1 Passport
Designing an app to streamline the mobile passport control process, enhance user interface usability, and establish a more legitimate customs return procedure.
Project Type
Proof of Concept
The Team
Myself
My Role
User Research
Wireframing
Brand Design
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Tools
Figma
Duration
4 months (2024)
Overview
How can we simplify the mobile passport control app to make it easier on travelers to get through customs?
Overview
How can we simplify the mobile passport control app to make it more user-friendly?
Travelers need an easier way to use the mobile passport control app and clearer instructions for a smooth re-entry through customs. The current process is complicated and hard to follow.
While re-entering the country on my trip back from Europe. Multiple app users were unsure of how to use the designated mobile passport application and if they correctly followed the instructions.
Here’s what I discovered through user research, and my solution.
The Problem
The Mobile Passport Control app is lacking a clear onboarding process. There are also issues with the layout of the application and the passport verification system.
The Solution
I designed an application that has a layout that is more user-friendly with additional features that were requested through user research. There was a strong focus on decluttering the navigation of the app as well as overhauling the current system that is used to hold passenger identification.
User Interviews
I interviewed five international travelers on their experience using the MPC app to re-enter the country.
User Interviews
I interviewed five international travelers on their experience using the MPC app to re-enter the country.
More specifically, I wanted to understand the traveler’s shortcomings when using the application as well as the things they found effective at improving their customs re-entry.
Objectives for 1:1 Interviews
- Learn what international travelers prioritize when they are going through customs
- Understand what frustrates people when using the MPC app
- Discover people’s overall feelings on their past experiences going through customs
- Identify what features individuals would prioritize when it comes to the MPC app
Findings & Analysis
Overall, travelers need a way to Interact with the application more effectively and clearer instructions/navigating indicators.
Findings & Analysis
Overall, travelers need a way to Interact with the application more effectively and clearer instructions/navigating indicators.
Affinity Map
I organized each major insight on a sticky note, grouping them by similarity and topic. The following themes emerged:
- The onboarding process was difficult to understand and the instructions were unclear
- There were large blocks of text that users chose not to read
- There was a lack of navigational markers to help the users move through the app
- The identification system was tedious to use and failed to indicate that the process was over and ready to show to the customs agent
“I don’t know where to find anything and when I do find something, whether it’s the user guides or anything like that, it’s just pure blocks of text.”
– Participant 1
“There is so much information to read on each page that by the time I reveal the information on the page I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do next.”
– Participant 4
Persona
I created a persona to reflect the main objectives and concerns that were found during the interview process.
Competitor Analysis
Feature Prioritization
Ideation & Design
I then formulated how the app would function overall and planned out the general flow.
Ideation & Design
I then formulated how the app would function overall and planned out the general flow.
User Flows
Wireframes
Here are the initial wireframes of the app layout. A primary focus was to keep the navigation as minimal as possible, as well as adding in the “now” features that were discussed in the feature prioritization section.
Low-Fidelity Screens
Based on the previous research and insights, I designed these screens to ensure a seamless user flow and to present information as clearly and prominently as possible.
Branding
I designed a minimalist branding with vibrant accents.
Branding
I designed a minimalist branding with vibrant accents.
I wanted to add colorful accents to allow the traveler to see clear indicators when navigating the app. I also based the color palette on the blue tone to evoke a sense of professionalism and authority.
High-Fidelity Prototype
The high-fidelity wireframes were created building on the previous designs.
High-Fidelity Prototype
The high-fidelity wireframes were created building on the previous designs.
Based on the feature prioritization list and the low-fidelity screens, the high-fidelity prototype was made. The branding helped create a cohesive narrative and app language.
I wanted to add glassmorphic details to the primary elements to draw attention to the key features. Additionally, the rest of the app was kept as minimal as possible to make sure the design was not overwhelming and easy to navigate.
Dashboard
The main dashboard acts as a traveler’s hub for everything they need on their way back into the U.S. going through customs. It includes the main passport that is loaded on the app as well as other features like a customs wait time and direct access to the traveler’s “quick pass”.
Quick Pass
The “quick pass” functions as a QR code that can be easily accessed by the customs agent. The pass is preloaded with selected travelers so that when scanned the agent can get all the traveler’s information quicker and in groups.
Passports
An important key feature to include was the passports section this screen allows users to hold their families’ passports in an easy-to-access virtual wallet.
Checklist
The checklist is an additional screen that allows passengers who want a streamlined checklist to verify if all their important items are accounted for. It is not 100% necessary to use, but it is a feature that travelers can access if they desire.
Usability Test
I tested the users ability to navigate 1 Passport.
Usability Test
I tested the users ability to navigate 1 Passport.
The results out of the three users that tested the app’s usability were that overall they found the app user-friendly and shared their enthusiasm about the added features.
A lot of the pain points that were found in other apps such as mobile passport control were not found here, especially the lack of large groups of text.
Next Steps
1 Passport has a few tweaks before becoming a live application.
Next Steps
1 Passport has a few tweaks before becoming a live application.
My next step is to work on the onboarding process. The flow has already been created it just needs to be sketched out and the screens need to be constructed.
There are also additional features that were in the later section of the feature prioritization. The next phases would focus on building out an airport navigation system. Also building on the notification setup.