AENA — Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea
UI design of a dual-app system for AENA's airport parking service — one for customers, one for valets — unified by a shared design system and atomic design methodology.
App splash — customer
Brand guidelines
Background
Yay! is AENA's airport parking app — designed to make the experience of parking at a Spanish airport effortless. The service operates with two distinct user groups: customers who book and manage their parking, and valets who handle the physical logistics.
"Both user groups have their dedicated applications. Each is identified by its colour, while the product maintains consistency through shared elements and a unified structure."
Key design decision
The project initially began with another agency proposing yellow as the primary colour. An accessibility audit showed it failed WCAG contrast standards for interactive elements. The decision was made to switch the primary colour to black — with yellow and orange retained as user identity and accent colours.
Initial proposal
Yellow as primary
Proposed by a previous agency. Used for all buttons, icons, and primary actions.
✗ Fails WCAG contrastFinal decision
Black as primary
Black for all interactive elements. Yellow and orange retained as user identity colours.
✓ Meets WCAG standardsCustomer app — full flow
The customer app covers the full parking journey — from onboarding and booking through payment, reservation management, and loyalty features. The atomic design approach ensured every screen was built from reusable components, keeping the UI consistent across 40+ screens.
Valet app — full flow
The valet app uses orange as its identity colour and is designed for operational speed — agents need to access information and take actions quickly. The same underlying design system ensures consistency with the customer app while adapting the UX for a completely different context of use.
Web version
In addition to both native apps, the project included web and responsive versions — delivered in a separate Sketch file with full handoff via Zeplin.
Key learnings
01
Accessibility over aesthetics — always
A colour that looks right isn't necessarily a colour that works. Running accessibility checks early avoids costly decisions downstream.
02
Navigation structure shapes visual design
Organising screens based on user flows first produces a more coherent and intuitive experience. Structure is design — and it shows in the experience.
03
A design system is a handoff tool
The Style Guide wasn't just for this project — it was built for the next designer. Methodically arranged components make future implementation faster.
04
Iterative decisions produce better outcomes
Being open to reassessing early choices — based on evidence — leads to a more refined and defensible result.
Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea
AENA is Spain's public business entity responsible for the management and operation of airports and air navigation services across the country. It oversees numerous airports ranging from major international hubs to regional facilities, and plays a significant role in promoting tourism and air connectivity in Spain.
