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Designing an app that makes flying feel a little less like flying.

Avianca — Airline App

Aviation is one of the most constrained design environments that exists. Regulatory rules, fare class logic, codeshare agreements, legacy technical systems, real-time flight data, and accessibility requirements all have to be accounted for before a single screen is designed.

When Avianca needed a complete app built from scratch, my team at Accenture Interactive took it on. Four months. Two countries. Two languages. I led the design.

The Constraint Was the Brief
The biggest challenge wasn't the complexity of the product. It was designing within that complexity without letting it show. A user checking in for a domestic flight shouldn't feel the difference between a straightforward case and one involving three fare rules, a codeshare partner, and a seat selection conflict. The app had to handle both transparently.

Every design decision went through a gauntlet: legal review, technical feasibility check with engineers in Brazil and Colombia, aviation regulation compliance, and business rule validation. I built the process so that this rigor shaped the design rather than delayed it.

Cross-Border Collaboration
The project ran simultaneously in São Paulo and Bogotá, in Portuguese and Spanish. I was responsible for making design decisions that held up across both contexts: culturally, linguistically, and technically. Documentation and handoff specs had to be unambiguous across teams and time zones.

What Was Delivered
A single, fluid app covering the complete traveler journey:
- Login and profile management
- Flight search and fare comparison
- Ticket purchase across fare classes
- Online check-inBoarding pass issuance
- Booking and ticket management
- Cancellation support and rebooking flows
- Real-time flight status cards

Deliverables
- Redesigned information architecture
- Full UX flows and UI components
- Developer documentation and style guides
- Comprehensive handoff package

Role: Lead UX/UI Designer, Accenture Interactive
Timeline: 4 months
Client: Avianca
Context: Brazil and Colombia