How Behavioral Science Can Make Airports Less Miserable
As we approach the holidays and (hopefully) the end of the pandemic, we’re all once again experiencing the joy of stuffing ourselves into small spaces with strangers to travel long distances. If you’re like us, 18 months of space has allowed a shift in perspective, and the ability to see things about crowds we might previously have become habituated to.
Despite the fact that many airports are designed with incredible care,1 being inside one comes with its share of frustrations. Going through security, boarding the plane, stowing your luggage, and even the boarding pass itself always elicit a momentary thought: There must be a better way to do this.
References
- Zweig, D. (2014, June 12). How you know where you’re going when you’re in an airport. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/06/how-you-know-where-youre-going-when-youre-in-an-airport/372537/
- Loewenstein, G., & Chater, N. (2017). Putting nudges in perspective. Behavioural Public Policy, 1(1), 26-53. https://doi.org/10.1017/bpp.2016.7
- JOHANSSON, A., HELBING, D., & SHUKLA, P. K. (2007). Specification of the social force pedestrian model by evolutionary adjustment to video tracking data. Advances in Complex Systems, 10(supp02), 271-288. https://doi.org/10.1142/s0219525907001355
- Zhao, Y., Li, M., Lu, X., Tian, L., Yu, Z., Huang, K., Wang, Y., & Li, T. (2017). Optimal layout design of obstacles for panic evacuation using differential evolution. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 465, 175-194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2016.08.021
- Bersini, H., & Philemotte, C. (n.d.). Emergent phenomena only belong to biology. Advances in Artificial Life, 53-62. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-74913-4_6
- Steffen, J. H., & Hotchkiss, J. (2012). Experimental test of airplane boarding methods. Journal of Air Transport Management, 18(1), 64-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2011.10.003
- Delcea, C., Cotfas, L., Salari, M., & Milne, R. (2018). Investigating the random seat boarding method without seat assignments with common boarding practices using an agent-based modeling. Sustainability, 10(12), 4623. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10124623
- Jaehn, Florian; Neumann, Simone (2015). Airplane boarding. European Journal of Operational Research, 244(2), 339–359. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2014.12.008
- Nyquist, D. C., & McFadden, K. L. (2008). A study of the airline boarding problem. Journal of Air Transport Management, 14(4), 197-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2008.04.004
- Steffen, J. H., & Hotchkiss, J. (2012). Experimental test of airplane boarding methods. Journal of Air Transport Management, 18(1), 64-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2011.10.003
- Nicholls, S., Amelung, B., & Student, J. (2016). Agent-based modeling. Journal of Travel Research, 56(1), 3-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287515620490
- Gómez-Cruz, N. A., Loaiza Saa, I., & Ortega Hurtado, F. F. (2017). Agent-based simulation in management and organizational studies: A survey. European Journal of Management and Business Economics, 26(3), 313-328. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejmbe-10-2017-018
- Yu, H., He, Z., Pan, X., & Zhang, S. (2010). Wetlands spatial-temporal evolution simulation using multi-agent system: A case study in China. 2010 3rd International Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Informatics. https://doi.org/10.1109/bmei.2010.5639916
About the Authors
Shreya Jaiswal
In a past life I was a monkey researcher. Today, I'm interested in a species of primate closer to home - and how we can leverage data-driven design to improve their interactions with technology, the environment, and the physical spaces they create. When I'm not working, I'm thinking about reefs, rainforests, scuba diving, and creating convoluted ecosystems for my dart frog vivarium. I also like to take my product hat off and design for fun (right now it's a board game, but we'll see about next month!).
Graham Smith
Graham is a design generalist who's interested in fusing data science with behavioral science, and how they can be used to increase social good. He is currently lead UX Designer at Akitra, inc. and holds a BS in Applied Statistics from UC Davis, where he won a departmental citation award for co-founding the United States' first entirely student-run data science conference. In his free time, he likes designing board games, reading serial fantasy novels, and failing to find the perfect chai recipe.
About us
We are the leading applied research & innovation consultancy
Our insights are leveraged by the most ambitious organizations
“
I was blown away with their application and translation of behavioral science into practice. They took a very complex ecosystem and created a series of interventions using an innovative mix of the latest research and creative client co-creation. I was so impressed at the final product they created, which was hugely comprehensive despite the large scope of the client being of the world's most far-reaching and best known consumer brands. I'm excited to see what we can create together in the future.
Heather McKee
BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST
GLOBAL COFFEEHOUSE CHAIN PROJECT
OUR CLIENT SUCCESS
$0M
Annual Revenue Increase
By launching a behavioral science practice at the core of the organization, we helped one of the largest insurers in North America realize $30M increase in annual revenue.
0%
Increase in Monthly Users
By redesigning North America's first national digital platform for mental health, we achieved a 52% lift in monthly users and an 83% improvement on clinical assessment.
0%
Reduction In Design Time
By designing a new process and getting buy-in from the C-Suite team, we helped one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world reduce software design time by 75%.
0%
Reduction in Client Drop-Off
By implementing targeted nudges based on proactive interventions, we reduced drop-off rates for 450,000 clients belonging to USA's oldest debt consolidation organizations by 46%
