficient. This sparked an idea: how could the service be improved to meet passengers' and flight attendants’ needs?
Opportunity
We aimed to integrate a digital platform into the physical inflight catering service to enhance efficiency.
How Might We…
How might we enhance inflight catering services to ensure a seamless and pleasant experience for passengers and crew?
Solution
In-Flight Dining Order Submission
A digital inflight dining service lets passengers order meals from their seats, saving time and enhancing experiences with personalized options.
Modify In-Flight Dining Order
Real-time order editing lets passengers modify meals directly from their seats, enhancing flexibility and boosting crew efficiency.
Browse Flight Fuel Menu & Add to Cart
Flight Fuel lets passengers independently browse, order, and pay for snacks and drinks, with quick access to info and a 'Quick Add' option.
Pay & Checkout Flight Fuel Order
Online checkout replaces cart-based payments, speeding up service and enhancing comfort while minimizing contact, all from the passenger’s seat.
Research
User Interview
Our team interviewed flight attendants and frequent flyers from Delta and other airlines to understand challenges and needs. We gathered three common pain points from both travelers and crew. Interviewees believed manual meal order-taking on flights was outdated and inefficient and believed it led to delays and management issues.
3 Key Insights
01
Speed
“Watching flight attendants take meal orders row by row is painfully slow. It feels really inefficient.”
02
Delays
“On packed flights, the order-taking process can slow things down.”
03
Management
"Recording orders by hand in a cramped cabin full of passengers can lead to mix-ups and a lot of back-and-forth."
User Persona
Our team developed two user personas, one representing flight attendants and the other representing travelers.
Current State of Service
01 Pre-selection
Delta lets first-class passengers pre-select meals 24 hours before takeoff. Other passengers must wait for flight attendants to collect orders onboard.
02 Tap-to-Pay service
Delta offers Tap-to-Pay for Flight Fuel purchases, allowing passengers to use digital wallets or contactless cards after ordering.
Design
Feature Placement
Delta's Wi-Fi login requires a SkyMiles account, presenting an opportunity to integrate our proposed inflight dining feature. Orders could be digitally sent to flight attendants, and the SkyMiles login would eliminate the need for alcohol ID verification.
User Flow
I translated the physical ordering process to the digital ordering platform.
Low-Fi Sketches
I sketched screens of the user journey, and I demonstrated how users would navigate. My primary focus was to create an intuitive, user-friendly interface that would facilitate a quick and effortless ordering process. I used visual cues and minimal text to reduce cognitive load and create a natural flow.
Building on Exisiting Design System
I used the existing design system as a base framework to ensure consistency, streamline development, and maintain a cohesive user experience that aligns with the overall brand identity.
Enhancing Speed and Convenience
Quick Add-to-Cart Button
Allows passengers to quickly add items with a single tap, speeding up the ordering process.
Visual Appeal to Boost Inflight Dining Engagement
Eye-Catching Images
Image is prominently placed to draw attention to the Flight Fuel feature, helping users discover it and encouraging passengers to explore.
Enlarged Food Images to Stimulate Appetite
I used enlarged images of the dining options to evoke a sense of hunger and entice passengers to order.
Accessibility in Design
Because passengers from many countries use the inflight service, we focused on accessibility, making it easy for everyone to use.
Image-Focused Design
The product card design emphasizes images because visuals are universally understood.
Muti-Language Service
The design can support multiple languages, increasing accessibility for non-English-speaking travelers.
Reflection
Potential Sucess Metrics
If I had more time and this feature launched, these are the success metrics I would use to measure effectiveness and user satisfaction.
Average Order Time
By tracking average order time for Flight Fuel checkout, we could monitor platform efficiency and improve on user flow bottlenecks.
Adoption Rate
By tracking the number of mobile orders vs legacy in-person orders, we could monitor engagement and satisfaction.
If I Had More Time...
Workflow For The Cabin Crew and Overall System
If I had more time, I would refine the system by detailing the digital workflow, creating user flows and wireframes for flight attendants, and mapping how crew and passenger experiences connect. This would a more comprehensive product, ensuring a seamless end-to-end user experience.
Key Learnings
Playing It Safe and Missing Creative Opportunities
Reflecting on this project, I realize that while I achieved my goals, I played it safe. Being my first time designing a digital workflow for in-flight operations, I relied on familiar methods rather than exploring experimental solutions. This provided a solid foundation, but I now see missed opportunities to push boundaries. Looking back, I wish I'd ventured into unconventional ideas like integrating predictive algorithms for demand forecasting, which could have elevated the experience and demonstrated greater innovation in my design process.
