Connor Boetig
Technology and Information Design student at the University of Maryland, graduating May 2027. I design things that make sense for the people using them.
Technology and Information Design student at the University of Maryland, graduating May 2027. I design things that make sense for the people using them.
Featured Project
A social connection app designed for the airplane seatback screen
UX Design · 2025
Context
The task was to redesign the airplane seatback screen to support communication between passengers and integrate with the iPhone. The problem: long flights are isolating. You're seated inches from strangers for hours with no easy, low-pressure way to connect. SeatMate turns the seatback screen into a voluntary social layer, letting passengers discover and chat with others on the same flight, all from their seat.
Screen Size
The seatback screen is iPad-sized, but the app needed to feel like an iPhone integration, fitting iPhone resolution within that form factor.
Connectivity
No in-flight WiFi assumed. The app connects via Bluetooth, with a manual fallback for passengers without a paired phone.
Participation
Completely opt-in. Users can go invisible at any time. No one should feel pressured to engage.
Process · Ideation
Early Crazy 8s produced concepts like phones physically dropping from the seat above, and a public group chat for everyone on the plane. Both were scrapped. Too impractical, too chaotic. What stuck was the familiar swipe mechanic applied to fellow passengers: simple, voluntary, and low-stakes.
Process · Iterations
A1: Paper Prototype
First paper prototype. Swipe card, match popup, and chat screen. Original name: 'Love Is In The Air.' Only 3 screens, single flow, no navigation.
Feedback: Add more screens. Swipe card too bare. Navigation unclear.
A2: Mid-Fi Paper Prototype
Renamed to SeatMate. Added bottom nav bar with icons + labels. Expanded swipe card to show age, interests, and seat number. Removed hand-drawn keyboard from chat. Users would just use their phone's keyboard.
Feedback: Concept communicating better. App needs to feel more airplane-themed. Keep iterating on navigation.
A3: First Figma Prototype
First attempt in Figma, completely new to the tool. 4 screens: Welcome/Onboarding, Discover, Matches list, Profile. Rough execution but all the core flows wired up.
Feedback: Add airplane theming. Polish UI elements. Improve match popup. Add Bluetooth onboarding flow.
Process · Decisions
Renaming the app
'Love Is In The Air' was funny but confusing. Watching someone actually try to use the prototype made it immediately obvious the name wasn't communicating the purpose. SeatMate is direct, memorable, and clear.
Labeling nav icons
Icons alone aren't accessible enough. Not every user recognizes what a silhouette means. Adding text labels below each nav icon made the app usable for anyone, not just people already familiar with app conventions.
Seat number on swipe cards
Adding the seat number to each passenger's card makes connections feel real and grounded. You're not swiping on strangers from anywhere. You know exactly where they're sitting on your specific flight.
Final Outcome
The final prototype brought together everything learned across three iterations: a clean Bluetooth onboarding flow, swipe-based passenger discovery, private in-seat messaging, and an airplane-themed visual identity. Participation is always optional. Users can go invisible at any time.
Bluetooth Onboarding
Profile Setup
Discover / Swipe
It's a Match!
Chat
Landing Page
Matches List
Matches List
Profile View
Profile View
Passengers pair their iPhone via Bluetooth, set up a profile with their name, seat number, and interests, then browse others on the same flight. A mutual swipe opens a private chat. The bottom nav (Discover · Matches · Profile) keeps navigation clear from any screen.
Solves the isolation of long flights in a voluntary, low-pressure way. No one is forced to participate.
The familiar swipe mechanic reduces the learning curve. If you've used any social app before, you already know how this works.
Seat numbers on every card make connections feel real and grounded. You know exactly where someone is sitting on your specific flight.
Bluetooth integration means no WiFi required. The app works in the air without relying on airline internet.
Accessibility decisions throughout: high contrast, large tappable buttons, labeled navigation icons, and shape redundancy on key actions so nothing relies on color alone.
Reflection
Figma is a real skill. Jumping in mid-project is humbling, but being forced to figure it out fast produced tangible growth between A3 and A4.
Watching someone use a prototype is different from looking at it. Seeing a classmate try 'Love Is In The Air' for the first time made the name problem obvious in seconds.
Feedback improved over the course of the project. By the end, critiques became pointed and actionable. Not 'I like this' but 'here's exactly what to change and why.'
Accessibility decisions make things better for everyone. Labeled nav icons, high contrast, and shape-redundant buttons aren't just edge case fixes. They're better design.
Interactive interest tag selection (toggleable, not static)
Notification system for new matches and messages
Dark mode support
Starting future projects with Figma prototyping before writing any code