Delta Pricing: Sapphire
Internal Revenue Management
& competitive analysis app
BALANCED TEAM: Project manager, UX Designer, Engineering
MY ROLES: Lead UX Designer, User Research
TOOLS: Figma, Miro, Co-Pilot
TIME: 2 Months
The problem
Delta’s revenue management teams are responsible for analyzing thousands of global markets and adjusting fares to remain competitive while maximizing profit. Before Sapphire, analysts relied on a fragmented ecosystem of legacy terminals, Excel spreadsheets, and outdated web portals.
Key challenges
Analysts were monitoring up to 50+ columns of data per market route.
The system only showed what had happened. Analysts had to manually hunt for competitor fare drops, costing hours of potential revenue.
Applying a new pricing strategy required analysts to copy data from a competitive analysis tool and paste it into a separate execution tool.
The objective
To design Sapphire, a centralized, automated web application that empowers analysts to perform rapid market analysis and apply custom fare strategies with surgical precision.
Research and discovery
I identified the mental shortcuts and workarounds analysts had built over the years of using legacy systems. This discovery wasn't just about identifying pain points but also uncovering the need for speed, ensuring that the resulting features would reduce mental strain rather than just adding more data.
Personas
Prioritization workshop
Empathy mapping
Contextual inquiries
To understand their environment. I conducted contextual inquiries, shadowing six analysts during their peak hours (8 AM – 11 AM).
Site map
Competitive analysis
Stakeholder interviews
Retail analyst
Strategy analyst
Carrier analyst
My design process
For a crucial enterprise tool like Sapphire, my design process isn't just about aesthetics; it’s about ensuring that complex data translates into actionable intelligence. I follow a four-phase framework adapted for Agile enterprise environments...Discover, Define, Design and Deliver.
User flow
Created a research plan
7 monitored interviews of flooring specialists
Synthesized interviews
Presented findings to partners/stakeholders
User interviews
The Sapphire identity
I proposed and designed a dedicated Sapphire logo. It was critical that the tool felt like a premium Delta product to foster internal pride and adoption.
Final design
The final design for Sapphire was governed by reducing complexity. My goal as a Senior UX Designer was to take a process that requires a PhD and a dozen spreadsheets and turn it into a workflow that feels as intuitive as checking the weather report.
The results
Delta analysts went from manual data processors to high-level strategists, achieving a 30% boost in overall productivity and reducing the time required for new analyst onboarding by nearly 50%. This shift allows them to move beyond manual fare entry to focus on complex events. Financially, this efficiency has enabled Delta to scale its dynamic pricing to 20% of domestic tickets, contributing to a reported 10-15% improvement in route profitability.
15 < 3min
Reduced the time
to identify and
execute a market
fare change
95%
Reduction of manual
data entry errors
18%
Sapphire’s alerts shifted
response time in hours
to minutes increasing
speed to market
30%
Boost in
analysts productivity
“In a post pandemic world where historical data is less reliable, Sapphire’s allows us to react to fuel spikes or competitor’s fares in hours, not weeks.”
Retail analyst
Associate’s feedback
“It’s a total game-changer for the 'sticker shock' conversation. In the past, customers thought we were just guessing at the numbers. It builds so much more trust right out of the gate.”
Carrier analyst
“Sapphire allows me to implement a 'Global Fare Rule' change across thousands of markets in minutes. It's a lever I can pull almost instantly.”
Strategy analyst
Key learnings
Sapphire is an analyst’s co-pilot. It has turned Delta’s Revenue Management department into a strategic war room where analysts spend their time thinking about market psychology and long-term trends rather than updating spreadsheets.
Opportunities
Seeing strategies side by side before committing.
Direct marketing integration on route promotions.
What worked well
Analysts actually trust the Sapphire. It provides a price range that feels aligned.
Analysts can approve a strategy and see it live on Delta.com within seconds.