Sofia Airport
Website Redesign
From static content to a scalable passenger experience.
Mobile UX
Accessibility
Analytics
Role: Product Designer - UX & Information Architecture Lead
Timeline: 4 Months
Tools used:
Figma
Illustrator
Photoshop
Wordpess
Teams
Google Forms
From task-first IA and design systems to implementation-ready delivery.
Sofia Airport
Website Redesign
From static content to a scalable passenger experience.
Mobile UX
Accessibility
Analytics
Role: Product Designer - UX & Information Architecture Lead
Timeline: 4 Months
Tools used:
Figma
Illustrator
Photoshop
Wordpess
Teams
Google Forms
From task-first IA and design systems to implementation-ready delivery.
At a Glance
Sofia Airport’s website is an operational product. Most visitors arrive under time pressure with one clear intent: flights, parking, or travel rules.I redesigned the information architecture and template system to reduce hesitation and keep the experience coherent as operations change.
Key journeys: Flights • Parking • Travel information
Challenge:
The legacy site behaved like a notice board: information existed, but the structure didn’t match passenger intent. Priority tasks competed with secondary content, navigation logic was inconsistent, and critical pages lacked a predictable hierarchy — increasing drop-off and pushing users to call support for “basic” answers.
Approach:
I designed a task-first information architecture built around the highest-intent journeys (Flights, Parking, Travel rules), paired with a scalable design system and template governance so the site can evolve without losing clarity. The approach prioritised scanability, multilingual consistency, accessibility fundamentals, and “operational change readiness”.
Result:
Bounce rate improved from ~80% to <18% after launch.Measured on key passenger journeys (Flights, Parking, Travel Info) using analytics. This reflects clearer routing, higher content relevance, and faster task completion for high-intent users.
Measurement note: Post-launch comparison, same traffic sources, key landing pages only.
Scope: Flights • Parking • Flight Info landings
Signature features shipped
Self-Identification Assistant (Task Router)
Routes passengers to the shortest path in seconds.
• Identify role (departing / arriving / meeting someone)
• Select intent (flights, parking, travel rules, PRM, services) → direct routing
Why it matters: reduces hesitation and wrong turns under time pressure.
Validation: Similar task routers emerged at leading airports at the same time (Changi: Dec 2024; Sofia: Jan 2025).
Self-Identification Assistant (Task Router)
Routes passengers to the shortest path in seconds.
• Identify role (departing / arriving / meeting someone)
• Select intent (flights, parking, travel rules, PRM, services) → direct routing
Why it matters: reduces hesitation and wrong turns under time pressure.
Validation: Similar task routers emerged at leading airports at the same time (Changi: Dec 2024; Sofia: Jan 2025).
Real-time Parking Occupancy (Live Status)
Turns live operational data into confident parking decisions.
• Clear status model: Available / Limited / Full (scannable at a glance)
• Paired actions: Book now + Live occupancy for quick planning
Why it matters: reduces uncertainty before arrival and supports high-intent conversion.
Real-time Parking Occupancy (Live Status)
Turns live operational data into confident parking decisions.
• Clear status model: Available / Limited / Full (scannable at a glance)
• Paired actions: Book now + Live occupancy for quick planning
Why it matters: reduces uncertainty before arrival and supports high-intent conversion.
Flight Information (Lookup to Action)
Transforms flight lookup into a practical service hub.
• Redesigned flight details for clarity: key status, terminal, belt, and contacts
• Next-step actions surfaced: parking, VIP lounge, PRM assistance, and services
Why it matters: helps passengers move from “information” to “action” without losing trust.
Flight Information (Lookup to Action)
Transforms flight lookup into a practical service hub.
• Redesigned flight details for clarity: key status, terminal, belt, and contacts
• Next-step actions surfaced: parking, VIP lounge, PRM assistance, and services
Why it matters: helps passengers move from “information” to “action” without losing trust.
Commercial Units (Scalable Tenant Templates)
Standardises high-volume tenant pages with governance-ready templates.
• Essentials first: location, terminal, opening hours, contacts, and key details
• Consistent structure across venues to prevent UX drift as content scales
Why it matters: passengers find what they need fast - and the airport can update safely at scale.
Commercial Units (Scalable Tenant Templates)
Standardises high-volume tenant pages with governance-ready templates.
• Essentials first: location, terminal, opening hours, contacts, and key details
• Consistent structure across venues to prevent UX drift as content scales
Why it matters: passengers find what they need fast - and the airport can update safely at scale.
Passenger Intent is Urgent
Airport users don’t browse — they execute. They arrive stressed, often on mobile, sometimes in low connectivity, and they need a short, predictable path to completion. The UX must support fast scanning, clear status communication, and recovery when something changes (delays, gate updates, terminal re-routes).
Constraints
This redesign had to respect real operational constraints:
• A large legacy content library with mixed quality and inconsistent taxonomy
• Multiple stakeholders publishing information with different priorities
• Frequent operational updates that must remain visible and trustworthy
• Bilingual UX and content structure that stays equivalent across languages
• Accessibility fundamentals (contrast, hierarchy, keyboard support, clear focus states)
• “Crisis-ready” patterns (disruptions, notices, urgent updates)
Need an operational UX system that stays clear as things change?
I help teams reduce friction across high-intent journeys through task-first IA, scalable templates, and measurable outcomes.
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