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PROS Premium Fare Finder Map
Improving map UI to help airlines serve travelers better.
Role
UX Design Intern
Team
2 PMs
1 Developer
1 Researcher
2 Designers
Time
10 weeks
Tools
UserTesting
Figma
Figjam
Figma Make
Overview
Context
You know that feeling when you're browsing for flights and you just want to explore where you could go, but the interface keeps getting in your way? That's exactly what was happening with PROS's fare finder.
The tool should help people discover amazing flight deals and destinations they might not have considered. Instead, users were struggling with a cluttered interface that made it hard to explore the map and even harder to find fare information when they needed it.
As a UX design intern, I worked with product managers, developers, and a user researcher to redesign the fare finder experience. We wanted to make it actually fun to browse for flights instead of frustrating.
Result
We redesigned the fare finder with a flexible approach that lets people choose how they want to explore.
Users could now distinguish between direct and connecting flights instantly...
...get pricing details right on the map instead of hunting through screens...
...and navigate confidently without getting lost in complex interfaces.
The new experience better supported both casual browsers who just wanted to see what was out there and focused searchers who knew exactly what they were looking for.
Scroll to see the process ↓
I travel a lot, so I know that moment
You're excited about a trip but then reality hits—there's so much to figure out, starting with flights.
The Fare Finder Map is supposed to help millions of people with exactly this. It should be the fun part where you explore options and get excited about where you could go.
But we started hearing from users that something wasn't quite working. So we decided to dig deeper and talk to people about their experience. This is what they told us:
'I can't tell if this is a direct flight or if I need connections.'
'I see prices, but I don't understand what I'm getting.'
Honestly, their feedback hit home because I'd felt the same way. When you're trying to plan a trip, unclear information just makes everything so much harder than it needs to be.
Current state
This is what the Fare Finder Map currently looks like. It's an interactive map that lets travelers explore flight deals and discover new destinations based on pricing.
Here, the key stakeholders are travelers planning trips and exploring travel-planning destinations.
Hey, how might we make the Fare Finder Map more intuitive for travelers exploring destinations?
Research
I synthesized findings from previous 5 usability testing sessions with travelers. This is what they said:
"I can't tell if this is a direct flight or if I need connections."
"I see prices, but I don't understand what I'm getting."
"I want to explore destinations, but this is just frustrating."
So we asked ourselves: How might we balance exploration freedom with easy access to the information people actually need?
Competitive Analysis
I also looked at 13 different travel platforms—everything from big booking sites to airline platforms to comparison tools. I wanted to see what was working out there.
What I found:
People expect maps to be interactive and expandable, especially on mobile
The best platforms let you get from overview to detail in 1-2 clicks
When fare visibility and filters are clear, people make decisions faster and feel more confident
Goals
We started with this pretty vague goal of "improving the map experience." That's way too broad to actually design for.
But after talking to users and seeing what competitors were doing, it became clear what we really needed to focus on: making it easier for people to explore without getting lost, and helping them understand what they're looking at.
By improving how people interact with the map and making fare information clearer, we could create an experience where travelers actually feel confident exploring instead of frustrated.
Ideation for Carousel view
The research highlighted two key areas of opportunity that shaped our design direction: improving map usability and enhancing fare visibility.
Option 1: Always-visible Carousel displayed the bottom carousel permanently with fare information and a hideable filter panel. This provided consistent access to destinations but reduced map space.
Option 2: Drawer Approach made both the bottom carousel and filters hideable, giving users full control through progressive disclosure. This offered maximum flexibility for different user preferences.
From the ideation stage, we prototyped both approaches. There were distinct pros and cons for each option:
While Option 1 ensured fare visibility was always present, it permanently reduced available map exploration area.
Option 2 supported progressive disclosure and allowed customization, but required users to understand the hiding functionality.
We decided to move forward with Option 2, as the drawer approach better supported both casual browsers and focused searchers.
Testing
While we had some gut feelings about which direction might work better, we knew we needed to test with real users to prove our assumptions.
To see whether our carousel options improved map usability, we asked participants to perform exploration tasks with both the always-visible and drawer approaches.
For identifying if our progressive disclosure design enhanced fare visibility, we conducted 1-hour moderated remote interviews to evaluate both options.
Test results
Looking at both the usability and preference feedback, it was clear that the drawer approach (Option 2) with expanded filters was the winner.
Testing users thought the drawer approach was flexible and intuitive. The ability to show and hide elements helped with both exploration and focused searching. Users emphasized that price should be clearly visible and prioritized in the design, and suggested adding cities on the map to avoid blank states.
When asked about the progressive disclosure, participants said they preferred having control over their interface density rather than permanent visibility.
Learnings
This project taught me how much people value having control over their interface, especially when they're in exploration mode. What surprised me was learning that sometimes the best solution isn't picking one approach—it's giving users the power to choose what works for them in the moment.
I also learned about progressive disclosure in a new way. It's not just about hiding complexity—it's about letting people reveal what they need when they need it, which can actually make them feel more confident navigating complex tools.
Shoutouts
Before wrapping up, I wanted to give another shoutout to the team that made this project happen. Through this project, I worked with people who pushed me to think beyond pretty interfaces to actual impact and weren't afraid to challenge how things had always been done. Thanks for letting me be part of it!
