CLEAR+ Live Activity
Persistently displayed travel information using Live Activities.
Context
Airports are one of the most stressful environments travelers navigate — tight timing, unfamiliar terminals, and constant uncertainty about "am I going to make it." Ahead of a flight, the CLEAR Live Activity surfaces directly on a member's iPhone Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, so they always know what to do next without opening the app.
Problem
Travelers heading to the airport are juggling boarding passes, gate changes, and mental math about timing — often while distracted, in a car or on transit. CLEAR had no presence in that pre-flight moment, even though it's exactly when a traveler could use a calm, reliable nudge. That gap was largest for moderate or infrequent flyers who don't have their airport routine memorized.
Role & Approach
I researched Apple's Human Interface Guidelines and Live Activity case studies from other teams to understand how much information travelers can actually absorb in a glanceable, ambient format — then designed around a simple question: what does a member need to know right now, and nothing more?
Process
I prototyped states across the pre-flight journey — from an initial "When to Leave" prompt through step-by-step terminal navigation once the member arrives — testing how much detail could live in a Dynamic Island glance versus a full Lock Screen view. Early concepts displayed live CLEAR Lane wait times, but we couldn't guarantee up-to-the-minute accuracy, so I redesigned the experience around what we could promise travelers reliably: clear timing and clear direction.
User Journey
Ahead of a flight, a member's Live Activity activates automatically on their iPhone. First, a "When to Leave" countdown tells them exactly how much time they have before they should head out. Once they're moving, the activity shifts to turn-by-turn terminal guidance with imagery of upcoming landmarks — so a traveler glancing at their lock screen mid-walk always knows their next turn, without opening the app.
Constraints
Real-time CLEAR Lane wait times looked like the obvious hero feature, but accuracy couldn't be guaranteed at the granularity travelers would need to trust it. Rather than ship something unreliable, we scoped the experience to two things we could deliver with confidence: when to leave, and how to get there.
Before / After
Before: travelers had no ongoing signal from CLEAR ahead of a flight, relying on their own timing instincts and re-checking apps for gate and terminal info. After: a single glanceable Live Activity carries them from "When to Leave" through the last terminal turn — cutting confusion at busy checkpoints and reducing related support contacts by 30%.
Summary
The Live Activity gave CLEAR+ Members a reason to rely on CLEAR before they even reached the airport — turning pre-flight travel from a string of anxious app checks into a calm, ambient guide that just works in the background. It closed a real gap in member value between enrollment and travel day, and did it by focusing on the two things travelers actually need under time pressure: clarity on timing, and clarity on direction.
Next Steps
Live and iterating. Next up: an AI-generated summary for faster at-a-glance guidance, expanded coverage to more airports, and exploring predictive "When to Leave" timing based on live TSA and security line data as accuracy improves.