Viktoriia Ionova 👋🏻
My resume

A caring assistant for people with a fear of flying

Flying on airplanes will become even easier

Role

Product designer

Timeline

April 2021 —

June 2021

Skills

Product thinking

User research

Design
The problem
What's the problem?
At the moment, 4 billion people fly by plane every year, while about 30% of them are more or less afraid of flying. And this is 1,200,000,000 people and most likely you are among them.

About 20% of them experience serious psychological discomfort on board. 10% reach a state of panic, hysteria and horror. And 6% eventually refuse to fly at all.
The research
Understanding users
I studied the articles and benchmarked existing solutions that are aimed at combating Aerophobia and phobias in general. I even had to find out the technical capabilities of the phone in airplane mode, which is worth focusing on in the solution from a technical point of view. For example, the gyroscope function is still working in airplane mode and you can estimate how fast you are moving.
1
the game helps to relax, reduce mental stress. Games with simple rules that do not require time for training and special skills are easier to perceive at a time of stress. For example, tetris or 3 in a row
2
breathing and concentration are a practical way not to fall into a stupor at the moment of approaching fear
3
games related to AR and VR are gaining popularity now. But VR is difficult and expensive, AR drains the battery a lot, and being left without a phone is the last thing you need when traveling
4
there are «rituals» for calming down
For better understanding of the problem, I identified the main hypotheses and validate it with 13 people who are afraid of flying. There were also 4 interviews with their relatives, because only close people know how help in this situation. And 1 interview with a psychologist to understand the reasons for the fear of flying.
Based on the interview, I formed 4 types of behavior, 3 of which fall into the main CJM.
According to the results of the research , the following client path turned out:
Final overview
The final solution
After analyzing all the information received, after conducting several benchmarking sessions, the conclusion was formed that people at such a tense moment for them do not need to be overloaded with information, they do not need to be listened to with meditative music, they just need to be distracted, to switch their attention.

The solution is an anti–stress pack. It will take care of the person carefully before, during and after the flight. It will suit both those who are afraid of flying, and those who have not encountered this feeling.

Conclusions

This decision was about the love of the users, and not about the economic benefits for the company
In the future, I see the development of this project in several directions:

The first is to add more functionality for people without fear of flying, as well as interaction with the user after the flight, for example, help with choosing new tickets based on communication with Dasha (the character of Aviasales).

Secondly, to adapt support options for more specific moments of flight (for example, turbulence, thunderstorms, snowfall), as well as taking into account the specifics of all types of behavior with fear.
Other projects
Smart route app
Mortgage at SBOL app
© 2023
LinkedIn