April Showers leads the User Experience Team at United Airlines. Hired originally by Continental Airlines as a designer, April spearheaded the User Experience practice there and five years ago, had the opportunity to re-build the team from scratch.
After the 2010 merger between United and Continental, April took over a blended team of designers, researchers, and content strategists. Now 30+ strong, April is building new design practices that will serve United’s digital experience well into the future.
When April isn’t flying from Houston to Chicago (on United Airlines, of course), you can find her welding, glassblowing or playing with her bestest buddy (an 8-year-old that always helps her disconnect).
Slides were not used in April’s talk.
Designing the Plane in Mid-flight
Last year, Continental Airlines and United Airlines merged to become one of the world’s biggest air carriers. The merger’s impact touches every aspect of the organization. From the Mileage Plus program to the coffee served on each airplane, the scale of change is almost unfathomable.
In times of great upheaval, though, there is great opportunity. From Houston to Chicago, members of the new United User Experience Team are learning to work together. They come from different corporate cultures, different companies, and different parts of the country. Under the leadership of April Showers, the UX team is re-imagining the United digital experience.
In this conversation with Sarah B. Nelson, April will discuss what building a creative team takes within an ever-changing environment.