WHAT ARE THE AIRPORTS LARGEST STRESSORS?

Preliminary qualitative research approach

To better understand the user's experience and emotions at the airport, I conducted general qualitative research coupled with primary source material.

First, I conducted a screener survey to prepare for user interviews and to get an idea of what pain points travelers may have at the airport. The screener survey was made in tandem with a collection of primary source material and studies conducted by the FAA and TSA, as well as other peer-reviewed journals.

User interviewees were selected through these criteria:

• Have flown within the last year

• Have flown more than once within the last year

• Travel for both work and recreation (preferred, not required)

• Have access to and use a smartphone

Discovering the How Might We’s

After vetting 5 individuals from the screener survey and armed with a better idea of what users are feeling during their time at the airport, I conducted 5 user interviews.

Questions asked during the interviews included:

• Tell me about a positive airport experience that sticks out in your memory?

• You’ve just arrived at the airport. What is your routine and next steps?

• Have you used any products like CLEAR or TSA PreCheck? Why or why not?

After coding the interviews through thematic analysis, I gleaned 4 key takeaways from my interviews.

1. Traveler’s stress comes from a lack of control.

2. Efficiency helps eliminate stress.

3. Travelers want more personal space.

4. Airports that reflect the parent city feel more ‘natural’ and inviting.

“The inconsistency of TSA Security creates an uncomfortable feeling that everything is out of my control no matter how much I prepare beforehand.”

Two interviewees referenced their most positive airport experience occurred in very busy airports that were easy to navigate and efficient.

“I hate the Dallas/Fort Worth airport. There’s terrible signage, no indication where to go. People are walking everywhere, into you. It feels really claustrophobic.”

“The Phoenix airport is my favorite, mostly for the food options. I really like how they offer local restaurants and you can get a taste of Phoenix without actually going in. It helps the trip not feel so stale.”

After analyzing my user interviews and defining the 4 key takeaways, I could begin creating my solution.

The big question I wanted to solve was:

DESIGN TOOLS - user journey maps, sketches and personas

Creating a journey

While brainstorming what feather could offer, journey’s like this one helped shape feather into what it is today.

NOTE: navigating the aerospace industry from a design perspective creates unique challenges. TSA, the FAA and other organizations make creating new products and experiences difficult. Many parts of feather are fictional and are most likely impossible with current protocol.

Persona example:

WHAT EXACTLY IS FEATHER?

Traversing the airport experience space is complicated, and it wasn’t until later in the project that I could really nail down what feather could offer. Every design choice was focused around addressing the How Might We’s defined earlier, and the best solution was a physical experience accompanied by a companion app.

SpeedCheck Baggage -

A new fast and effective security system.

Upon arrival at the airport, users have their baggage scanned and tagged with a QR code that is linked to the users app. The baggage is then taken straight to the users’ gate, freeing the user of having to juggle baggage while navigating security. Feather could also partner with programs like CLEAR to make the process even faster.

Shared traveler capabilities -

Help fight travel anxieties with friends, family

Many people with travel anxieties feel more comfortable with someone they trust at their side. With Feather, users can enjoy the same benefits with a friend.

Lounges, unlocked -

Feather users have access to participating lounges

User’s wished for more personal space. While this is difficult to accomplish without expensive architectural changes, the space available can be better utilized. Feather partners with credit card companies and travel agencies for users to have access to lounges.

Valet -

Door to door service in your own vehicle

Getting to the airport is a stressful part of the airport experience. With the valet feature, travelers arrive at their terminal and leave their car with feather to park their vehicle in a participating or designated parking area. Upon return, users will find their car waiting for them at the curb.

Companion App -

Stay updated, informed and in charge through the app

Lastly, every feather user has access to the mobile application. The app works as the key to unlock all of feather - your boarding pass, maps, notifications, account management, news updates and more can all be found on the app. It is the ultimate attempt to help users feel in control.

DESIGNING THE MOBILE APP

After looking at competitors like Delta’s mobile app and brainstorming user journeys, I started sketching pages for the digital part of feather - the companion app.

Map feature on the Delta App

Example of a notification using Poppi

Sketches and user journeys were created in tandem; I wanted to make sure every situation was covered by what feather could offer through the app.

From paper to screen - Low Fidelity mockups + testing

High fidelity drafts and changes

First branding decisions were made to achieve a ‘vintage’ travel feel with modern hospitality. I thought elements like a darker, comfortable color palette and serif font would reflect that feel for the user, but I eventually changed some design elements to feel more modern. Even the name changed from Aperta, which is Latin for ‘open’ and ‘openness’, to feather.

My high fidelity designs underwent significant change partway through. The original design felt too dated and ‘vintage’. I wanted feather to look and feel modern, while offering a ‘retro’ homelike feel.

To accomplish this, I used an updated, modern color palette, icons and font that reflected feather’s progressive brand while continuing to offer vintage hospitality.

Examples can be seen through the progress of the dashboard:

Second iterations of high-fidelity screens:

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE: The heart of feather design

Ultimately, feather is a product to help users process, organize and navigate their airport experience and all of the information that that entails. Testing to see how helpful feather was in accomplishing that was most important. After high fidelity designs were completed, I started conducting user interviews with two sets of 5 individuals for a total of 10.

Testing included prompts like:

• You’ve just passed through security and realize you’ve left your cash in your bag. What is your next step?

• Please tell me how many feather points you’ve accumulated.

• You need to update your billing information. Please tell me your process.

Second iteration pain points -

Other addressed pain points -

PROBLEM:

A text-heavy ABOUT FEATHER page made digesting information overwhelming.

SOLUTION:

Added spacing and increase copy size; adjust ‘learn more’ button at the bottom of the page.

PROBLEM:

Users had trouble understanding what exactly feather could offer and were uncomfortable at the purchase point.

SOLUTION:

Edit copy, limit text and add interactive icons for users to learn more about specific elements they may have questions about.

REFLECTION + CONCLUSION

While I am pleased with the features of the app, I feel like more testing could flush out any last hiccups. I am happy with how far the design has come, but I know there is always room for improvement for the user’s experience. 

It was important to me that my solution be contextualized through the eyes of someone with travel anxiety. I think that really helped shape what I wanted to see in feather - creating a fun experience is one thing, but making an inviting adventure for users who are normally averse to such experiences is another hurdle altogether. Everything feather offers has a specific goal in tackling one or more of the 4 takeaways travelers mentioned in my user interviews.

Interactive Prototype:

My solution, feather, is both a digital and physical experience for users that helps lessen stressors and increases passenger efficiency.

Testing and revised iterations - User interviews and final changes

Duration: 2 months

Role: Solo designer and researcher

Skills + Tools:

• Primary source analysis

• User interviews

• Qualitative analysis

• Sketching

• Adobe XD

• Prototyping

Original ‘Add Traveler’ red route

The ‘Add Traveler’ flow was an important aspect of feather in its attempt to mitigate flight anxiety by allowing users to bring a friend or loved one on their trip. However, during initial guerilla testing it became clear that it was a useful feature, though not the main feature feather could offer.

The original color palette. Most of these elements were later scrapped in the final iterations.

Visual inspiration was taken from elements like these as well as pop culture like Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Hi-fidelity, first iterations -

Many design elements were altered after this first iteration including:

• Name - feather

• Dashboard layout

• Blue as background color

• Serif font

• Dated icons

THE FEATHER EXPERIENCE

Users are introduced to feather through participating airline partners while purchasing their tickets. Most first-time users will be introduced to feather while purchasing airline tickets.

Users select which tier of service they would like, with three options to select from.

• Condor - the premium tier. Speedcheck, valet, lounge access and a shared traveler are all included as well as other perks

• Raven - cheaper than Condor, Raven still offers a high-class experience without the valet experience

• Sparrow - for the thrift traveler who just wants a better, modern travel day

After arriving at the airport, feather keeps travelers fully up-to date with a cycling banner containing key information. Users can monitor each chapter of their journey including making adjustments to their tier or itinerary. Feather aims to keep the user empowered and informed, which starts with this dashboard.

The feather app also contains an informative ‘News’ page with pertinent information to the user’s flight. Feather was designed during COVID-19, and this page provides key information on safety updates, international news and more that the user would need to be aware of.

Navigating a new airport can be a stressor for travelers. Feather’s map feature provides useful information on gate status, as well as estimated walk times to points of interest and restaurants. Users can even put together a travel plan through the map feature to make sure they have enough time to shop, eat and relax before their flight.

The boarding pass is always available for easy access to users. As boarding passes continue the transition from paper to digital, feather embraces the ease of use and access with a button at the top of most screens.