More research methods:
1)
Reading books about design methods and keep
updated with latest magazines, newspapers, documentaries, online sources and
news about passengers' experience, airport and technology.
2)
Research on other design fields such as
architecture, interior architecture, interior design, etc, understand how
airport designers and managers would think, act, react and their dreams &
visions, how they would relate with industrial design studies.
3)
Study on concepts to manufacturing examples,
international standards of manufacturing, rules and regulations of airport
(especially on safety and security), make contact with researches or academics
for interviews, attend airport related galleries, exhibitions, seminars, talks,
etc.
4)
Identifying all strengths and weaknesses of
airport designs, airport management, service system, airlines, manufacturers,
government agencies, consultants, design agencies, etc. Make contact with them.
5)
Understand people’s diverse cultures, psychology,
feelings, interactions, activities, hopes and perceptions.
6)
Research on every category: Airline, aircraft
& service, self-service, baggage, facilitation & security, mobile &
technology, boarding & gates, immigration, arrivals, initiatives &
standards, technology & systems, etc
7) Be open-minded.
Clement Yoong
(3361808)
Introduction
The issue that I would like to address is airport experience, security
and safety. The aim of airport security is to take proactive measures in order
to protect passengers from every form of threat. In many countries, passengers undergo
heightened security procedures. These security procedures are important in
terms of their convenience. However, the experience of going through airport
security has become time consuming, annoying, sometimes arbitrary, and often
inconsistent experience.
In Australia, Sydney’s airport caters for most of
Australia’s air travel, both domestic and international. The airport is
currently coping with about 36 million passenger movements and 320,000 aircraft
movements annually. Sydney Airport is particularly critical to the facilitation
of international travel, with around 40% of international travellers arriving
at or departing from Sydney Airport. By 2035, the airport needs to be able to
cope with 80 million passenger movements (double the current number) and nearly
430,000 aircraft movements (an increase of 50%) per year. Based on the
statistics, this shows that Sydney airport and others from around the world are
getting more congested which causes crowding, delays and traffic problems.
Health of passengers and cleanliness of the airport will also be affected as
well. All these factors will affect the efficiency of airports, businesses,
security, safety of people and goods, green environment, economy and the list
goes on.
Besides that, recent
incidents have proven that the increased security measures and new evaluation
programs at international airports around the world may still not be enough to
ensure the safety of every flight and passenger. Distinct flaws in security
measures throughout airports, from check-in to boarding, still exist, and
safety officials are racing to keep up with the evolving nature of airport and transportation-based
attacks. There is a great need to increase the reliability and effectiveness of
existing airport facilities, security measures and providing the best passenger
experience at the same time. Stress levels and discomfort of both passengers
and airport employees should be addressed while undergoing the process of
arriving at and departing from airport. Education is also essential to spread
the awareness of the importance of safety and security for all.
From this proposal, both airline passengers and airport
employees would benefit the most. It is hoped that not only the security and
safety of airport will be enhanced but also the user experience of using the
facilities or product will be enriched, faster and a pleasant one. There are plenty of design opportunities that
can be fulfilled such as the security and immigration checkpoints,
transportation system of people and goods, self-service systems and design of passengers’
and airport employees’ equipment to increase the speed, efficiency and security
of airport facilities and also the positive experience that passengers are
seeking. Moreover, a self-cleaning and self-repairing airport is an interesting
concept to look at whereby materials that can repair themselves when damaged
and able help to clean the airport through sustainable means.
The reality is that passengers have become customers of
airports and there is a great competition among airlines and airports to be one
of the best in the world. This increased competition and renewed focus on
passenger experience bodes very well for the passenger of the future, and if
this experience can take place in an airport that offers a true sense of place
and embraces the technologies that travellers find most useful, tomorrow’s
traveller may well see the airport as an enjoyable part of their journey,
rather than an obstacle between them and their final destination.
My interests,
abilities and approach
My family members and I like travelling and it’s one of our
family activities to spend some quality time together and have fun. We travel
at least 3 times per year and I can say that we are knowledgeable and
experienced in travelling to many different countries, what kind of facilities
and services provided by the airlines, aeroplanes and airports. For the past 30
years, my family members have been to a number of countries and continents from
around the world such as United States, Canada, popular tourist destinations
from Europe, East, South and South East Asia. They always relate their past
experiences and share their positive and negative experiences with me.
Personally, I really like hanging out at airports and I
would always take the opportunity to explore and try out the airport facilities
if I have the spare time. I’m always fascinated by the architectural design of
airports, both exterior and interior, and also interested in every aspect of
design systems that airports use such as security checkpoints, check-in,
self-service, public transportation, baggage handling and many more. So far,
I’ve been to some of the world’s best airports in Europe and Asia. They are Singapore
Changi, South Korea’s Incheon, Hong Kong, Malaysia’s KLIA, London Heathrow,
Amsterdam Schiphol and Taiwan Taoyuan.
When it comes to my abilities and characteristics that I
have as a designer, I’m an analytical person and I like to do planning and come
up with a lot of strategies. I do enjoy doing lots of research before coming up
with a proper solution. So I tend to take things slowly without rushing things,
so that I have time to fully understand the problems and possible solutions and
also plan for the things that I’m going to do. I also like to do and think
practically because I like to be in real-life situations to experiment with
physical things and to observe real-life problems.
As a designer, I like to keep things clean, simple, minimal
but attentive to small details. I like designs that are associated with interface
design, visual communication, universal design, honesty, charismatic, consistency,
textures, ergonomics, consumer behaviour, rich interaction and experience. There
are 7 Zen design principles that I admire;
Kanso (簡素) Simplicity or elimination of clutter, Fukinsei (不均整)
Asymmetry or irregularity, Shibumi (渋味) Beautiful by being understated, Shizen
(自然)
Naturalness, Yugen (幽玄) Profundity or suggestion rather than revelation, Datsuzoku
(脱俗)
Freedom from habit or formula and Seijaku (静寂)Tranquility.
My approach to understand and solve this problem topic is to
use the entire IDEO design techniques from the IDEO Method Cards if possible,
as I believe any form of strategies and techniques could be helpful and I
should not be too pessimistic. I would visit local airports and international airports
from other countries during the break if I have a chance. I would like to interview various airport
employees about this problem topic, record videos, take lots of pictures,
observe their feelings and understand their frustrations. I will also make
questionnaires for random people, set up a few scenarios and invite interested
participants from diverse backgrounds to interact with the existing designs and
my design concepts.