IRCTC - Login page Redesign

This case study focuses on analyzing and redesigning the IRCTC app onboarding experience for first-time users. As a new user attempting to book train tickets, I encountered confusion during the account creation process. The login screen presented a large amount of information but failed to clearly guide new users on how to create an account. 

• Understanding pain points 

• proposing solutions 

• Redesigning Log-in page 

• final thoughts 

*Click the logo to view the improved design

1.Understanding the problem or pain-point

Once, while trying to book train tickets, I used the IRCTC app for the first time. I was completely new to the platform and had not even created an account yet. Initially, I assumed the experience would be similar to other ticket booking apps, where signing up is quick and straightforward.

However, when I reached the login page, I felt confused and overwhelmed. The screen was filled with too much information, and at first glance, there was no clear option that indicated how to create a new account. I spent a few minutes scanning buttons and links, trying to figure out where to sign up.

After navigating through the page and clicking around, I eventually realised that the option labelled “Register User?” was actually meant for creating a new account. The wording felt unintuitive and far removed from what a first-time user would naturally look for, such as “Create Account” or “Sign Up.” That small moment of confusion made the onboarding experience more difficult than it needed to be.

Which you can see in the below image, circled in red

Another basic problem is the overall design is unstructured and confusing, which can be very frustrating when used. Thats why I thought of redesigning this particular page with basic understanding of design and principles.

User pain points:

1. Confusing Onboarding for New Users 

2. Unclear Terminology 

3. Poor Visual Hierarchy 

4. Accessibility Challenges 

5. Overall poor experience

2. Goals and Objectives 

• Improve usability

• Reduce friction

• Increase engagement

• Make layout cleaner

3. Redesigning Phase:

Before jumping into designing, I first wanted to understand what the real IRCTC login page already contains, or what can be considered its essentials.

The existing login page includes:

[Username and password input fields, Login button, Captcha display with an entry field, Back option and user guide link (placed at the very end of the screen), Agent Login using OTP option, Additional information related to other IRCTC apps.

All of these elements are essential and needed to be retained.

Since these components were mandatory, reviewing other travel and ticket booking apps was just as important. However, the key difference here is scale. Unlike most travel apps that target a specific user group, the IRCTC app is used by millions of citizens across India, covering:

• Different age groups

• Varying levels of digital literacy

• First time and frequent users

This made one thing very clear: the UI must remain simple, familiar, and basic.

Instead of changing features or functionality, I focused on rearranging the visual hierarchy.

The key hierarchy changes were:

• Moving the back option and user guide to the top of the page for better visibility

• Placing the login section toward the bottom of the screen for easier thumb reach

• Organizing additional informational content in the upper half of the page to reduce clutter around primary actions

One major pain point for new users was the wording “Register User”, which was not self explanatory and caused confusion about its purpose.

To address this, I: Added a clearly labeled “Register New User” button, used language that directly speaks to first time users, made the action more discoverable without forcing exploration

I intentionally did not change the overall theme of the page. Consistency across the app is important for a platform like IRCTC that users already trust. Instead of redesigning the visual style, improving clarity through hierarchy and placement was more impactful.

As a small enhancement, I also:

• Introduced more icons for better visibility of help and feature related actions

• Used icons only as support, not as replacements for text

The goal of this redesign was not to reinvent the interface, but to:

• Reduce confusion for new users

• Improve accessibility and ease of use

• Maintain familiarity for existing users

And the final look is:

4. Key Improvements:

• Clear visual hierarchy

• Primary CTA made more prominent

• Reduced clutter

• Improved readability

The final Thoughts (and what I learned)

The final design is much simpler and clearer, helping users feel more confident while navigating the login experience. This redesign pushed me to rethink my approach to design and taught me an important lesson: when you are designing for millions of users, clarity and accessibility matter more than complexity or visual flair.

While the design does address usability issues and improves the overall flow, I believe there is still room for deeper exploration. With more time, I would have conducted in depth user research and interviews to validate assumptions and uncover additional pain points. I also plan to redesign the entire app in the future to create a more cohesive and consistent experience across all screens.

That said, learning often begins with small, disciplined steps. This project helped me understand what to prioritize when working on large scale, real world products. Redesigning the IRCTC login page allowed me to take away valuable lessons about simplicity, hierarchy, and user trust, and it marks an important step in my growth as a designer.