Flight Booking Product Design: Choose a Traveler Segment and Define the MVP

You are a product manager asked to design a product that people use to buy flight tickets. Explain whom you would build it for, which of their problems it would solve, what the first version would include, and how you would measure whether it works. ```hint Look past the search box Finding a fare is already easy for most people. Pick one kind of traveler and trace their whole trip, from planning to landing, to find where buying a ticket still goes wrong for them. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Is this a new standalone app, a feature inside an existing search or travel product, or a booking channel for a single airline? - Does the product complete the purchase itself, or does it send travelers to airlines and agencies to pay? - Is it flights only, or can it bundle hotels, rental cars and airport transfers, and does it cover domestic trips, international trips or both? - Is the goal more bookings, more repeat usage, or more revenue per booking? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A goal for the product and a clear reason travelers would switch from the ways they book today. - Several traveler segments, such as families, business travelers, weekly commuters and budget travelers, and a reasoned choice of one. - The chosen segment's journey from planning through the flight, with pain points ranked by how often and how badly they hurt. - Solutions prioritized by impact and effort, ending in a defined first version. - Success metrics tied to the goal, plus guardrails such as price trust and refund disputes. ### Follow-up Questions - Airlines want their bag and seat fees shown only at the last step. How would you handle price transparency? - After launch, searches rise but bookings stay flat. Where would you look first? - How would the product change for business travelers whose employer pays and sets the travel policy?