PIT+
A digital ecosystem for the future of air travel. Skip the security line, navigate the airport and plan the steps of your trip. Choose between app-based and SMS/MMS systems.
A digital ecosystem for the future of air travel. Skip the security line, navigate the airport and plan the steps of your trip. Choose between app-based and SMS/MMS systems.
Airport Product System
January-August 2020
UX Design Lead
Figma • Sketch • Illustrator • Miro • Usertesting.com
Air travel involves a lot of waiting—at check-in, at security, at the gate, and at several points in between. Inconsistent and unpredictable waits can lead to anxiety, boredom and even missed flights.
Pittsburgh International Airport tasked our team with creating a system to improve the queueing and waiting experience for their passengers. Our solution combines a dynamic itinerary with a novel virtual queue to help travelers plan and streamline their trip, through an updated PIT app or a chat-based system that doesn’t require a download.
I worked with a team of graduate students with diverse skillsets, consisting of a developer, two user researchers, a technologist, a UX designer (myself) and a project manager.
Each of us contributed to the full user-centered design process, from research and strategy to testing and recommendations. I focused on prototyping and interaction design, including conceptual “pretotypes”, wireframes, low- and high-fidelity iterations, conversational flows, and the look and feel of final screens and cards.
Add and modify tasks in a dynamic itinerary that takes the guesswork out of your airport visit
Breeze through security with Quickline reservations—arrive during your time window and enter an express queue
Accomplish key airport tasks including flight info, Quickline and airport navigation through a lightweight messaging system—no app required
In light of changes in national air traffic patterns and an upcoming terminal redesign, Pittsburgh International Airport is interested in streamlining and improving the overall passenger journey, with an emphasis on the known air travel pain points surrounding line waits. In addition to improving passenger experience and flow, airport leadership is seeking opportunities to drive non-aeronautical revenue (parking, concessions, etc.).
How can we improve the queueing and waiting experience at Pittsburgh International Airport?
Secondary research, interviews and shadowing, affinity diagramming
Conceptual modeling, storyboards and speed dating, feature prioritization
Airport simulation, card and app prototyping and iteration
Design system, final screens and feature details.
Our team conducted more than 40 semi-structured interviews with a variety of travelers to understand air travel strategies and pain points.
We also shadowed classmates and instructors on airport trips—as well as equipping volunteers with cameras—to observe behaviors and travel times. Our team synthesized findings in subsequent interpretation sessions.
Early in the project, we met with our airport partners for a series of design exercises.
The goal of these activities was to create an accurate model of stakeholder groups, understand the constraints and resources of the airport, and learn about the current state of the passenger experience.
To understand best practices in queueing and waiting, our team visited and conducted contextual inquiries in spaces with consistent lines.
Aside from grocery and retail environments, we visited Walt Disney World to analyze digital queueing systems as well as physical queues.
Synthesized findings from primary research activities were organized and grouped to identify larger themes.
Travelers feel anxious because of uncertainty about catching their flight, especially when they don’t know how long security will take
Travelers have a lot to keep track of at the airport—systems that streamline decision-making can free up their mental capacity for important tasks
A traveler's trip doesn’t begin at the airport—it starts at home, where the user works backwards, calculates and plans for their upcoming journey.
To understand the basic problems and sentiments involved in waiting systems, we designed a simple experiment involving "buzzers" (stopwatches).
Participants were offered several waiting options, and their feelings were recorded in an exit survey.
By breaking the air travel journey into discrete stages in a customer journey map with associated tech touchpoints, pain points and opportunities, our team was able to pinpoint the most valuable points for interventions.
Above, two broad concepts are charted, overlapping during the TSA wait.
Armed with research on airport pain points and passenger sentiment, our team created more than 20 storyboards depicting broad solutions.
Participants were talked through each scenario and their thoughts and reactions were recorded.
Participants' responses to storyboard speed dating were coded and analyzed. Four broad concepts were identified as candidates for further exploration.
Remotely reserve a security time slot ahead of your arrival, and skip the main line
Receive updates in-queue to better understand how much time you have at the airport
Get options to bypass the line when systems detect you're late—one-time passes, rebooking, etc.
Interact with systems or characters that offer engagement to reduce perceived wait time
Our campus office closed midway through the project due to the novel coronavirus, and our team scattered across the globe. We continued the project using remote tools.
We sought to create innovative new methods for conducting research and testing from a distance. Our team conducted standups and strategy sessions primarily via Zoom and Miro.
We simulated airport experiences in Figma and via Wizard-of-Oz methods, then tested concept solutions via Zoom and Usertesting.com.
Without direct access to PIT (due to CoViD-19 regulations) we created a variety of simulated environments to help us test solutions in situ.
Early simulations functioned as beefed-up storyboards, communicating the steps and actions of an airport visit
Figma-based walkthroughs used PIT photography to simulate presence and allowed for user-directed action
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For the most freedom in decision-making, we created a simplified virtual airport to see how users would plan and allocate time
We used a 'Wizard of Oz' method to simulate a chat service that provides airport info via SMS/MMS image cards. Selected findings below.
I created this conversation flow model to underpin the chatbot system. The image cards pictured served as prototypes for serving users visual info.
Confirmed line information, maps and dining options as the core functions most important in a quick-access chat system
Use images to communicate visual information or options meant to be viewed in parallel—reserve native SMS text for linear information
Leverage familiar UX patterns from existing systems ('STOP', emoji, bolding) to help users navigate the interactions
We used a 'Wizard of Oz' method to simulate a chat service that provides airport info via SMS/MMS image cards. Selected findings below.
Different users prefer different levels of granularity in their flight information
Users want line and waiting info at-a-glance on the home screen, as well as quick access to services like parking reservation
Some users need extra information and explanation about the Quickline reservation system
I devised the design system as an update to the existing PIT app’s look and feel. Adjustable panes allow for flexible modules on the home and itinerary screens.
A bright blue is used for CTAs and active elements, while a gradient is reserved for Quickline booking and related actions.
We presented our findings and proposed solution to representatives from PIT in late July 2020, along with an in-depth report detailing the thinking behind our design.
The airport will consider the PIT+ system as they move to improve their digital offerings and complete the Terminal Modernization Project.
