Designing Happy Flows

In the ‘Designing Happy Flows’ project a vision is being developed on how new security technology can be applied to optimize passenger flows, especially from the perspective of the passengers’ experiences.

In phase 1 of the project, TU Delft (Industrial Design) researchers Emma Gohres, Marco Rozendaal and Arnold Vermeeren together with their team conducted contextmapping sessions and did observations on flow of passengers, as well as on how they dealt with current equipment. One of the main results of phase 1 was an initial, written vision statement.

In phase 2 they did more detailed observational studies on usability and passenger flow, assessed passenger experiences using an approach based on tentative value maps, interviewed staff members at the airport and studied passenger values in more detail using a newly developed picture card method. In this phase they also developed initial (physical) models of what the embodiment of the new vision could look like for various passenger groups. Key outcomes of phase 2 were the key values that should form the basis for the vision to be developed, as well as a set of design recommendations for the short term (i.e., for Aruba Airport and for Schiphol Airport) and longer term (airports in general).

In phase 3 this will converge into a passenger journey vision for 2020, setting a standard for passenger experiences. This will be combined with a roadmap towards implementing that vision, as well as with a tool for assessing with passengers and staff whether an embodied proposal of the vision is in line with the identified key passenger values