Designing Desire in the Travel Zone
Share
The first IFE breakout session at the Passenger Experience Conference focused on how to reach beyond basic passenger needs. David Cleaves, creative director at frog‘s Munich studio, has overseen large engagements with Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, Volkswagen, Audi and more. As he introduced frog’s design tenets, he emphasized that their focus is on producing data-driven, experiential design – with results that inspire people to smile, forging an emotional connection. And while that may be easier to do in premium cabins, it’s a much more difficult feat towards the back of the airplane where the majority of travelers sit. This, said Cleaves, is where design focus should be concentrated, because there’s more that can be done to improve the experience there.
Travel is in our DNA, explained Cleaves. Referencing the MarsOne mission, he noted that humans are pioneers who have always been on the move. We like to go places, we want that result, but more often than not we’re not enjoying the experience in getting there.
A series of photos from a Twitter “passenger shaming” feed illustrated the myriad ways people have become more terrible on airplanes. “Acting out on planes is the new road rage,” said Cleaves. They don’t respect their environment, they don’t care, and they’re coping in creative ways by adopting desperate measures: with emotional support animals, drugs like Xanax or sleeping pills, building bubbles of privacy under tent blankets or creating a digital escape world with iPads and noise-canceling headphones.
So how do we return to a more humane and joyful flying experience? The answer, says Cleaves, is we need to circle back to the wonder and appreciation, the magic, of flying. But how?
A few things are required, and Cleaves echoed Seymour’s earlier keynote by emphasizing that actions speak louder than words. At frog, they begin by spending time with passengers; design research is conducted in small groups and behavior is observed rather than just taking what people say at face value. Observational research reveals problems that many people don’t even notice they’re experiencing. They’re hearing that passengers feel increasingly out of control when flying, so they look for solutions that can help alleviate that anxiety by reinstating an impression of control for the passenger.
Potential onboard redesign areas that Cleaves shared include shared meeting spaces, noise-canceling zones, personal content, in-flight information and in-flight wellness. But number one, he predicts, is we have to change the way passengers treat one another. Take a lesson from successful sharing economies like Airbnb or Uber, where people are behaving well an treating one another with respect. Approvals, rewards and incentives inspire customers to be more respectful, so the entire community benefits.
How do we apply these lessons on the airplane? Design a travel environment that encourages trust between passengers and the airline, Cleaves says. He suggests that if airlines breakdown barriers to create trust, passengers will step into that space and up to that challenge – and airlines should reward positive customer behaviors.
Cleaves cycled back to support another point made during Seymour’s keynote earlier today: A change like this will require organizational redevelopment on behalf of the companies. It’s as much about organizational change as it is about environmental redesign, and the companies who can make this pledge are the ones customers will then declare their loyalty to.
AIX conference photography: Maxim Sergienko / Raum 11