Mi iberia
Two-phase redesign of Iberia's private area — from Avios check to AI-powered Travel Command Center.
Travel
Re-Design
Role
Product Design · Service Design · AI-first
Timeline
2.5 years
team
Product, Engineering, PM, Cross-functional stakeholders.
platform
Web
Overview
Iberia is Spain's flagship airline. Mi Iberia is the secure, logged-in private area where passengers manage trips, loyalty, and bookings. This platform serves as a critical touchpoint, with millions of sessions each year.
When I joined, Mi Iberia offered minimal product value. Users typically stayed for only about three seconds, just long enough to confirm their Avios points were credited before leaving. There was no incentive to explore, return, or book.
This project developed in two phases:
Phase 1 — Foundation: Repositioned Mi Iberia as a personal Travel Command Center — new UI, modular architecture, profile-to-checkout data flow, and travel KPIs.
Phase 2 — Intelligence & Clarity: AI co-pilot, Unified Vouchers Hub, Frequent Companions flow, and redesigned profile forms — all built on Phase 1's modular base.
Scope: Highly cross-functional. Mi Iberia operates at the intersection of Loyalty, Call Center, Disruptions, and Digital (brand UI). Each area owned different content and flows, so coordination was as critical as screen design.
The Challenge
Phase 1 — A private area nobody used
Visits were primarily for Avios balance checks, with an average session lasting about three seconds. Users logged in, verified their points, and exited.
No personalization — same static experience for every passenger.
Profile data, such as name, discount cards (familia numerosa), companions, and travel documents, did not transfer to the booking process.
There were missed revenue opportunities due to the absence of cross-sell, recovery flows, or a connection between loyalty and booking.
Stakeholders were siloed, with Loyalty, Legal, Business, Call Center, Disruptions, and Digital each managing separate areas without a unified product vision.
Phase 2 — Smarter and clearer, on a solid base. After Phase 1 validated the model, new friction points became apparent:
AI lacked clear boundaries. Iberia sought to add intelligence to the private area, but not another support chatbot. Users needed assistance with discovery and booking, focusing on inspiration rather than complaint resolution.
Vouchers were dispersed across Loyalty, Disruptions, and promotions, with no unified view for users.
Companion management remained manual, requiring frequent travelers to re-enter companion data and documents for each purchase.
Profile forms were cumbersome, making it difficult for passengers to manage their information.
Strategic progression: Phase 1 made Mi Iberia worth visiting. Phase 2 enhanced intelligence (AI), clarity (vouchers), and speed (companions and profile).
Phase 1 · Discovery
As-Is analysis.
Analytics, heatmaps, and session replays confirmed that most visits were for Avios balance checks. Users logged in, verified their points, and left, as there was no additional value to retain them.
We identified a critical data disconnect: information saved in passenger profiles, such as name, discount cards (e.g. large family / familia numerosa), and travel documents, did not transfer to the booking flow. Users had to re-enter this information for every purchase. Addressing this became a top technical priority to ensure profile data followed the customer through checkout.
User research
Usability tests and interviews revealed a long list of desired features, including adding pets, pre-selecting meals, managing luggage, and setting travel preferences.
While these insights were valuable, not all were immediately actionable. Some required extensive technical work to enable seamless data flow across Iberia's systems. We prioritized features that could be delivered quickly and had the highest impact.
What we prioritized:
Profile → checkout data flow (from As-Is — highest impact, feasible scope)
OCR for travel documents (reduce friction in profile)
Travel KPIs & dashboard (engagement beyond Avios checks)
Stakeholder alignment
Mi Iberia is not a single product silo. The area spans zones owned by different departments:
I collaborated with all departments, conducting workshops with Loyalty, Legal, and Business, and working closely with Call Center and Disruptions on their respective areas. I also partnered with Digital to ensure every new component met Iberia's brand guidelines before integration into the broader design system.
Key insight: Users do not seek a generic private area. They want a command center that recognizes them and demonstrates this at checkout. Short-term improvements needed to be technically feasible, not aspirational.
Phase 1 · The Solution
Full UI redesign for Mi Iberia
Phase 1 involved a complete redesign. We developed a new UI from the ground up, with components tailored to this product context, including dashboard modules, profile flows, KPI cards, document upload, shortcut tiles, and checkout integration states.
These components were later integrated into Iberia's design system, allowing Mi Iberia to contribute reusable patterns to the broader digital ecosystem.
Smart Profile & data flow at checkout
Personal information, discount cards (including familia numerosa), and frequent companions were auto-populated during booking, eliminating repetitive data entry. By the end of Phase 1, profile data flowed seamlessly into trip purchases, making checkout significantly faster and more convenient for passengers.
OCR Document Scanning
An OCR process in the profile area enabled users to quickly add passports and travel documents by scanning and confirming. This supported both Ready to Fly validation and the checkout data pipeline.
Personalized Dashboard & travel KPIs
A travel-focused dashboard displayed upcoming trips, contextual shortcuts, and personal travel statistics, making loyalty tangible for users:
Total flights taken
Hours in the air
Countries visited
Airports flown through
These KPIs encouraged passengers to return for more than Avios checks and strengthened their emotional connection with the brand.
Phase 2 · Discovery
AI benchmarking
We began by benchmarking how other products used AI, focusing on patterns, entry points, and user engagement. A key insight was the effectiveness of shortcuts—small icons within features that indicate AI capabilities in context, such as finding similar trips, discovering affordable destinations, or building itineraries. This insight informed our dual-entry AI model.
Chat placement research
We reviewed several prototype videos testing various chat entry points and conducted user surveys to validate preferences. The study found that shortcuts alone were insufficient; users also needed a persistent floating button to initiate conversations, ask open-ended questions, and plan trips from scratch via chat.
Vouchers audit
We mapped all bonus types, issuance channels, expiry rules, and redemption flows across Loyalty, Customer Care, and Business. This revealed over seven distinct voucher categories with inconsistent UI and no unified mental model.
Companions & profile research
We identified that frequent travelers, such as partners, children, and colleagues, had to be re-entered manually for each booking. Profile forms were lengthy, fragmented, and difficult to complete on mobile devices.
Cross-team governance
We established clear boundaries: the AI co-pilot focused on inspiration and booking, the standard chatbot handled support, and the vouchers hub enabled self-service redemption.
Key insights:
AI is most effective when it demonstrates its capabilities through shortcuts and allows users to explore further via floating chat.
Vouchers serve as trust artifacts, not just coupons. Visibility of status and expiry is as important as redemption.
Companions accelerate checkout; when their data and documents are prepared, booking requires only one action instead of many.
Phase 2 · The Solution
AI Co-pilot
Iberia aimed to advance beyond basic features by introducing a contextual co-pilot that is proactive rather than merely functional. This solution was informed by benchmarking and user testing.
AI Shortcuts (Contextual Nudges)
Small icons were embedded, each indicating the AI's capabilities in that context:
Find similar trips to one you're viewing
Discover cheap destinations from your home airport
Generate an itinerary for a trip you already booked
Summarize flight details or check destination weather
For users with specific goals, these shortcuts provide immediate value with a single tap.
Floating Assistant
A persistent button provides access to an open chat, allowing users to ask questions, plan trips from scratch, and explore without a set destination. Prototype videos and surveys supported this as the optimal complement to shortcuts.
For users without a fixed plan, this approach offers a conversational, flexible, and discovery-driven experience.
Cross-team governance
The co-pilot facilitates discovery and conversion, while the existing chatbot manages post-booking support. This separation prevents overlap and user confusion.
Unified Vouchers Hub.
A single table consolidates all bonuses, providing full transparency. A unified vouchers view consolidates all company bonus types, replacing scattered sections and inconsistent card formats.
Type | Avios · Travel compensation · Promotional · Distribution |
Origin | How it was earned (loyalty, disruption, campaign…) |
Value | Amount or Avios equivalent |
Status | Active · Pending · Partially used · Expired |
Expiry | Clear date with urgency states |
Action | Redeem · apply to booking · view terms |
Information hierarchy
Active vouchers are prioritized, reflecting the highest intent to redeem.
Vouchers are grouped by type with clear visual differentiation.
Clear empty and edge states are defined, including scenarios with no vouchers, only expired vouchers, or partial redemptions.
Each voucher type links directly to the appropriate redemption path within the hub.
Frequent Companions & Profile Redesign
Frequent Companions flow
Companions can be added and managed in the profile, including their personal information and travel documents.
At checkout, selecting a companion auto-fills their complete data, including name, documents, and preferences.
No repeated data entry is required, reducing friction. One tap adds a previously traveled companion.
A new UI was developed specifically for this flow, featuring companion cards, document status indicators, and quick-add patterns, later aligned with Iberia's design system.
Profile forms redesign
All profile forms were redesigned with shorter steps, clearer labels, improved mobile layouts, and progressive disclosure. The goal was to make it easy for passengers to keep their information complete and current for seamless booking.
Together, the companions and profile redesign created a seamless experience: easy setup and effortless purchase.
06 — Impact
Avg. time on site | ~3 seconds (Avios check only) | 7+ minutes (7× increase) |
Profile → checkout | Data siloed; re-entry every time | End-to-end data flow — profile, companions, documents |
Revenue | No monetization in private area | ~€2M new revenue channels |
Vouchers | Scattered, invisible | Single hub — all bonus types, one view |
Companions at checkout | Manual re-entry every booking | One-tap frequent companion selection |
AI engagement | None | Co-pilot became top discovery tool for new destinations |
Brand trust | Utility link | Ready to Fly + travel KPIs + proactive AI |
Mi Iberia Redesign: Core Impact
Engagement & Retention: Transformed into a high-engagement hub through personalized travel KPIs. AI interactions drove higher booking completion and destination discovery.
Conversion & Revenue: Smart AI shortcuts, search recovery, group booking features, and unified voucher management boosted sales while reducing support inquiries.
Design System & Architecture: Expanded Iberia’s design system with scalable modular components and validated a dual-entry AI interface (shortcuts + floating chat).
Cross-Departmental Alignment: Unified UI patterns across Loyalty, Disruptions, Call Center, and Digital teams, creating a single, aligned product strategy.
What I Learned
Strategic & Transversal Approach: Treated the private area as a full product with dedicated KPIs, using modular architecture to align cross-departmental teams (Loyalty, Disruptions, Call Center, Digital).
Impactful & Realistic Prioritization: Prioritized user recognition and technical feasibility over feature bloat, delivering high-value solutions like consolidated vouchers and seamless companion data flow.
Research-Validated AI Design: Successfully implemented a dual-entry AI strategy (shortcuts + floating chat) while utilizing an AI-first workflow (Claude, Figma Make, GitHub) to accelerate development and handoff.
Design System & Scalability: Contributed modular, elevated UI components back into Iberia’s design system, enabling parallel phase deliveries without disrupting core foundations.
