top of page

FLUX

Reimagining the passenger experience

Saad_Carla.jpg

at security

Overview.

Flux is a system that integrates security screening throughout the passenger’s journey from the point they access the airport until they reach the gate.


Advisors

Allen Sayegh | Harvard Graduate School of Design

Rob Howe      | Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences   

Independent Design Engineering Project 

5.8 hours Average Travel Time

2.7 hours Average Flight Time

3.1 hours Average wait Time

 

 

Source: https://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2013-12-30-01.aspx

IATA | International Air Transport Association



 

Air travel is a dreamy experience for many people around the world. However, an in-depth look at data reveals that the average wait time in airports exceeds the average flight time.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), 7.8 billion passengers are expected to travel by 2036, which is approximately double the number of passengers traveling today.

 

Efforts to improve airport efficiency have focused on reimagining the passenger journey to provide a pleasant experience, including a smoother flow throughout the different stages that a traveler passes through in airports. None of these initiatives include the passenger’s experience at security as a component of the overall flow.

 

Framework.

Traveler journey through airport.001.jpe
data.001.jpeg
data.002.jpeg

Throughout the research process, a survey examining the quality of the passenger’s experience in airports at each phase was conducted. 106 people responded to the survey and approximately 21% of the respondents expressed their discomfort at security screening.
In order to understand the problem thoroughly, a question addressed what specifically is annoying people in the screening process and the highest ratios were scored by the long wait lines and the unpacking process.

Flux-survey finding.001.jpeg

The journey of a traveler is coupled by a waiting process in airports due to bottlenecks at different phases.
Experiences differ by nationality, traveling class and possibility of acquiring services  but many pain points at security screening arise , leading to bottlenecks  which might delay the arrival to the airplane in addition to increased stress 

journey map & personae.001.jpeg

Variation of routes used between First time traveler and an experienced traveler

Flux- Final presentation submission.063.

Airlines Challenges

Flux- Final presentation submission.064.

Airports Challenges

Flux- Landside -airside.001.jpeg

Looking at the airport infrastructure, Security Screening Checkpoints are usually located at the airside-Landside intersection

Flux- Final presentation submission.021.
Flux- Final presentation submission.072.

How might we minimize the wait time

and enhance the passenger's experience at security?

Flux- Final presentation submission.027.

How to address the wait time ?

The main aim of the strategy is to decentralize the bottleneck by providing people moving
surfaces before the start of the line where passengers can unpack while waiting for their turn.


Flux is a system that integrates security screening throughout the passenger’s journey from the
point they access the airport until they reach the gate. The system helps passengers stay in
contact with the various stakeholders from airport operations, airlines, and security in order to
provide an enhanced and optimized experience.

Proposed Solution

Towards a decentralization of the waiting line by providing passengers the possibility of unpacking while in motion

Flux- system components.jpeg

How does Flux work?

Flux- Final presentation submission.030.
Flux- Final presentation submission.030.
Product_AppHi_AI.png
Flux- Final presentation submission.032.
Flux- Final presentation submission.032.
Flux- Final presentation submission.032.
Flux- Final presentation submission.034.
Flux- Final presentation submission.034.
Cart back.jpg
Cart top view.jpg
Cart front.jpg

Study model 1 

carry-on luggage located at the bottom

flux cart version 1 .jpg

Study model 2 

carry-on luggage located at the top

flux cart version2.jpg

User Testing Based on 3 scenarios

Flux- Final presentation submission.041.

 7 people tested the prototypes  following a randomized order of the scenarios

Findings

1:30 - 2:00min

 Average unpacking Time per person

30s 

Average Time to move the bins

from flux to the divesting table 



 

Flux cart version 3.jpg
Flux- final model.jpg
Flux- Final presentation submission.043.

Simulation using the PTV vissim to measure the length of wait time

in Bostan Logan Airport, Terminal A at peak time

Conceptual Exploration

Body screening while in motion using Terahertz Technology

top view 1.jpg

Spatial design reflecting body posture

front view.jpg
perspective 2.jpg
side view.jpg
IMG_9478.JPG
IMG_9480.JPG
IMG_9487.JPG

Studies on imaging, different body postures & blind spots

Key Takeaways 

 

  1. A thorough qualitative and quantitative research is the soul essence of identifying pain points.  
     

  2. It's always important to define the success metrics of a system while solving a problem. 

Node

Reimagining Emergency Response for Resilient Cities. 

Syncsense

An intervention for Motion Sickness on Airplanes.

bottom of page