Design a flight-booking experience inside Cleartrip on Flipkart for first-time flyers from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities

Introduction

Cleartrip has been part of Flipkart since 2021, and one of the most visible results is the Cleartrip travel tab inside the Flipkart app. That entry point puts flight booking in front of hundreds of millions of shoppers, many of whom live outside the metros and have never boarded a plane. For these users the first flight is a big moment: it often replaces a 20-hour train journey, involves unfamiliar rules about baggage and web check-in, and costs a meaningful share of a monthly income.

The prompt asks me to design a flight-booking experience inside Cleartrip on Flipkart for first-time flyers from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. I'll clarify the problem, explain why it matters for Cleartrip and Flipkart, choose a segment, map pain points, then design and measure a solution.

Step 1

Clarify Questions (3 minutes)

• Is the goal more first bookings, or a better first trip that leads to repeat bookings?

• Why it matters: A flow that pushes conversion without preparing users can create missed flights, angry support calls and one-time customers.
• Hypothetical answer: Both. Leadership wants more first bookings from Flipkart users and a higher 90-day repeat rate.
• Impact: We'll design across the full journey, from search to landing, not only checkout.

• Are we limited to the Flipkart app, or can we change the Cleartrip app too?

• Why it matters: Flipkart owns the shell and payments; Cleartrip owns inventory, fares and servicing.
• Hypothetical answer: The experience lives in the Flipkart app's travel tab, built on Cleartrip's booking engine.
• Impact: We can reuse Flipkart identity, addresses, UPI and SuperCoins, but must fit Flipkart's design system.

• Domestic flights only?

• Why it matters: International travel adds visas and passports, which is a different problem.
• Hypothetical answer: Domestic only, economy class.
• Impact: We focus on routes from smaller airports to metros and pilgrimage or family destinations.

• Any constraints on language?

• Why it matters: Many first-time flyers are more comfortable in Hindi or a regional language.
• Hypothetical answer: The Flipkart app already supports several Indian languages, and we should use them.
• Impact: Vernacular content becomes part of the design, not a later add-on.

Propose the Goal

Help first-time flyers from smaller cities book their first flight with confidence and arrive at the airport prepared, so that the first trip becomes the start of a repeat travel habit on Cleartrip.

Define the Scope

In scope: discovery in the Flipkart app, fare selection, checkout, pre-trip preparation and day-of-travel help. Out of scope: hotels, trains and international travel.