Case Study
British Airways
Online Check-In Discovery & Competitor Benchmarking
Discovery research and usability testing programme evaluating British Airways’ online check-in experience against competitor airlines to identify opportunities for service improvement and future development.
Role
Lead Researcher
Duration
12 Weeks
Methods
Discovery Interviews
Usability Testing
Competitor Benchmarking
Skills
Customer Experience | Usability Testing | Discovery Research | Accessibility
Table of Contents
Overview
British Airways had developed a new online check-in experience and wanted to understand how it compared with competitor airline journeys.
The objective was not simply to test usability, but to understand customer expectations of the check-in experience and identify opportunities to create a stronger end-to-end journey.
The Challenge
Online check-in is one of the most important moments in the travel experience. Customers are often preparing for travel, managing uncertainty and trying to complete important tasks within a limited timeframe. While the proposed British Airways experience needed to be intuitive and easy to use, it also needed to perform competitively against established airline experiences.
The challenge was therefore twofold:
- Evaluate the usability of the proposed British Airways experience.
- Understand what makes customers feel confident, prepared and in control during the check-in journey.
An additional complexity was participant recruitment. Research participants needed to have genuine upcoming flights booked with specific airlines, creating a narrow recruitment window and requiring careful scheduling.
My Role
I designed and facilitated a comparative research study combining:
- Discovery interviews
- Prototype usability testing
- Competitor benchmarking
- Journey analysis
- Insight synthesis
- Stakeholder reporting
The study included moderated usability sessions on a future-state British Airways prototype alongside evaluations of six live competitor airline check-in experiences.
Approach
Rather than focusing exclusively on task completion, the study explored broader customer expectations and behaviours surrounding the check-in experience.
Research activities examined:
- Ideal check-in experiences
- Customer expectations before travel
- Confidence and reassurance factors
- Sources of friction and uncertainty
- Decision-making behaviours
- Comparative strengths and weaknesses across journeys
This approach allowed the research to capture both usability issues and deeper behavioural insights.
Across twelve moderated sessions, participants evaluated both prototype and live experiences, providing a rich understanding of how travellers compare, assess and experience digital check-in journeys.
Key Themes
The research demonstrated that travellers evaluate check-in experiences less by the number of screens involved and more by the level of effort, uncertainty and confidence experienced throughout the journey.
Key themes included:
- Reducing cognitive load during travel preparation
- Minimising repetitive effort and unnecessary steps
- Increasing confidence and reassurance throughout the journey
- Supporting different travel behaviours and travel scenarios
- Providing clarity during potentially stressful moments
The findings highlighted how successful check-in experiences help travellers feel prepared and in control, rather than simply helping them complete a task.
Outcome
The study provided British Airways stakeholders with a richer understanding of customer expectations and how the proposed experience compared with established market alternatives.
By combining discovery research, usability testing and competitor benchmarking, the work helped ensure future design decisions could be informed by both customer needs and market context.
The research identified opportunities to reduce friction, minimise uncertainty and create more effective self-service experiences across complex travel scenarios.
Methods
- Discovery Research
- Moderated Usability Testing
- Competitive Benchmarking
- Journey Analysis
- Insight Synthesis
- Stakeholder Reporting
Skills Demonstrated
• Discovery Research • Usability Testing • Competitive Benchmarking • Behavioural Research • Customer Insight • Journey Mapping • Service Design • Stakeholder Communication • Enterprise Research