The Storm Hits
A massive thunderstorm rolls through the Midwest. Within seconds, the Operations Control Center makes the call:
47 flights cancelled.
What happens next is where our story really begins...
3:17 PM
Storm warning issued
3:19 PM
First flight cancelled
3:21 PM
Mass notifications sent
3:21 PM
Chaos begins
Picture this scene
It's 3 PM on a busy Thursday at Chicago O'Hare...
UI DESIGN • 2025
Making airline chaos
less chaotic
How we redesigned the customer service experience during flight disruptions, making agents feel prepared and passengers feel guided
↓
The chaos unfolds
Here's what actually happens when passengers and agents get the same notification at the exact same time
Passenger Side
He immediately panics with 200 other passengers who got the same notification.
Agent Side
She has zero preparation time, no context, and suddenly faces line of 50+ frustrated passengers.
The Perfect Storm
Zero prep time
Agents caught off guard
50+ passengers
Per overwhelmed agent
Old systems
Outdated interfaces
Paper chaos
Manual assignments
Our focus became
How might we increase Customer autonomy
and Employee efficiency in our gate areas
without sacrificing our award-winning
Customer Service experience
(especially during "IROPs")?
Opportunities for New Design
We designed four key improvements to transform the IROP experience
01
Better prepare a CSA in case of an IROP
Give agents advance warning and context so they're ready when passengers arrive, instead of being caught off guard.
02
Enable the supervisor to move agents for more support during an IROP
Create digital tools for real-time agent allocation and deployment optimization during high-demand situations.
03
Direct customers to next steps in an efficient way
Provide clear guidance and wayfinding to reduce confusion and distribute passenger flow more evenly.
04
Streamline the UI for Snowflake agents
Simplify the interface to reduce clicks and system complexity, enabling faster service delivery.
Going deeper
To design the right solutions, we needed to understand the full picture
Shadowing Agents
We spent tiem observing customer service agents during IROP situations to understand their workflows.
Key Insight: Agents spent most of their time just trying to understand the situation
Passenger Interviews
We conducted on site interviews with affected passengers to understand their journey and pain points.
Key Insight: Passengers felt abandoned and uninformed during disruptions
System Analysis
We mapped out tools, processes, and pain points in the current workflow.
Key Insight: Multiple disconnected systems slowed everything down
15-Minute Head Start
Agents receive detailed notifications before passengers, giving them time to prepare and understand the situation.
Affected Flight View
Shows real-time flight information with clear visual indicators for cancellations, delays, and passenger counts.
Agents Cancellation Notification
Directing Customer Traffic
The core insight: treat disruptions like traffic management, not crisis response
Phone Notification Strategy
Passengers receive notifications with clear next steps and actionable information, reducing panic and providing direction.
Smart timing + Clear direction = Less panic
Cancellation Information
Passengers receive comprehensive information about their options, empowering them to make informed decisions.
Information empowers better decisions
Directions to CSA
Clear wayfinding helps passengers find the right agent efficiently, reducing confusion and wait times.
Guided flow prevents bottlenecks
Helpful Information in a Stressful Situation
The existing surrounding screens change to help direct customers to the help desks, creating a coordinated wayfinding system throughout the gate area.
Agent Help Display
Shows personalized assistance options and agent availability during re-bookings
Action Information Display
Gives passenger option to re-book themselves to reduce agent overwhelm and gives passenger clear actions on what to do
Digital displays that guide
The solution
A comprehensive digital transformation that gives agents superpowers and passengers clarity
Early Warning System
Agents receive IROP notifications 15 minutes before passengers
💡
Impact: Agents feel prepared instead of blindsided
Smart Agent Allocation
Digital assignment and real-time location tracking
💡
Impact: Reduced paper dependency and better coordination
Passenger Guidance
Clear digital signage and wayfinding tools
💡
Impact: Shorter queues, happier passengers
Streamlined Interface
Simplified UI with better information hierarchy
💡
Impact: Faster system navigation and service delivery
How It All Works Together 🔗
1
Storm Detection Early Alert
When weather systems threaten operations, agents get a 15-minute heads up to prepare while passengers are still unaware.
2
Smart Deployment
The system automatically assigns agents to optimal locations based on affected passenger count and agent expertise.
3
Passenger Notification + Guidance
When passengers get their cancellation notices, they also receive clear instructions on where to go and what to expect.
4
Efficient Service Delivery
Agents use the streamlined interface to quickly rebook passengers, with all the context and tools they need at their fingertips.
Customer Service Agent, Chicago O'Hare
"I felt like I was thrown to the wolves without any preparation. Passengers knew as much as I did, sometimes more."
3:21 PM
Notification from Airport:
"Flight AA1234 to Miami cancelled"
What we observed
During flight cancellations, we noticed these key pain points happening repeatedly
1
Employees & passengers being notified at the same time
When an IROP happens, there is little time between when a CSA gets notified and when customers receive the notification.
2
Passengers frustrated + confused on where to go
When an IROP occurred, people scrambled to line up in a gate, confused on where to go with CSAs pointing to which desks they could line up after.
3
A single CSA dealing with a long queue of passengers
When a connecting flight was canceled at Gate B25, a long line developed, creating clutter around the gate, and adding to CSA stress as he was the only one responsible for them in the moment.
4
Internal digital flight organization tool being a headache
We saw CSAs having to click through many points in their computer. An agent even mentioned how it takes some time to get accustomed to the interface and navigation.
5
Supervisor tracking on paper
On the airport floor, CSA supervisors are reliant on paper to locate where CSAs are, having to reprint the paper throughout the day. Supervisors also spend a lot of time walking around to find people.
Before - Flight Screen for CSA
New UI Screen Design
New System/Process Features
Enabling supervisors to manage agents digitally instead of with paper (how they do it currently)
Overview of gate areas and ability to manage CSAs virtually with drag-and-drop functionality, replacing paper-based tracking.
CSA Help Map for Supervisor
The results
For the Agents
Feel prepared instead of caught off-guard
Spend less time navigating systems
Better tools for managing passenger flow
Reduced stress during high-pressure situations
Clear assignment and location guidance
For the Passengers
Clearer guidance during disruptions
Shorter wait times in queues
More informed and helpful agents
Overall better service experience
Know exactly where to go and what to expect
When additional support is needed during a cancellation, customer agents can request help from additional agents - the supervisor then gets to assign a floating agent to help - and receive clear instructions about where to go and what to expect.
Clear overview of important info
Shows a clear visual ( time - gate ) display of all the flights showcasing the most important information the CSA's need to know
Important Flight information difficult to navigate, especially for Cancellations-
if a flight attendant needs to find a flight based on a time, destination, or know if it is boarding easily, they have to do a lot of scanning and second checking
Arbitrary Organization of flights
Difficult to find flights based on passenger tickets - no visual hierachy
Strongest visuals on ticket:
Destination and Time
No visual Hierarchy on UI to quickly find flight associated with passenger
Arbitrary organization of flights, forcing the agent to manually sort the information or scan the page
Time and Gate Flight "Calendar"
Following a familiar online calendar layout - we made it easy to understand the history and future of flights on a timeline ordered by time on the y axis and gates on the x axis.
Agents Help Request