The topic of travelling by plane was the first project of my Moderator of the Design Thinking Course. We were working on this problem during the first day of the course, going through all stages of Design Thinking. Trainees conducted the interview, defined a problem, searched ideas and developed a low-fidelity prototype. At the end our idea got feedback from the rest of participants and the interviewed person.
I worked within the group of four people under the guidance of Design Thinking supervisors. Afterwards, I created graphics for the needs of the portfolio.
The course took place in Warsaw from 20 to 24 July 2020 (35h) and it was organised by Design Thinking Institute.
Design Thinking Process
1. Emphatize
MEET KATE!
PROFILE:
Kate is 32 years old and lives with her family in Kraków. Every day, Kate and her husband work in their foundation. She takes part of polish Institute of Design Thinking. Normally she travels short-distances because of work, choosing mostly trains. Kate doesn’t like to be in the air and uses planes just to go for holidays with her husband and two sons. Even if she loves traveling, the necessity of taking a flight limits her destinations.
SAYS:
- “I hate travelling by plane. I prefer trains. It is so relaxing to watch landscapes through the window, while reading a book.”
- “I would like to comfort my children during the flight, but I’m too stressed. In the end I’m more focusing on my fear of flying”
FEELS:
- Scared of flaying.
- Out of control when she is on board – doesn’t know where she is, and that nothing depends on her.
- Safer, when she sees the calm and funny service of the cabin crew. It is a signal for her that everything is going right.
- Uncomfortable listening crying children on board.
THINKS:
- Traveling by train should be more promoted.
- It is impossible to talk with a travel compagnon (a member of the family) because of the seats’ arrangement.
- Process of taking a flight is too complicated. Airports always have very complicated plans.
DOES:
- Prepare luggage for the whole family – she mastered the ability to fit everything in small bags.
- She never plans and buys tickets, her husband takes care of the organisational part.
2. Define
After we get to know our Persona better, we diagnosed needs for the further Design Thinking process. The group decided to help Kate to…
… feel comfortable on board, like she would be in the train compartment.
3. Ideate
To gather ideas we use a group brainstorm. Each of us wrote down the ideas on sticky notes representing them immediately for the rest of the group. In the end we made dot-voting (3 votes per person) to choose the most interesting ideas.
The winning ideas:
- Isolated cabin for the use of group/family – calm atmosphere.
- Seats arranged like in the train compartment – in front of each other.
- Information about flight courses – imitation of passing through train stations.
4. Prototype
In the group we created a low-fidelity 3D prototype in 15-20 minutes. Our model was made out of paper and other available stationery. We located our close cabin in the cartoon box. Adding windows on both sides – from the aisle and wall of the aircraft. In this way it is possible to watch the sky but also observe what is happening on the board. At the same time the family is isolated from the noise and can have some private time. The seats are located in front of each other (we used textile pompoms so they are super comfortable). Because of that it is possible to have proper conversation with the family members and it is easy to take care of them. In the end we equipped the cabin with the electric screen that shows the map and places that the aircraft is passing by. Kate can follow the route of her flight.
5. Test
We represent our model for Kate and the rest of the groups. She admitted that probably the cabin would make her feel more relaxed but anyway she prefers the train. The course participants had mostly doubts how these improvements would affect the price of tickets.