Alaska Airlines’ Digital Transformation

Building Trust, Scaling Systems, Amplifying Storytelling

Role & Scope

SENIOR UI DESIGNER / 2019

UI Design: Refreshed visual identity across key product surfaces
Set Standards: Defined experience standards to align product teams

PRINCIPAL, SYSTEMS / 2020

Built Design System: Developed and maintained a unified component library.
Defined Patterns: Established reusable solutions for consistent UX.

MANAGER, UX / 2021

Creative Direction: Drove creative strategy for new features and markets.
Expanded Team: Hired and mentored designers to support platform growth

1 The Opportunity

Alaska Airlines had just wrapped a successful acquisition of Virgin America and was gaining real momentum as a brand. The marketing team had already raised the bar, carving out a voice and identity that felt fresh, modern, and distinctly Alaska. But the digital side told a different story. The website, app, and internal tools were dated, inconsistent, and disconnected from the brand travelers had come to love. Teams were doing good work, but they were doing it in silos. There wasn’t a clear throughline or a system to tie it all together. As Alaska positioned itself for national growth and stepped into a more global role, the gap between ambition and execution became harder to ignore. My role evolved quickly. I became a connector, working across design, engineering, and marketing to align direction, build trust, and lay the groundwork for something more unified. That foundation set the stage for the systems that followed.

Bridging Brand &
Digital Experiences

2 The Solution

Building a System from Scratch to Align Brand, Product, and People

Crafting Auro Design System
Modernizing Core Travel Flows
Leading Through Uncertainty
Expansion + Integration

2.1 The Solution

Crafting Auro Design System

As part of a focused tiger team of three senior UI designers, a principal technologist, and a small engineering group, I helped build Auro, Alaska Airlines’ first unified design system. In just four weeks, we created the foundation for a system that brought consistency to a fragmented digital landscape and supported the company’s shift toward a modern, scalable platform. We developed a core component library, token structure, accessibility standards, and usage guidelines to support adoption across teams. Just as important, we defined a design philosophy that captured Alaska’s brand personality and could adapt to a wide range of use cases.

My focus was on translating Alaska’s strong physical brand into a cohesive digital system. I drew from billboards, TV ads, inflight placards, uniforms, and aircraft livery to inform choices around color, layout, and tone. These elements shaped a visual and interaction language that felt familiar, trustworthy, and true to Alaska’s identity.

We also designed a governance model that allowed the system to grow beyond our sprint. This structure made it easier for teams to contribute and helped ensure the system stayed consistent as it scaled.

Auro became more than a set of components. It gave teams a common foundation, accelerated execution, and helped bring clarity and unity across everything from booking and check-in to internal tools and partner integrations.

2.2 The Solution

Modernizing Core Travel Flows

The transformation wasn’t limited to one product surface. I helped to overhaul critical journeys across the entire digital experience, bringing consistency, clarity, and ease to the flows customers relied on most.

From search and booking to check-in, account management, and day-of-travel tools, my team and reshaped the way customers experienced Alaska online. We introduced smarter architecture, simplified interactions, and aligned visual language across:

Search and booking
Check-in and mobile boarding
Deals and offers
Flight status and route maps
Mileage Plan accounts and sign-in flows

These updates were part of a broader effort to modernize how the airline shows up across platforms. Each flow we touched became an opportunity to align with brand, scale patterns through our system, and deliver on Alaska’s promise of simplicity and care.

Product Principles

JOY
Infuse surprise and delight into every step of the digital guest journey.

EMPATHY
Anticipate guest needs and deliver timely, relevant solutions and information.

EASE
Streamline the guest experience by reducing complexity and eliminating friction.

The system and integration into core flows set a foundation that expanded how Alaska’s brand could show up in both digital and marketing spaces. Auro became the connective tissue that allowed design to scale with confidence, especially during high-stakes moments like COVID response and Alaska’a forthcoming alliance integration and global expansion.

2.3 The Solution

Leading Through Uncertainty

Design became mission-critical during the pandemic. Customers needed real-time updates, clear policies, and a sense of calm.

We launched a redesigned homepage focused on support and rebooking, streamlined health messaging, and reworked the app to guide travelers through new requirements. These efforts helped Alaska return to pre-COVID passenger levels by summer 2022, well ahead of most major airlines.

2.4 The Solution

Expansion + Integration

As Alaska prepared to join the Oneworld alliance, I was asked to lead the design effort across the company. My role spanned both digital and brand, coordinating the UX integration across platforms while guiding how Alaska would present itself as a new global player.

This work came out of the trust built through earlier efforts aligning product design and marketing. I had helped close the long-standing gap between brand and UX, and that momentum set the stage for a more unified approach. For the Oneworld rollout, I translated new brand guidelines across Alaska's digital surfaces and extended that system into physical expressions including livery design, airport signage, inflight materials, and boarding passes.

On the product side, we redesigned key flows to support alliance features. Customers could now search, book, and redeem with partner airlines directly through Alaska’s experience. We built co-branded UI components, introduced new tier logic for loyalty programs, and expanded booking and codeshare capabilities in ways that felt clear and native to our platform.

Altogether, we integrated 225 new routes and delivered a cohesive experience that reinforced Alaska’s transition from a regional airline to one with a credible global presence.

Connecting the Dots at 30,000 Feet

3 The Impact

My time at Alaska Airlines was defined by close collaboration across design, engineering, and marketing. I helped lead that effort by setting the vision, aligning teams, and building the systems that held it all together. From rethinking key flows to rolling out a scalable design system, my role helped lay the foundation for long-term growth across both digital and brand. The outcomes speak for themselves:

CONVERSION

198% increase in merchandising conversion with redesigned booking flow

PROFIT

$194 million in net profit generated through improvements to the purchase experience

GROWTH

225 new routes added through seamless codeshare and alliance integration

TRAFFIC

Passenger volumes returned to pre-COVID levels 18 months ahead of industry peers

EFFICENCY

Design system adopted across internal and consumer platforms, enabling faster, more consistent execution

STRATEGIC POSITION

Design elevated to a strategic function, earning long-term trust from executives and cross-functional partners

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Background & Experience

Blending vision, execution, and team growth to align direction, process, and people.

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