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PROS Premium Fare Finder Map
Helping travelers fall in love with trip planning again
Role
UX Design Intern
Team
2 PMs
1 Developer
1 Researcher
2 Designers
Time
10 weeks
Overview
Context
I travel a lot, so I know how frustrating it is when you want to browse flights and explore destinations, but the interface just makes everything unnecessarily complicated. That's exactly what was happening with PROS's fare finder.
The tool should help people discover deals and destinations they hadn't considered. Instead, users were dealing with a cluttered interface that made exploration difficult and finding clear information even harder.
As a UX design intern, I worked with product managers, developers, and a user researcher to redesign it. We wanted browsing for flights to actually be enjoyable instead of a headache.
Result
We redesigned the fare finder to let people explore however they wanted.
Users could now distinguish between direct and connecting flights instantly, get pricing details right on the map instead of hunting through screens, and navigate without getting lost in complex interfaces.
The new experience works for casual browsers who just want to see what's out there and focused searchers who know exactly what they're looking for.
Scroll to see the process ↓
What is Fare Finder?
I travel a lot, so I know that feeling when you're buzzing with excitement about a trip—until reality kicks in and you realize there's so much to figure out. Starting with flights.
That's where the PROS Fare Finder Map comes in. It's that interactive map you see on airline websites when you want to explore destinations and compare prices visually. Airlines use it to show off their routes, travelers use it to discover options when they're flexible about where to go. It should be the fun part—where you get lost exploring possibilities and dreaming about your next adventure.
But then we started hearing from users, and something wasn't working:
'I can't tell if this is a direct flight or if I need connections.'
'I want to explore destinations, but this is just frustrating.'
Their feedback hit home because I'd felt the exact same way.
So we decided to fix it. How could we make fare exploration feel intuitive instead of frustrating?
Current state
This is what the Fare Finder Map looks like now. It's an interactive map where travelers can explore flight deals and discover destinations based on pricing.
The main users are people planning trips and exploring where they want to go.
How might we redesign the Fare Finder Map so travelers can explore destinations efficiently and feel excited about what they find?
Research
I analyzed findings from 5 usability sessions with travelers. The feedback was consistent:
"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."
This led us to ask: How might we enable open exploration while ensuring travelers get the essential details they need upfront?
Competitive Analysis
I also analyzed 13 different travel platforms—from major booking sites to airline platforms to comparison tools—to see what was actually working.
What I found:
People expect maps to be interactive and expandable, especially on mobile
The best platforms get you from overview to detail in 1-2 clicks
Clear fare visibility and filtering help people make decisions faster and with more confidence
Goals
We started with a pretty vague goal of "improving the map experience"—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 exploration intuitive and information transparent.
By improving map interactions and clarifying fare details, we could turn frustration into confidence for travelers exploring destinations.
Ideation for Carousel view
The research pointed to two key opportunities: improving map usability and enhancing fare visibility.
Option 1: Always-visible Carousel kept the bottom carousel permanently displayed with fare information and a hideable filter panel. This gave consistent access to destinations but ate up map space.
Option 2: Drawer Approach made both the carousel and filters hideable, giving users full control. This offered maximum flexibility but required people to figure out the hiding functionality.
Refining Carousel view
We prototyped both approaches and found clear tradeoffs: Option 1 guaranteed fare visibility but permanently shrunk the map area. Option 2 supported different user preferences but added a learning curve.
We chose Option 2 because the drawer approach better served both browsing styles without permanently limiting the map.
Testing
We had hunches about which approach might work better, but we needed real user feedback to be sure.
We tested both the always-visible and drawer approaches with users doing actual exploration tasks to see which improved map usability. Then we ran 1-hour remote interviews to find out if our progressive disclosure design actually made fare information clearer.
Test results
The data made it obvious: the drawer approach with expanded filters won on both usability and user preference.
Users found the drawer flexible and intuitive—being able to show and hide elements worked for both casual browsing and targeted searching. They wanted price information front and center and suggested adding city names to avoid empty-looking maps.
On progressive disclosure, participants were clear: they'd rather control their interface than have everything permanently visible.
Learnings
This project showed me how much people want control over their interface, especially when exploring. The biggest surprise? Sometimes the best design isn't choosing one approach—it's letting users pick what works for their specific situation.
I also got a new perspective on progressive disclosure. It's less about hiding complexity and more about letting people uncover information at their own pace, which actually builds confidence when using complex tools.
Shoutouts
I have to mention the team that made this project possible. Working with people who cared more about real impact than pretty screens—and who questioned everything instead of just accepting "how we've always done it"—pushed me to become a better designer. Thanks for including me in this work.
