Team
Hannah Huang
Erika Ni
Elle Yamamoto
Timeline
Winter – Spring 2026
Role
Product Designer
Tools
FigJam
Figma Design
Google Forms
Overview
Discovering aviation events through ForeFlight
I served as a product designer for an app to help pilots grow their professional networks by simplifying the process of finding in-person aviation events, where most networking takes place.
Over the course of five months, we reimagined and redesigned the pre-existing “Events” feature. The new Events feature offers ForeFlight users an easy way to browse, sort, and filter events, view event information, foster off-ForeFlight connections, share, save, and manage events.
Context
Networking happens in-person, but events stay hidden
For pilots, a key aspect of finding professional opportunities is finding in-person aviation events, where most networking takes place.
The aviation industry is unique in the way that your connections are the main way to discover new opportunities, creating a high barrier to entry for those with fewer connections.
Existing apps, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, are used by many, but due to the algorithmic-based discovery of events, pilots often don’t see events they’d want to attend until after they’ve happened.
Solution
Meet the reimagined “Events” feature!
Through the reimagined Events feature, pilots can easily discover events to further their careers, all within the ForeFlight app that has already gained their trust.
For increased discoverability, we moved the Events feature out of the Discover tab and into its own separate tab, grouping it with other features pilots use when they’re not in the air.
We enhanced browsing with standardized metadata, allowing pilots to filter events by date, location, and event type and reducing information fragmentation found on websites and social forums.
The Event Details page shows essential information with options to share, save, add to calendar, and RSVP. An attendee list helps users understand experience levels and connect off ForeFlight.
Your Events lets users manage registered, saved, and recommended events in clear categories.
A profile page lets pilots customize what they share when registering, balancing privacy with professional networking.
Survey
“Nothing like meeting a real person, in person.”
A majority of participants said in-person networking is much more effective than online, and that meaningful relationships in aviation helped them discover opportunities and events they otherwise would not have found.
76%
said in-person networking is more effective than online
32%
are satisfied with current digital platforms
User Interviews
Current digital platforms are hard to navigate, ineffective, and limited.
After our survey, we interviewed participants to understand their experiences with digital platforms in greater depth.
The most significant pain point was scattered information. Because most platforms use algorithmic feeds, pilots often learn about events and opportunities only after they’ve happened.
“I don’t go to job fairs because I find out about them after they happen.”
“It’s frustrating when you put in exactly the qualifications you have, and then it still sends you jobs that you’re in no way qualified for.”
“Sometimes you find out after the event has happened and that’s frustrating because it never showed up.”
Competitive Analysis
Where existing solutions fall short
During user research, we asked pilots what platforms they currently use to find professional opportunities and what issues they encounter.
Word of mouth
Facebook Groups
Reddit and aviation forums
Pros ✅
Preferred method of networking and discovering opportunities for most pilots.
Pros ✅
Preferred online platform for many pilots, with lots of event information.
Pros ✅
Useful for aviation news, advice, and discussion.
Pros ✅
Useful for discovering job opportunities.
Cons ❌
Creates a high barrier to entry for pilots with small networks.
Cons ❌
Algorithm-based feeds make timely information difficult to find.
Cons ❌
It is difficult to form meaningful connections with others online.
Cons ❌
It is difficult to form meaningful connections with others online.
How might we...
Support professional networking and job discovery for General Aviation pilots, learning from existing social behaviors?
Wireframes
Fostering in-person connection through ForeFlight
Users preferred digital platforms that facilitate in-person connection, so we created a flow that lets pilots discover, sort, and filter events based on their preferences.
User Testing
Receiving feedback from real ForeFlight users
We interviewed 6 ForeFlight users about our low-fidelity frames. Their feedback revealed which information pilots prioritized and shaped the information hierarchy.
Pilots prioritized event location and wanted control over what profile information they share, including off-ForeFlight profiles.
Impact
Helping pilots build careers through a trusted platform
After recruiting another 7 participants for a usability test with our high-fidelity prototypes, users said the Events feature would help further their aviation careers.
71%
said they’d use the Events feature
42%
would check the ForeFlight Events feature daily
Reflection
What ForeFlight taught me
Working with such a passionate user base taught me the importance of following the research and understanding users’ thought processes so we didn’t create a distracting feature or take away from an app that had already earned their trust.
Because many users preferred to keep their information private online, the project also taught me how to design with privacy in mind.
