The utility of a flight tracking app depends on two things: the accuracy of its updates, and how quickly you can interpret them. While Flight Aware has plenty of information, its presentation is not intuitive. We redesigned Flight Aware with two users in mind: the traveller on a layover, and the person picking someone up at the airport. Both needed a clearer flight information page, one which quickly communicated the most important communication about a flight.
For layover passengers, we decided that mobile users would benefit from an added feature: information on what to do during their wait time. Our airport map allows users to find their next flight and where to eat or shop in the meantime. For people picking up passengers, we wanted to make it easier for them to plan, particularly in the face of delays. With more obviously visible predicted flight arrival times, an airport map, and parking directions, it is easier to prepare. We totally retooled the arrivals board feature to make it easier for users who are picking someone up to find information on incoming flights, whether or not they know the flight number.
Dropbox link: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6317929/RothTufanoAPP.pdf
