Case study · Programmes, trainings & workshops

Teaching airports and airlines to design for passengers

Client: IATA, International Air Transport Association, with Essense
Year: 2019–2020
Role: Service Design Lead and lead facilitator
Where: Paris

Training participants from airports and airlines standing around a wall covered in sticky notes — The pilot training in Paris

The challenge

Global passenger traffic is expected to double by 2037. Meeting passengers' expectations will take new standards, harmonised regulations and the right infrastructure, and a new way of thinking about the passenger experience.

IATA wanted to start adopting design thinking on passenger experience across the organisation, and asked us to launch a series of internal service design trainings as a first step.

My role

I designed two training programmes and led the first one as lead facilitator.

Designed "Design thinking fundamentals", a two-day module introducing the passenger-centred mindset and the core tools of design thinking.
Designed "Advanced service design", a three-day module for going deeper into service design methods.
Led the pilot of the fundamentals module in Paris in December 2019, with 20 participants representing 12 European and non-European airports and airlines.

A participant presenting her work during the training — Hands-on exercises during the training

The design challenge: beyond airport experience, supporting passengers on their door-to-door travel journey — The design challenge set for the training