Any company with a mobile interest is creating new customer experiences faster than you can say “iPhone.” An interesting one is American Airlines’ mobile boarding pass.  In this experience, innovative mobile bar codes allow customers to check in board using their only phones—no paper needed.

An example of a mobile barcode

Kudos to American Airlines for trying to take the mobile experience to the next level. This approach sounds excellent in theory and, indeed, mobile bar codes have tremendous potential across many industries, including travel. But using a new technology does not replace the need to plan and design the user / customer experience appropriately.  As this UX review from Data Collection Online suggests, the American Airlines experience has many kinks to work out.  Perhaps the most important kinks are

• Not clearly setting customers’ expectations.
  If the customer does not have the right type of phone, you need to tell the customer up front.
• Having too many steps, clicks, and downloads in the process.
  When paper starts to seem much more desirable than the mobile process, something is wrong.  The experience needs to be quick and seamless.

Working out these kinks is very possible.  I wish American Airlines good luck in refining their innovative mobile experience into a winning one.

The American Airlines mobile boarding pass