AirAsia SuperApp: 1-1 Chat
Client-Based Group Project • October 2022
Client-Based Group Project • October 2022
AirAsia first started off just as a low-cost airline headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. When Covid-19 struck, it leveraged its assets and revenue streams by launching the AirAsia SuperApp, providing an end-to-end digital travel experience, among other lifestyle services, for its users within one single app.
In this project, my team and I worked with the AA UX Design team based in Malaysia on one of the key attributes of the SuperApp - the messaging functionality, otherwise known as the in-app 1-1 chat, to increase its average daily and monthly active users.
1 Month • October 2022
Cheong Yee Lin • Cheng Yi Ling • Claire Pan •
Errik Wong • Jensen Fan
UX Researcher • UX Designer (Interaction, Visual)
Figma • FigJam • Google Forms • Discord
The AirAsia team after our final presentation! Look at those huge smiles of relief! Thoroughly enjoyed working with everyone in the team :)
Difficulty in Increasing Daily & Monthly Active 1-1 In-App Chat Users
❌ The 1-1 In-App Chat is mainly used for transactions and interactions with the chatbot
❌ Average time spent by each user is less than 4 minutes
❌ Only 6% of AirAsia's chat users are active users
✅ Increase retention: Increase Super App’s daily and monthly active users by 10%
✅ Increase average time spent on chat activities by more than 4 minutes
✅ Make it easy for users to initiate 1-1 chat, and motivate them to chat inside more often to drive engagement
To understand the product landscape better, we identified 9 direct (i.e. in-app chats) and indirect (i.e. standalone chat apps) competitors and analysed the way they design their chat pages and utilise and integrate their chat functions.
While almost all direct and indirect competitors kept to a very minimal and clean interface, there are a few stark differences as to how these apps are utilised.
For direct competitors,
💬 Used as a form of communication channel between user and business
📱 Integration between the chat and other aspects/pages of the app
For indirect competitors,
✨ Utilisation of stickers and emoticons
🪄 Giving users control over their app experience
We also studied the habit loop of both direct (i.e. in-app chats) and indirect (i.e. standalone chat apps) competitors to understand what works and what doesn't in hopes to develop the same habits in users for the AirAsia in-app chat.
Habit Loop of In-App Chats
Habit Loop of Messaging Apps
To firstly validate and understand the current perception of not just the 1-1 chat, but also how current users are using the AirAsia app, we conducted a user survey that garnered over 72 respondents across Singapore, Malaysia and China between the ages of 13-42 years old. Among some key findings that we have gotten from the survey includes:
Use the app for Flights-related services
Unaware of the In-App Chat Function
It is also important to note that when asked what are some areas of improvement that would motivate users to use the in-app chat, these were the among the top reasons that were selected:
Areas to Improve On for 1-1 Chat within AirAsia app
With this responses in mind we, collectively agreed that in order to achieve our Project Goals we needed to:
(1) Increase Prominence & East of Use of 1-1 Chat
(2) Integrate and weave highly-used features in the app with the 1-1 Chat
Based on the user research we conducted via a survey, we discovered that 65% of the AirAsia SuperApp users are unaware of the 1-1 chat feature within the app. To improve this we:
✅ Introduced an Onboarding experience specifically for the 1-1 Chat
✅ Implemented tooltips throughout the onboarding experience to guide and ease a user through their user journey of the in-app chat function with minimal friction
Figure 1.1.1 - Implementing an Onboarding Experience for the 1-1 Chat
✅ Added a Search bar to ease search for messages and users
✅ Added a 'Contacts' section to allow user to quickly identify their contacts who are already on the AirAsia app
✅ Allowed a quick display of Recent chats
✅ Enabled users to invite friends via preferred invitation method
✅ Incentivise users with AirAsia points if they invite their friends
Figure 1.2.1 - 1-1 Improved Chat Homepage
Figure 1.2.2 - Improved Invite Friends Page
A few months after our final presentation, to our pleasant surprise, AirAsia implemented features based on the ideas that we presented to them in October! Some of the features include:
✅ A Friends section to quickly identify contacts who are already on the app
✅ A Search bar to easily search for users
Figure 1.2.3 - Our Ideas Live on the AirAsia app!
Based on our user research, we had discovered that 96% of our users use the AirAsia app to book Flights. With this insight in mind, we came up with a User Journey Map of the Flight Booking process and thought of ways to intertwine the 1-1 Chat within the stages of the Flight Booking User Journey.
Figure 2.1 - Customer Journey Map of the Flight Booking Process
Based on the 3 main stages of the Flight Booking process, we came up with design ideas for each stage of the process:
(1) Pre-Booking - Trip Planning & Share Watch Prices
(2) Booking - Share Flight Summary
(3) Post-Booking - Share Confirmed Flights Information
The generation of the ideas above are also supported by our insights from our research whereby users mainly use communication apps pre/during/post travel to (1) Share flights information, (2) Discuss and plan trips and (3) Coordinate movements and whereabouts.
We introduced a feature called 'Trip Planner' that enables users of the AirAsia SuperApp to create and plan for trips and invite fellow contacts and friends to join and contribute.
When asked what was the feature that our client highly useful for them, our client mentioned the Trip Planning feature. This was what he had to say about it:
"Yes, if we have to choose one, we'd choose the "Trip planner" design concept. We already have the "Trip planner" design concept. However, CuriousCore team emphasis the "Trip planner" design by incorporating Chat."
Norfaiz Azmi, UX Designer at AirAsia
Below was how we implemented and integrated the Trip Planner feature with the 1-1 Chat:
Figure 2.1.1 - Trip Planner Homepage & Share Trip with Friends
Figure 2.1.2 - Shared Trip Card within In-App Chat
Figure 2.1.3 - Favouriting and Shortlisting Flights
Figure 2.1.4 - Adding Shortlisted Flights to Trips
Figure 2.1.5 - Increasing Engagement within 1-1 Chat via Trip Planner
The 'Watch Prices' feature enables an AirAsia app user to share and watch flight prices together with a friend in their individual chat page within the in-app 1-1 Chat. When there are any changes to the prices of the flights that are being watched and tracked, a notification will pop-up and inform the users in the chat.
Figure 2.2.1 - Watch Prices feature on the Flights Booking Page
Figure 2.2.2 - Watch Prices View on 1-1 Chat Page
To continue to drive engagement within the in-app chat, we designed a feature that enables users to share selected flight summary details with their friends before officially booking the flights. This feature helps users quickly discuss the best flights for their trip without having to navigate out of the app to do so.
Figure 2.3.1 - Share Function within Flights Booking Page
Figure 2.3.2 - Share Overlay & Success Notification within Flights Booking Page
Figure 2.3.1 - Flights Summary Card within 1-1 Chat
Similar to the solution in Section 2.3 above, we designed a solution that enables users to share their confirmed flight details within the in-app chat too. Users also have the option to share the details via social media.
Figure 2.4.1 - Share Function upon Confirmed Flight Booking
Figure 2.4.2 - Confirmed Flights Card within 1-1 Chat
This was the first project I took up over at my UX Accelerator Course at CuriousCore. Needless to say, it was really an eye-opening experience, albeit the short duration that we were given to complete the project. I honestly had an enjoyable time working alongside and learning from like-minded groupmates, constantly bouncing off endless ideas off each other!
While this project allowed us to put our UX skills to the test, it also taught us a whole lot, especially when it comes to working in client-facing group projects. Among them include:
👉 Clarifying and defining the scope of project with the client from the start to avoid misunderstandings and inefficiency
👉 Establishing an agenda for every meeting to prevent unnecessary and long discussions #NoAgendaNoAttenda
👉 The importance of a design system and constant communication to ensure consistency across all pages & designs as a UX Design team
Looking back too, there were quite a bit of loopholes that we didn't consider back then. Moving forward, I do hope to address them by conducting pre and post-redesign UTs, to validate our solutions and redesigns.
