Case Study
Project Overview
Travelers faced unpredictable security lines, gate swaps, and last-minute packing confusion. Anxiety spiked close to boarding time, especially for infrequent flyers and parents traveling with kids. Existing airport apps showed static maps but couldn't answer "Am I on track?" or "What do I need to do next?"
Led research, IA, and end-to-end product design. Ran usability tests in simulated airport conditions, collaborated with engineering on offline-ready flows, and delivered a reusable component library for future features.
RTL is in beta now, launching the full pilot in March 2026. Early testing shows users making critical decisions in under 8 seconds, and confidence in crowdsourced data jumped from 3.8 to 4.6 out of 5 after we introduced transparency features.
The Problem
Airport travelers are forced to make high-stakes decisions under extreme time pressure—often while walking, carrying bags, managing kids, or navigating accessibility constraints—yet today’s tools don’t help them answer the only question that matters in the moment: “Am I on track?”The core issue isn’t lack of information; it’s lack of decision-grade clarity. Real-time signals are fragmented across airline updates, TSA conditions, maps, and vendor systems, and they frequently conflict, lag, or go offline. Even when apps show “live” updates, they rarely communicate data reliability—so a gate change from 45 minutes ago can appear as credible as one from 2 minutes ago. Users can’t quickly judge what to trust, what to ignore, or what action to take.Generic navigation assumes one “average” user, but airport decisions depend on context and constraints: wheelchair users need accessible routes, families need nursing rooms and restrooms, business travelers optimize for lounges and speed, and different people carry different risk tolerance—from highly buffered planners to last-minute movers. Without a system that adapts to these differences and translates messy signals into a clear recommendation, travelers default to guessing, over-buffering, or missing key moments—resulting in avoidable stress, wasted time, and missed connections.
Rush The Line turns fragmented airport signals into one trusted, time-aware decision system. Instead of dumping “real-time” info with no credibility cues, RTL makes every update actionable by attaching provenance + reliability + freshness: source (official vs crowdsourced), confidence (high/med/low), and “last updated” age—so a 2-minute gate change is instantly distinguishable from stale noise.At the center is a persistent Decision Cockpit that answers the only question that matters in motion: “Am I on track? RTL continuously calculates a traveler’s dynamic risk score by combining walking time, queue estimates, gate status, and time-to-board—then converts it into a clear recommendation (“Leave now,” “You’re safe for a quick stop,” “Reroute to Checkpoint B”) with a visible explanation (“Why this”) to preserve trust.It personalizes routing and suggestions based on access needs, companion context, and preferences (wheelchair routes, nursing rooms, lounges, dietary filters), and it learns the user’s risk tolerance over time—tight vs buffered travelers—so guidance stays aligned with how they actually move.RTL degrades gracefully using confidence-based fallbacks and lightweight user verification, ensuring the experience remains reliable even when the environment isn’t.
Process & Approach
Shadowed travelers through check-in, security, and gate arrival to capture stress points. Mapped time-sensitive decisions (documents, bags, kid-handling) and where information broke down. Applied Jobs-to-be-Done framework to uncover what users truly “hire” an airport app to do: answer “Am I on track?” before anything else. Validated through trust testing that data source transparency builds confidence more than numeric scores.
Key JTBD Insight
Designed a layered IA where the most critical question—"Am I on track?"—gets answered in under 6 seconds via a persistent Decision Cockpit card. Built progressive disclosure patterns for drill-down decisions.
Key Patterns
Tested hi-fi Figma prototypes with frequent and infrequent travelers. Early sessions still showing users could complete critical decisions in under 10 seconds but need notification reasoning, not just timing. Iterating offline checklist based on feedback.
Improvements from Testing
Design Showcase
Still actively testing and iterating: trust signals on every update and glanceable decision support. Each screen reflects the patterns we're validating through testing—designed for travelers making high-stakes decisions under time pressure.
NEXT MILESTONE
Security Checkpoint
RECOMMENDED DEPARTURE
Leave in 18 minutes
Quick Actions
Live Wait Times
Real-time updates
Pre-Security Help
Tips & guidance
TSA Guidance
Rules & prep
Gate & Boarding
Flight status
Real-Time Updates
TSA Line B Spike Detected
Wait time increased to 18-22 minutes. Consider Line A (8 min) or PreCheck.
Gate Changed to C12
Your flight AA2847 has moved. New gate is 4 min walk from current location.
Security Line A Moving Fast
Current wait: 6-8 minutes. Good time to head through security.
Get step-by-step guidance to your gate
Low-Fi
Hub screen brings the next milestone, quick actions, and live updates into one view so travelers see what matters first, then dive deeper only when needed.
Turn on location for live routing
Get precise directions and wait times
Terminal Map Preview
Quick Directions
Accessibility & Services
Smart Reminders
Check-in reminder
Notify 24 hours before departure
Boarding reminder
Notify before boarding starts
Leave for security
Smart suggestion based on current wait times
Low-Fi
Decision Cockpit — All critical information in one glanceable view. No menu diving. Users answer "Am I on track?" in under 3 seconds, addressing the #1 pain point from pre-pilot research: uncertainty in unfamiliar airports.
Gate Change: B12 → C24
Add 8 min walk time
Security Wait Increased
Now 20-25 min wait
Terminal B Food Courts Open
FYI while you’re in the terminal
Sarah Chen
2hTSAPro tip: TSA PreCheck line is actually longer than regular security right now. Regular line took me 8 minutes vs 15+ for PreCheck. Check both before choosing!
Low-Fi
Trust signals integrated into every update: data source badges (Official vs. Crowdsourced), confidence levels (High/Medium/Low), and color-coded timestamps. Priority borders guide attention—red for urgent, purple for moderate, gray for info.
Completed
Current
15 min wait | Checkpoint A recommended
Upcoming
UPGRADE AVAILABLE
Skip the wait entirely
Priority boarding, lounge access, and fast-track security options available
Low-Fi
Journey Timeline shows travelers where they are in the airport experience. Completed stages fade to gray, current stage highlights in purple, upcoming stages show ETA. Reduces cognitive load by filtering out irrelevant information.
Tap to see how we calculated this recommendation.
Calculation breakdown
Low-Fi
Progressive disclosure in action: summary view prevents information overload, but users can tap to understand the math. A/B testing shows users fell more confident when they could see the reasoning (4.6/5) vs. bare commands (3.2/5).
Last known info
Security Checkpoint
Recommendation: Check airport monitors for current info.
Manual alternatives
Cached updates
Waiting for connection…Last seen: Gate B12
Approx. 15-20 min (cached)
Low-Fi
Offline-ready architecture prevents the app from becoming useless when airport Wi-Fi drops. Cached data surfaces with clear warnings, and manual alternatives direct users to physical resources (monitors, staff). Early testing: 89% successfully navigated with no connectivity.
Sarah Mitchell
sarah.mitchell@email.com
Profile Details
Name, contact info
Travel Preferences
Preferred Terminal
Preferred Airlines
Companion Preferences
Children, elderly, accessibility
Frequent Flyer Details
American Airlines AAdvantage
Gold Member · 21,000 miles
Delta SkyMiles
Silver Member · 32,000 miles
Notification Preferences
TSA Wait Time Alerts
Get notified of low-traffic windows
Gate Change Notifications
Next-step gate updates
Dining Suggestions
Personalized food options
Hydration Reminders
Stay hydrated during travel
Restroom Proximity Alerts
Nearby facilities
Dietary & Health Preferences
Dietary Restrictions
Allergies
Avoid list
Low-Fi
Profile hub centralizes traveler identity, preferences, and support shortcuts so guidance and notifications stay personalized wherever they are in the journey.
App Feature Release