Airline App Notification: Flight Cancellation

A UX writing challenge

The Prompt

Scenario

A traveler is in an airport waiting for the last leg of a flight home when their flight gets abruptly canceled due to bad weather.

Challenge

Write a message from the airline app notifying them of the cancellation and what they need to do next.

Headline: 45 characters

Body: 175 characters max

Button(s): 25 characters max

Exploring the Problem Space

Assumptions

App cannot automatically rebook passengers. Users will need to choose from a variety of direct and indirect flight options.

Business Constraints

Airline is not able to offer credits or hotel stays to everyone impacted.

User Feelings

Passenger is tired, aggravated, and wants to get to their destination.

Competitive Analysis

One of my flights was canceled recently, and I identified some areas of the user experience that could be improved.

I opened the app one week before my flight and found this notification. I had not received a push notification or email about the change, so I don’t know when it occurred. A “schedule change” doesn’t sound too bad and since I booked this six months ago, I wouldn’t be surprised by a minor change in the flight times. I clicked through to view my change.

Woah! The big wall of red text has me panicking and it’s difficult to scan visually. The “schedule change” was that both my flights have been canceled and they “haven’t been able to find [me] another flight.” I am feeling panicked, outraged that this happened and they didn’t make a better effort to notify me, and confused about what to do next.

Goals

  • Communicate the problem: flight was canceled. Include flight details as user may have multiple flights today or in the future.
  • Provide a solution and CTA.
  • Express empathy and compassion. Tone is serious, because the user won’t be taking this lightly.
  • Writing should be clear, concise, and useful.

User Stories

  • As someone traveling home from vacation, I want to book the next available flight, so I can get home as quickly as possible.
  • As someone who lives only 100 miles away, I want to cancel my flight, so I can drive home now instead of waiting for the weather to clear.
  • As someone with the last flight of the day, I want to book a hotel room, so I can wait comfortably for tomorrow’s flights.
  • As someone with a meeting this afternoon, I want to see the flight options, so I will know if I can still make the meeting or need to cancel.

Ideating

Draft 1

Your Flight #12345 was Canceled

Unfortunately, your flight #12345 from ABC to DEF was canceled due to bad weather. Our customer service agents are available to help you get to your destination.

Rebook Now

Can I make this more useful by providing more information about the options available? Can I make this more compassionate? Can I make the headline and body less repetetive?

Draft 2

Your Flight was Canceled

Due to severe weather in the area, your flight #12345 from ABC to DEF was canceled. We are sorry for this inconvenience and our customer service agents are available to help you get to your destination as soon as possible, and make your wait more comfortable in the meantime.

Rebook Online Now

Speak with an Agent

Can I make this more concise? Can I make the secondary button more useful? Not everyone will want to speak with an agent. There should be multiple options: live chat, phone call, and helpful links like food near you, hotels, and rental cars.

Final Draft

The most important information (flight canceled) is moved to the front, with the reason moved to the end. It communicates the problem, provides solutions, and expresses empathy. It is clear, concise, and useful.

Future Iterations

1. Test this notification as part of the complete user flow, including the pages these buttons lead to. What reaction do users have to the tone of the message and solutions provided?

2. Consider different user personas, such as a frequent flier with special airline status. Would they receive the same notification, or are there defined user groups in the customer database that might receive a different message?