Thanks to the rise of affordable sensor technology and digital twins, airports have many ways of leveraging tech to improve operational efficiency and situational awareness. Where does that leave passengers?
After a lengthy digital twin pilot project for Vancouver International Airport, we turned our attention to the more human side of travel: the passenger experience. Plenty of tools exist to streamline airport ops, and the idea of applying those design principles to the traveller’s journey was a natural (and novel) progression.
Base Premise
Air travel for passengers is a maelstrom of chaotic scheduling, unpredictable variables and guesswork. What if we designed an app that could use available data to generate a carefully-timed, stress-free airport experience?
This is PAX
Whenever you have to fly, PAX can plan your journey through the airport using information you provide in advance:
- It uses your travel plans, personal data, preferences and to-do list to generate a pre-travel itinerary (PTI) to guide your movements prior to boarding
- It knows your local airport layout and the locations of the key points—and choke points—in your PTI
- Using airport ops sensor data it knows how many other travellers are in the airport, and where they are, so it can better manage traffic and timing
- It surfaces promotional info to generate support for airport restaurants and businesses
- It provides compelling incentives to fully explore the airport and take advantage of available services
- It uses augmented reality to provide directional guidance and cleverly integrate ads into the environment
Process
Conversation – ideation – concept art – wireframing – design
Jump to: The messy work / the clean work
