United Airlines: Rethinking Customer and Employee Experiences Through Data-Driven Design

For United Airlines, creating intuitive digital experiences isn't just about customer satisfaction—it's about operational excellence. From gate agents rebooking disrupted travelers to maintenance crews documenting cabin issues, United's digital ecosystem must support both customer journeys and complex operational workflows.

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Challenge: Aligning Digital Experiences Across Diverse User Groups

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United Airlines faced the significant challenge of maintaining coherent information architecture across a diverse ecosystem of digital products serving different audiences with distinct needs. From customer-facing applications for travelers to specialized operational tools for pilots, flight attendants, and ground staff, United needed to ensure intuitive navigation and optimal user experiences throughout their digital portfolio.

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The airline also needed to balance innovation with usability, ensuring that their frequent digital updates and new features were organized in ways that made sense to both occasional travelers and experienced airline staff.

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Solution: Comprehensive UX Research Through Optimal

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United Airlines implemented Optimal's platform to address these complex design challenges across multiple initiatives:

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For Employee-Focused Systems:

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• United conducted iterative tree testing and card sorting studies for "United Voices," their internal employee feedback initiative, ensuring staff could easily navigate and contribute to this important engagement platform.
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• They performed closed card sorting exercises with staff to assess the information architecture of their Core Communication System (CCS), optimizing how critical operational information flows throughout the organization.
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• The airline used card sorting to categorize and prioritize features in their internal employee portal, improving staff access to essential tools and resources.
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• For their maintenance operations, United deployed closed card sorting studies on their Production Planning System, which plans, schedules, and tracks aircraft maintenance activities, ensuring technicians could efficiently navigate this critical system.
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• They also conducted open card sorting on their cabin maintenance website, optimizing how maintenance crews document and address in-cabin issues.

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For Customer-Facing Systems:

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• United performed open card sorting on their primary mobile app information architecture, ensuring travelers could intuitively find flight information, boarding passes, and other essential travel tools.
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• They conducted specialized card sorting studies on in-flight food/meal tiles displayed in their app and in-flight systems, improving how dining options are presented to travelers.

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For Specialized Initiatives:

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• The airline assessed the information architecture of "Aviate," their pilot career development program website, ensuring aspiring and current pilots could easily navigate career resources.
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• United enacted multiple quantitative surveys around CMS workshops focused on customer center information architecture, ensuring support representatives could efficiently access information to assist travelers.
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• They conducted iterative surveys with staff regarding usage behaviors for "Aero," the front-end system United Airlines airport staff use to process flights and rebook customers, optimizing this critical customer service tool.
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Results: Metrics That Matter

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United Airlines' strategic use of Optimal’s platform delivered tangible results:

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• The iterative testing on internal systems like "United Voices" and the Core Communication System created more intuitive information structures that increased employee engagement and reduced training time for new staff.
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• The card sorting exercises for customer-facing applications revealed traveler expectations for app organization, allowing United to align their digital experience with passenger mental models and improve overall satisfaction scores.
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• The specialized testing for operational systems like "Aero" and the Production Planning System identified efficiency opportunities that, once implemented, reduced processing time for critical tasks like rebooking and maintenance scheduling.
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Supporting Long-Term Innovation

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United Airlines' investment in user experience continues to deliver sustained benefits:

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• Their systematic research approach has established a culture of continuous improvement, where each digital enhancement builds on previous learnings across both customer and employee platforms.
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• The insights gathered from their comprehensive testing program have strengthened their understanding of diverse user needs, from occasional travelers to specialized staff roles, informing their digital strategy with rich contextual perspectives.
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• Their dedicated research for specialized operational tools demonstrates a commitment to optimizing even the most complex aspects of airline operations, directly impacting overall service quality and efficiency.
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Want to learn how you can get started gathering meaningful user insight with Optimal? Reach out to us today.

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