Click for full-sized image!
We've all been there. Strapped into your seat, readying yourself for a 12-hour marathon of determination to disembark on the other side of the world. And then it begins. The baby in the next aisle starts wailing. Before the evil side-eye starts boring holes of hate into the back of the seat of the offending parents, have you ever considered the trials a family with young children have to endure in order to get on the plane?
RKS recently released a service design concept, cAir, that hopes to ease the burden of air travel for families. The project is a derivative outcome from a workshop conducted by RKS at the 2010 IxDA Conference where interaction designers were challenged to conceptualize a service design venture that would inspire the air travel industry to change how services are delivered to traveling families. In a climate of increased fare costs, slashed amenities and general disastisfaction with the air travel experience, the team looked at the success of consumer-centric airlines like Southwest as a hint that investing in the user can be rewarding for both travelers and airlines.
cAir - redefining air travel for families from RKS Design on Vimeo.
Families, in particular, are an oft over-looked segment of the flying population. By redesigning their experience, perhaps the general quality of all travelers could be improved. After interviewing and shadowing passengers, RKS generated a service design blueprint based on six key touchpoints of the in-flight experience: entertainment, ambience, food, seats, lavatory and storage.
Checkin for adults and children with toy rental options and wayfinding services available.