Connor Boetig
Technology and Information Design student at the University of Maryland, graduating May 2027. I like designing things that actually make sense for the people using them.
Technology and Information Design student at the University of Maryland, graduating May 2027. I like designing things that actually make sense for the people using them.
Featured Project
A social connection app designed for the airplane seatback screen
UX Design · 2025
Context
The assignment was to redesign the airplane seatback screen so passengers could actually communicate with each other, and have it work with the iPhone. The whole thing that got me thinking was how isolating long flights are. You're sitting inches from strangers for hours and there's literally no chill way to talk to anyone. SeatMate turns the seatback screen into an optional social thing where you can find and chat with other people on your flight without it being weird.
Screen Size
The seatback screen is basically iPad sized but the app had to feel like it belonged on an iPhone, so I had to fit iPhone resolution inside that bigger form factor.
Connectivity
I couldn't assume there'd be WiFi on the plane so the app connects through Bluetooth instead. There's also a manual fallback if someone doesn't have their phone paired.
Participation
Totally opt in. You can go invisible whenever you want. Nobody should feel like they have to participate if they're not feeling it.
Process · Ideation
The Crazy 8s brainstorm got pretty out there. I had ideas like phones physically dropping from the seat above you, and a public group chat for the entire plane. Both got scrapped obviously. Way too impractical, way too chaotic. The idea that actually stuck was taking the swipe mechanic everyone already knows and applying it to the people on your flight. Simple, voluntary, low stakes.
Process · Iterations
A1 Paper Prototype
First paper prototype with just a swipe card, match popup, and chat screen. I originally called it "Love Is In The Air." Only 3 screens, one flow, no real navigation.
Feedback was to add more screens, flesh out the swipe card, and figure out navigation.
A2 Mid-Fi Paper Prototype
Renamed it to SeatMate. Added a bottom nav bar with icons and labels. Made the swipe card show age, interests, and seat number. Got rid of the hand drawn keyboard in the chat screen since people would obviously just use their phone's keyboard.
Feedback was that the concept was coming through better but it needed more airplane theming and the navigation still needed work.
A3 First Figma Prototype
First time using Figma and honestly it was rough. I built 4 screens for Welcome/Onboarding, Discover, Matches list, and Profile. The execution was messy but all the core flows were actually wired up and working.
Feedback was to add airplane theming, clean up the UI, make the match popup better, and add a Bluetooth onboarding flow.
Process · Decisions
Renaming the app
"Love Is In The Air" was a funny name but super confusing. When I watched someone actually try to use the prototype it was immediately obvious the name wasn't getting the point across. SeatMate just makes more sense. It's direct, memorable, and you instantly know what the app does.
Labeling nav icons
Icons by themselves just aren't clear enough. Not everyone knows what a random silhouette icon means. Putting text labels under each nav icon made the whole app way more usable for everyone, not just people who already know app conventions.
Seat number on swipe cards
Putting the seat number on each person's card makes it feel so much more real. You're not just swiping on random people from who knows where. You can see exactly where they're sitting on your actual flight.
Final Outcome
The final prototype pulled together everything I learned across three rounds of iteration. It's got a clean Bluetooth onboarding flow, swipe based passenger discovery, private in seat messaging, and an airplane themed look throughout. You can always go invisible if you're not in the mood.
Bluetooth Onboarding
Profile Setup
Discover / Swipe
It's a Match!
Chat
Landing Page
You pair your iPhone over Bluetooth, set up a quick profile with your name, seat number, and interests, then browse other people on your flight. If you both swipe on each other it opens a private chat. The bottom nav has Discover, Matches, and Profile so you always know where you are.
It tackles the whole isolation problem on long flights but in a chill, no pressure way. Nobody is forced to participate.
The swipe thing means there's basically no learning curve. If you've ever used a social app before you already know how it works.
Seat numbers on every card make it feel grounded and real. You know exactly where someone is sitting on your actual flight.
Bluetooth means no WiFi needed. The app just works in the air without depending on airline internet.
I thought about accessibility the whole time. High contrast, big tappable buttons, labeled nav icons, and shapes that don't rely on color alone.
Reflection
Figma is a legit skill on its own. Jumping in mid project was humbling but being forced to figure it out fast meant I actually grew a ton between A3 and A4.
Watching someone use your prototype is completely different from just looking at it yourself. When a classmate tried "Love Is In The Air" for the first time the name problem was obvious within seconds.
The feedback I got actually improved as the project went on. By the end people were giving really specific and actionable critiques instead of just saying "looks good."
Accessibility stuff makes things better for literally everyone. Labeled nav icons, high contrast, shape redundant buttons. These aren't edge case fixes, they're just better design.
Making the interest tags interactive so you can toggle them on and off instead of them being static
Some kind of notification system for new matches and messages
Dark mode because why not
Starting future projects in Figma first before writing any code