IRCTC
Booking site
Redesigned the IRCTC booking experience with a streamlined flow, structured train cards, and improved information hierarchy to help users compare options and book tickets more efficiently.
Concept
UX Design
Client
Self initiated
Tools
Figma, Notion
Overview
Every train ticket in India is ultimately booked through IRCTC, yet many users prefer third-party platforms.
This raises a key question:
If IRCTC powers the entire booking ecosystem, why do users hesitate to book directly?
This case study explores the usability and decision-making barriers that affect how users search and book tickets on IRCTC.
Problem Statement
Users struggle to make booking decisions on IRCTC due to confusing flows and hard-to-compare train options, resulting in slower bookings and increased drop-offs.
IRCTC serves millions of users daily, making clarity and efficiency critical to successful bookings.
Solution
Improved the booking flow with streamlined booking form, structured train cards, and organized information to help users compare options quickly and complete bookings efficiently.
Expected outcome: faster booking decisions and higher completion rates.
Design Outcomes
The final interface reflects the solutions applied to the identified problems, translating UX decisions into a clear, structured, and task-focused experience.
Homepage
Search Results Page
Key Improvements
Each key booking component was individually refined to address usability and accessibility issues observed in the existing experience.
Design Approach
The process began with analyzing the IRCTC booking flow to understand user pain points and opportunities for improvement.
This approach followed a clear sequence:
Problem Identification → Competitive Analysis → Prioritization → Design Iterations
Each step informed the next, ensuring design decisions were intentional, consistent, and aligned with user and business needs.
Understanding the problem
On the homepage, the primary user goal is to begin a booking, but visual clutter and competing elements pull attention away from the core action, making the entry into the flow feel less direct.
As users move into the search results stage, the experience shifts from distraction to overload - too much information presented at once makes it harder to compare options and move forward confidently.
IRCTC users need to compare multiple train options and complete bookings quickly, often under time pressure.
Based on an analysis, it became clear that the main friction lies in the primary booking flow and the unstructured presentation of train information, causing users to hesitate or abandon the booking process midway.
Competitive analysis
I analyzed leading Indian travel platforms (MakeMyTrip, RedBus, and Paytm) to understand how they simplify complex booking flows and reduce decision friction.
The focus was on identifying which problems are essential to solve and where trade-offs can be made without affecting the core booking experience.
IRCTC users need to compare multiple train options and complete bookings quickly, often under time pressure.
Problem Prioritization
Based on the UX analysis and competitive analysis, I prioritized problems that were directly affecting the booking flow and were non-negotiable to resolve.
Unclear booking flow: Users were often unsure about the next step due to distractions and competing CTAs, which created hesitation and led to drop-offs during the booking process.
Unorganized information structure: Key details were hard to scan and compare, increasing cognitive load and causing users to abandon the journey midway.
Each priority required conscious trade-offs between usability, familiarity, and business constraints.
After stabilizing the core booking flow, I addressed secondary usability issues that impacted clarity, trust, and visual comfort
Weak branding
Unclear hierarchy
Dense spacing
Inconsistent typography
While these were not primary blockers, resolving them helped create a smoother, more cohesive experience.
Iteration & UI Decisions
Initial iterations focused on improving the existing layout, but it didn’t sufficiently reduce friction in the booking flow. Vertical form layouts were also explored; however, they felt lengthy and slowed the primary task. And on the search results page, train cards were confusing and needed restructuring.
These insights led to the main design decisions:
Horizontal booking form was implemented on the homepage to reduce vertical scanning, making the entry point lighter, faster, and easier for users to follow.
On the search results page, train cards were restructured to present timings, availability, and key details more clearly, enabling quick comparison without cognitive overload.
Each priority required conscious trade-offs between usability, familiarity, and business constraints.
Before & After
A side-by-side comparison highlighting improvements in hierarchy, clarity, and task focus across the homepage and search results.
