Modernizing a Legacy POS
Before and After:
I helped modernize a decades-old point-of-sale platform. What began as a dense, legacy GDS interface evolved into a modern, cloud-based, design-system-driven experience.
Context
Airline reservations began as a manual, paper-based process. In 1964, IBM’s terminals revolutionized the industry, and within a decade, computerized systems reshaped travel retailing. Yet while the back end evolved from mainframes to cloud, the front-end “green screen” interface from the 1960s endured—leaving B2B travel retailing decades behind modern consumer tools.
Above: Focal Point and Smartpoint terminals
Reframing Modernization
I approached modernization as evolution rather than replacement. This shift helped us overcome resistance from long-time system users and helped unite product, engineering, and commercial teams around a shared vision.
This collaborative, research-driven process led to a global retailing platform powered by design systems, data, and unified workflows; and demonstrates how strategic UX can turn adoption barriers into lasting business impact.
Strategic Impact
The modernization of Smartpoint went far beyond a UI overhaul. It represented a strategic simplification of Travelport’s technology landscape:
Retired 2 of 3 legacy GDS cores, inherited through acquisitions, reducing redundancy and maintenance overhead.
Unified operations into a single, scalable retailing platform as part of the Travelport+ transformation.
Reduced infrastructure and operational costs, while increasing agility for future innovation.
Enabled agencies and Travelport alike to evolve faster, adapt to NDC, and deliver richer, more modern retail experiences.
