Ready for Takeoff: MHCI + Pittsburgh International Airport
The queue snakes in front of you, seemingly 100 people deep, and there are even more behind you. Your feet are starting to hurt, and there’s a baby crying somewhere. If this airport scenario sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Lines aren’t usually the stars of the airport experience, but there’s good news — our team is on the case. In partnership with our innovative client, Pittsburgh International Airport, we’re reimagining the airport waiting experience for the 21st century as part of PIT’s Terminal Modernization Project. How did we get here?
Get with the program
Each August, a group of aspiring UX professionals from a diverse array of backgrounds — development, psychology, architecture, graphic design, and more — arrive in Pittsburgh to participate in Carnegie Mellon’s Master of Human-Computer Interaction program.
The intensive one-year curriculum spans three semesters. In the first, students build and sharpen the tools necessary to tackle experience design problems. Domain and customer research, prototyping techniques, front-end development and client management were covered through a series of individual and group projects.
The second and third semesters are focused on a seven-month capstone project, in which students are sorted into teams and matched with real-world clients to solve tough interaction design challenges.
Transforming the airport experience
At the beginning of our second semester, our team finds ourselves matched with Pittsburgh International Airport’s PITTransformed initiative for an exciting project. Our client is in the midst of designing an ambitious new terminal, and they’ve tapped us to help improve its comfort and efficiency by envisioning the future of waiting.
The TSA security line, baggage claim, and ticket counters can become bottlenecks that slow travelers’ journeys to their destinations, as well as induce anxiety and boredom. Our task is to improve this experience using the human-computer interaction principles we’ve learned so far. Informed by user research into Pittsburgh International’s current system and queue experiences around the world, we will design and prototype solutions that bridge digital technology and physical space.
In the coming months, we’ll use this space to document our progress and share insights from the design process. We’re excited to get started.
Meet the Team
