Prototyping
SafeSkies
SafeSkies is a platform designed to ease passenger anxiety by providing clear, accessible information on safety protocols and airline practices. It helps travelers stay informed about recent aviation incidents and reassures them with up-to-date, transparent details.
Team:
Ruhin Gharai
Beatrice Ramos
My Role:
Lead Product Designer
User Research
Timeline:
Feb 21st - Feb 23rd
(48 hours)
Tools:
Figma
FigJam
Canva
Since the start of the 2025, 88 aviation incidents have already happened, 13 of which are critical.
People are getting more scared to fly. Passengers are anxious. Many feel unsafe to fly due to a lack of transparency and unclear communication regarding their safety.
Overview
Overcoming Passenger Anxiety in Air Travel
Navigating air travel uncertainties can be stressful, but SafeSkies connects you with the information and reassurance you need to feel confident and safe.
Don’t let fear of flying hold you back, trust SafeSkies.
Solution
SafeSkies enhances passenger confidence with real-time safety updates, maintenance insights, and emergency protocols.
Stay informed with up-to-the-minute safety alerts and aircraft maintenance updates.
Access clear emergency procedures to be prepared for any situation.
Receive emotional support through Turbie, an AI travel buddy that offers reassurance during stressful moments.
Enhance their journey with a seamless blend of safety, transparency, and comfort.
SafeSkies ensures a smoother, more secure, and reassuring travel experience by keeping passengers informed and supported every step of the way.
Research
User Research
I set out to understand passenger concerns, behaviors, and needs regarding flight safety.
To gather insights, I conducted a survey with 14 responses and 12 questions using Google Forms. Here are the key pain points identified.
Potential Solution
72%
of passengers feel a lack of real-time safety updates, and find emergency instructions unclear.
Provide real-time updates and clear, concise emergency instructions to enhance passenger confidence.
Implement real-time notifications for flight changes and delays to keep passengers informed and reduce anxiety.
Potential Solution
of passengers feel anxious during unexpected situations; want real-time updates on delays, gate changes, and flight adjustments.
90%
Offer customizable notification settings, allowing passengers to choose the level of information shared with their emergency contacts.
Potential Solution
want emergency contacts to receive automatic flight updates, and prefer updates only for major incidents.
62%
Personas
I created personas to better understand the concerns of airline passengers. These profiles help shape SafeSkies, ensuring it effectively addresses challenges like real-time safety updates, clear emergency protocols, and flight transparency.
Ideate
Information Architecture
My teammate and I structured SafeSkies’ information architecture to ensure clear, user-friendly navigation. We organized content into distinct sections, prioritizing key features for a seamless and informative user experience.
Initial Sketches
We sketched initial wireframes to map out SafeSkies’ key pages and user flow. These low-fidelity designs helped us quickly iterate on layout ideas, refine interactions, and ensure a clear structure before moving to high-fidelity designs.
Few Initial sketches
High-Fidelity Design
We then translated our sketches into high-fidelity designs, refining the visuals and interactions to create a polished, user-friendly interface.
First Iteration of Final Product
Mentor Feedback
After completing Prototype Version 1, I conducted two mentor sessions within the first 24 hours of the hackathon to gather feedback. Mentors tested the design, provided insights on usability, and highlighted areas for improvement. Their feedback guided key iterations, ensuring a more user-friendly and effective SafeSkies experience.
I noticed your designs are focusing more on users using the app before boarding the plane with internet what features do you have offline.
I am an anxious flyer and if I saw all these reports I think it would scare me even more how would you create ease for flyers like me?
-Linh Ly, UX Designer at IBM
-Sury Villalobos, UX Designer
Iterations
Before
After
Initial Design: The app only featured news about aviation accidents.
User Feedback: Users expressed concerns about heightened anxiety from the incident-focused news.
Solution: I balanced the content by including positive aviation updates, reducing anxiety and improving user experience.
Safety Protocols: Added a feature to guide passengers on what to do in case of a similar incident
Airline Updates: Included news from the same airline to provide continuity and reassurance.
Balanced News: Shifted from only incident news to include positive updates, reducing user anxiety, while providing transparent news in both text and video formats.
Additional Feature
1. AI Companion – Turbie (Offline):
Turbie is an offline AI companion designed to help passengers ease anxiety during flights. Accessible through a widget on every page, passengers can interact with Turbie whenever they feel worried, offering immediate support and comfort.
2. Real-Time Support (Online):
When online, Turbie offers real-time information such as gate details, flight status, and other relevant updates. This helps keep passengers informed and reassured throughout their journey, ensuring transparency and reducing uncertainty.
3. Humanization & Accessibility:
To enhance the user experience, Turbie’s face changes during communication, adding a human-like touch to interactions. The AI companion is easily accessible on every page, ensuring that passengers always have a sense of support whenever they need it.
Final Product
Find Your Safety Protocols with Safe Skies
The Safety Protocol feature offers step-by-step guidance for emergencies during your flight, keeping passengers informed and supported to reduce anxiety and ensure safety.
Final prototype
Safe Skies is a mobile app designed to enhance aviation safety for passengers. It provides real-time flight updates, safety protocols, and emergency information. The app aims to ensure transparency and reduce anxiety during air travel.
Meet Turbie, Your AI Companion
Turbie is an AI companion available on every page of Safe Skies. Whether you're offline or online, Turbie offers support, from easing anxiety during flights to providing real-time flight updates and gate information, ensuring a personalized, reassuring experience throughout your journey.
Explore Safe Skies Homepage
The Safe Skies homepage offers a comprehensive view of your flight journey. Track your plane’s real-time location, get up-to-date flight status, and access essential travel details all in one place. With features like Safety Protocols and Turbie, your journey is made easier, safer, and more transparent.
Stay Connected with Emergency Contacts
Share your flight details with loved ones in real time, keeping them informed and easing their anxiety by providing up-to-date information throughout your journey.
Aviation Incident Reports
Access transparent reports on aviation incidents and learn exactly what to do in these situations. Safe Skies ensures you're informed and prepared, helping reduce anxiety and increasing confidence during your flight.
Aircraft Details
Get detailed maintenance information about the plane you're boarding or considering for booking. Safe Skies provides transparency on the aircraft's safety and maintenance history, helping reassure passengers and build trust before and during their flight.
Design System
The design system prioritizes clarity with a simple font and a neutral color scheme, keeping the focus on essential information. Due to time constraints during the hackathon, the UI was kept minimal, focusing more on the design and prototype. While the current design is functional, there’s room for improvement, particularly in the color scheme and typography for a more refined user experience.
The Importance of Simple Solutions
User-Centered Design
The Importance of Thoughtful AI Use
Takeaways
Solving complex problems requires simple, intuitive solutions that focus on the user's experience. By keeping things straightforward, users can easily navigate and understand the product, making their interaction smoother and more efficient.
It’s essential to design with the user in mind, as different user groups often have varying needs. By considering these needs and prioritizing them, you can create solutions that genuinely cater to the people who will be using the product.
AI should be used with purpose to enhance user experiences, not just as a trend. When implemented thoughtfully, AI can address real user needs, provide value, and create more meaningful interactions, making the product more effective and engaging.
Whats Next ?
Future Steps
Flight Review and Comment Feature
Increase Interactivity for Engagement
Expand Social Features and Support Language Barriers
Allowing passengers to review and comment on flights increases transparency and holds airlines accountable. It fosters trust, helps others make informed decisions, and enables airlines to improve services.
Improving the UI with a better color scheme enhances readability and user experience. A thoughtful palette and better contrast will make the app more accessible and user-friendly.
Automatically connecting flight details saves time and ensures accurate information. Syncing with external systems eliminates manual input, improving convenience and reducing user effort.
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