300,000 passengers attempt to check in with IndiGo every day. The flow had too many steps, too much friction, and users were abandoning before they ever got to the gate. I led the redesign that changed that.
RoleLead Product DesignerLed a team of 2 designers
IndiGo's check-in flow had grown organically over years — features added, steps bolted on. By 2023 the flow had accumulated 7+ distinct screens before a passenger could get their boarding pass. I was given full ownership: discovery, design, and handoff across three scenarios — single passenger, multi-passenger partial check-in, and the undo check-in flow.
7+
Original steps
Before redesign, passengers navigated 7+ screens to complete check-in.
300K
Daily users
Every friction point multiplied across hundreds of thousands of users daily.
3
Flows redesigned
Single pax, multi pax partial check-in, and undo check-in.
02 · Discovery
What the data — and users — told us
We started with analytics. Drop-off data showed users abandoning at specific steps — particularly when asked to re-enter information the system already had. The data showed where people left. User interviews told us why.
We conducted moderated user interviews across frequent and occasional flyers on mobile and desktop. Three themes emerged from every session.
“
I just want to check in. Why does it feel like I'm filling out a visa form?
IndiGo frequent flyer · User interview
User journey map · Emotional arc across the old check-in flow
Emotional journey mapping revealed two critical pain-point peaks — cognitive overload from repeated data entry and lack of progress visibility
01
Too many steps
No visible progress or sense of how far along users were. The flow felt endless.
02
Repeated data entry
Passengers re-confirming information across screens the system already had verified.
03
No progress signal
Without a progress indicator, every step felt like the first one. No mental model.
03 · Problem definition
The real problem underneath
Analytics showed where users left. Interviews told us why. The deeper problem wasn't the number of steps — it was that every step felt disconnected, untrustworthy, and opaque. The hard constraint: back-end systems couldn't change.
How might we
How might we redesign IndiGo's check-in so passengers feel in control, informed, and moving forward — completing it faster with less cognitive effort — without changing a single back-end system?
04 · Design process
From 7 steps to a flow that felt fast
We explored three directions in low-fidelity before converging. The biggest challenge was the multi-pax partial check-in scenario and designing the undo check-in flow for high-anxiety moments.
01
Flow audit — mapping all three scenarios
We mapped the full flow for single pax, multi-pax partial check-in, and undo check-in — tagging each screen with data collected, decisions required, and drop-off rates.
IA mapping3 scenariosAnalytics overlay
02
The progress indicator — overcoming stakeholder pushback
The business concern: showing remaining steps might discourage users. Our counter-argument, backed by interview data: uncertainty was causing more abandonment than transparency. We A/B tested two wireframe versions — progress indicator won decisively.
Progress indicatorA/B testStakeholder negotiation
03
Combining steps — 4 iterations to find the balance
We combined related steps but learned quickly that combining too much on one screen increased cognitive load. We iterated through 4 versions using visual grouping and progressive disclosure.
Step consolidation4 iterationsVisual grouping
04
Form field audit — removing 11 redundant interactions
We audited every field against what the back-end actually needed. Several were shown "just in case" — pre-filled verified data being re-confirmed. We removed 11 redundant interactions without losing any required data.
Form audit11 fields removedBackend alignment
05
Undo check-in — designing for a rare but high-anxiety moment
Small in volume, high in emotional stakes. We designed this as a distinct, clearly labelled flow with explicit confirmation steps and reassuring microcopy.
Error preventionMicrocopyAnxiety reduction
05 · Final design
The redesigned flow
The following screens show the redesigned 4-step check-in journey. Passenger data is fictional for portfolio purposes — the layout, interaction patterns, and UI decisions faithfully represent the shipped design.
Final design · Redesigned check-in flow · 4 steps · Mobile app
DEL✈ ———BOM
6E 204 · Economy · Wed 14 May
PassengersSeatReviewPass
Select passengers to check in
RV
Mr. Rahul Verma
Adult · Passport XXXX1234
✓
SV
Ms. Sneha Verma
Adult · Passport XXXX5678
✓
RV
Mr. Rohan Verma
Child · DOB 12 Jan 2018
Step 1
Passengers
DEL✈ ———BOM
6E 204 · Economy
PassengersSeatReviewPass
Choose your seat
1A
1B
1C
1D
1E
1F
2A
2B
2C
2D
2E
2F
3A
3B
3C
3D
3E
3F
4A
4B
4C
4D
4E
4F
Selected
Available
Taken
Add-ons (optional)
🍱
Meal — Veg Thali
₹280 / person
+
🧳
Extra Baggage 5kg
₹450
+
Step 2
Seat + Add-ons
DEL✈ ———BOM
6E 204 · Economy
PassengersSeatReviewPass
Flight Details
Flight6E 204
RouteDEL → BOM
Date14 May 2026
Departure06:20
Passengers & Seats
Mr. Rahul VermaSeat 2D
Ms. Sneha VermaSeat 3E
Add-onsVeg Thali ×2
Step 3
Review
Boarding Pass
Mr. Rahul Verma
DEL✈BOM
Flight
6E 204
Seat
2D
Date
14 May
Boarding
05:50
Gate
B12
Class
Economy
✓ CHECK-IN COMPLETE
Step 4
Boarding Pass
4-step redesigned flow · Progress indicator persistent across all steps · Passenger avatars show check-in status · Seat + Add-ons combined on one screen · Fictional reference data
06 · Results
What changed
The redesign launched to a staged rollout — first to 20% of users, then full release. Primary metric: time-to-complete.
7→4
Steps reduced across all check-in scenarios
↓
Measurable reduction in time to complete
11
Redundant form field interactions removed
“
This is exactly what we needed — cleaner, faster, and passengers actually finishing what they started.
Stakeholder feedback · Post-launch
07 · Reflection
What I would do differently
The most impactful gains came from the intersection of design and engineering constraints. Not being able to change the back-end forced creative UX solutions.
🎯
Involve engineers earlier
Some step combinations weren't technically feasible. Earlier engineering input would have saved two full iterations.
📊
Define success metrics upfront
We set the primary metric early but didn't align on secondary metrics until after launch.
🔄
Test with low-frequency flyers too
Our sample skewed toward frequent flyers. Occasional users had different mental models — we caught this only in post-launch feedback.
⚡
The constraint was a gift
Not being able to change the back-end forced creative UX solutions. None of the key improvements required new API code.