The Future of Air Travel
Design Strategies: User-centered methodology focused on people, for systems, environments, and innovative activities.
“The Future of Air Travel” is the theme chosen for the course “Responsive Environments and Artifacts 2018-19” part of the program Bergamo 2.035 | REAL Cities – Smarter Citizens, a multidisciplinary research project promoted by the University of Bergamo, Harvard Graduate School of Design and Fondazione Cav. Lav. Carlo Pesenti, with the collaboration of the Municipality of Bergamo.
Course description
The increasing complexity of today’s urban dynamics—from business operations to digital technologies and social transformations—demands new ways of viewing the cities we live in.
It is no longer sufficient to view “human” and “non-human” activities as separate and independent layers (economic, social, cultural, etc.), but rather as the intersection of multidisciplinary factors and their related interactions.
Exploring innovative research and design strategies can help simplify and humanize complex systems at any level and scale.
The course introduces an innovative design-driven methodology developed at the Responsive Environments and Artifacts Lab (REAL) of the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) in collaboration with the University of Bergamo. Its aim is to study and create solutions that address urgent challenges in our cities.
The course draws particularly on the theories and principles of design thinking—a design model for solving complex problems through creative management—and user-centered design, focusing on the importance of understanding and designing specific “experiences” to meet the needs of the user/citizen/urban actor.
The course is part of REAL Cities / Bergamo 2.035, a joint research program between the University of Bergamo and Harvard GSD, supported by Fondazione Pesenti.
Using Bergamo as a case study, the course aims to identify and analyze key social, economic, and urban issues in the region.
This year, the research will specifically focus on the future of air travel, aiming to improve the passenger experience and both air and urban transport systems.
Brainstorming sessions based on design thinking, field analysis, and design tools will allow students to explore and represent user experiences and urban dynamics, preparing for the concept development and prototyping activities planned in the following Spring 2019 semester in collaboration with Harvard GSD students.
To this end, students will be introduced to new media dynamics, networks, interactive technologies, augmented reality, and sensing technologies in order to imagine new design opportunities for businesses, digital systems, social change, urban interventions, cultural initiatives, and responsive environments (spaces that use media and technology to provide interactive, rich, and varied user experiences).
The Future of Air Travel:
Flying is one of the most ambitious and fascinating achievements in history.
Technological innovations in air transportation during the 20th century are arguably unparalleled. Today, air travel is one of the most widespread forms of transportation—the concept of travel is often synonymous with flying.
As a result, our expectations for travel—reliability, comfort, and simplicity—while seemingly basic, often clash with a fast-growing industry expanding into new geographic areas.
The success of this sector is measured by airtight logistics within a highly complex system that has zero tolerance for technical failures—all while being constantly threatened by external factors.
Due to this complexity, the air travel experience can often be extremely frustrating. Designing to meet the basic expectations of customers is a monumental task involving constant negotiation and compromise between human experience and issues of logistics, safety, and economics.
This is true for all aspects of travel—physical, spatial, and virtual. With this in mind, students in REAL Cities / Bergamo 2.035 will explore the difficult theme of the future of air travel through holistic research, resulting in the development of design concepts and proposals at various scales.
Research approaches
A. Experiential Approach: Mapping and Enhancing the Traveler’s Experience
The main focus of this research will be the technologically augmented and enabled human experience. The objective is to find measurable ways to map and improve the traveler’s experience, balanced against contrasting elements such as logistics, safety, and economy.
Research outcomes will focus on technologically driven design strategies, engineering solutions, and new ideas capable of bridging these conflicting needs. The study aims to strategically improve all aspects of air travel.
Research questions include:
– Airport pick-up and drop-off experiences are often negative; how can this process be made more pleasant and time-efficient?
– How can we maintain high levels of security while ensuring the experience remains enjoyable? What psychological factors influence travel experiences, and how can they be addressed through design strategies?
– Long lines are inevitable in systems with high flow management. How can we reduce wait times or change the perception of waiting?
– How can we improve baggage claim or the carousel experience? Could basic technologies allow for baggage location tracking and proximity alerts?
– Lack of information and communication often causes unnecessary anxiety. How can we design continuous and effective communication to ensure optimal passenger updates?
– When passengers land in a new airport, unfamiliarity with the space can lead to frustration. How can we use new technologies and materials to address this? How can we improve signage, especially during renovations and upgrades?
– What is the balance between predictability and pleasant surprises in designing airport experiences?
B. Systemic Approach: Infrastructure, Networks, and Urban Impact
Airports and air travel have a massive impact on cities and on the flow of people, goods, and energy. In some cases, urban and tourism growth is almost entirely driven by new destinations offered by airlines; conversely, city growth can place strain on air transport systems.
This research pathway will examine the relationship between the airport and the city, and its impact on urban dynamics, transportation systems, and the physical spaces of city-airport environments.
It will investigate the airport’s role in shaping territorial development from a multi-level perspective:
– Economic development (e.g., exchange of people and goods, new job opportunities).
– Cultural development (e.g., tourism, student exchange, cultural mobility).
– Social development (e.g., immigration, new forms of leisure).
– Urban infrastructure (e.g., new connections and supporting facilities).
The course will study the interaction between these various levels and how they can be systematically designed and organized to improve the impact of Orio al Serio Airport on the city of Bergamo.
Main Topics
– DESIGN RESEARCH: Overview of the interaction between design and research. Using design to structure innovative research methods, and research to inform new ways of designing. Examples and case studies from Harvard GSD complete the theoretical approach.
– DESIGN THINKING: Exploration of design thinking methodologies through the application of original and interdisciplinary strategies to address urban challenges across fields and scales. Sometimes solving a problem requires innovative, cross-disciplinary thinking that breaks conventions. By combining subjective analysis with objective data, students will reframe urban challenges from unconventional perspectives.
– HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN AND USER EXPERIENCE: Principles of user-centered design, with special focus on strategies to assess and anticipate the user experience from different individual perspectives. Strategies include: user experience scenarios, personal studies, user journey design, simulations, and digital modeling.
– SMART CITIES: Definitions, models, and case studies of smart cities. Focusing on human experience, this topic explores the impact of technology on city dynamics, functions, and lived experiences. Case studies highlight urban interventions that foster positive change through creative use of technology.
– RESPONSIVE TECHNOLOGIES: Opportunities and implications in integrating new media, sensors, and interactive technologies into cities, addressing issues of technological longevity, dynamic adaptability, and augmented reality.
– URBAN ANALYSIS FUNDAMENTALS: Application of tools and methods to understand urban configurations and spatial dynamics, with particular attention to mapping urban systems and transport modes.
