Expanding Horizons

Discovery and Research

What's all this?

Before anything else I had to decipher the information on a physical boarding pass. This helped to identify what is specific information to users, to airport staff, and used by both parties.

3 Areas of Focus

Based on all this initial research, I decided to focus my project on a few key areas:

• eliminate the need for downloading a separate app for every airline a passenger uses
• redesign the physical boarding pass to be easier to read and harder to lose
• decrease the chaos that comes along when traveling in groups or with children

Looking to best practices

After researching some best practices of different artifacts that might be helpful for my problem, I came across the idea of patient ID bands.

Benefits of Patient ID Bands

• Lot of information
• Compact
• Always with patient
• Eliminates errors
• Waterproof and durable

Prototyping and Testing

I created a user-flow of the journey through the airport with this new solution. This allowed me to determine what should be on the wristband, what should be on the mobile pass, how the two versions connect, and what other touch points might be included in the journey.

My first round of prototypes was sketches of the mobile counterpart to the wristband physical pass. I created a very rough mockup of what the physical pass would look like and started to figure out how I would lay out information on the band.

Let's test it.

I then tested my most recent prototypes by using the I like, I wish, what if method. I had another frequent flyer look at both versions of my prototypes and give his feedback within this structure.

Solution

All at your wrist

The new printed boarding pass is a wrist band that's easy to put on. Each flyer would recieve their own band with their flight information on it. All flight information is fit clearly on the band, and users can scan the QR codes with their phone at any time if they wish to switch to a mobile pass.

Because this is a new system of boarding passes, having directions during the check-in process is essential.

After users have completed their trip, band shredders securely recycle wristbands to reduce waste and prevent information theft of passengers.

Aligned with the digital.

Kiosks throughout the airport can be used to find a gate or other loactions such as bathrooms. Limiting the amount of face to face contact with employees through this kiosk self-help system is helpful in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mobile option for a boarding pass also contains a QR code that can be scanned at any kiosk. The mobile pass has the ability to hold all of a groups passes in one area, and option to save the passes to the user's camera roll or apple wallet (if applicable).

How does this benefit users?

• No worries about losing pass
• Information needed to get to get is in the palm of your hand
• Can clearly read information on pass
• Easy family/group travel
• If child is lost, airport staff can scan their band and locate their family
• QR codes eliminate the need for a million different airline apps