01 / Challenge
Unfamiliar procedures and scattered information make airports stressful for less-experienced travellers.
Selected work / 01
AirPal
A wearable airport companion that helps less-experienced travellers navigate unfamiliar journeys with clarity, comfort, and confidence.
The project at a glance
Wearable · Interface · Reassurance02 / Goal
Make the next step clear, while keeping guidance and essential belongings close at hand.
03 / Design scope
User research, wearable concept, physical prototyping, UI design and usability testing.
04 / Outcome
A wearable bag concept combining a foldable display, progress dial and multimodal alerts.
01 / Context
Understanding the Problem
Airports ask travellers to process a lot of information at once. For someone who rarely flies, even a routine security check can feel uncertain: Where do I go? What do I prepare? Am I running out of time?
- Advice is scattered across platforms and airport displays
- Unfamiliar procedures make small decisions stressful
- Repeated checking interrupts rest and reassurance
02 / Listening & observing
Research & Opportunity
I combined online ethnography, interviews, collage activities and airport observation to understand both practical difficulties and emotional needs.
- 01
Less information, more relevance.
Show what matters at the current stage. - 02
Guidance grounded in place.
Connect instructions to the traveller’s surroundings. - 03
Reassurance beyond directions.
Help people feel supported, not just informed.
03 / Exploring the form
Concept Development
I explored a smartwatch, smart hat and wearable bag. The bag offered space for a more accessible interface while supporting something travellers already do: keeping important belongings close.
Clear next stepsEasy physical accessEmotional reassurance
04 / Making & learning
From Sketch to Prototype
A mid-fidelity physical prototype helped explore the bag’s proportions, screen position and accessibility. The foldable screen brought guidance into reach without relying on a phone held throughout the journey.
- Sketch
- Physical form
- Wearable interaction
- Scenario testing
05 / Testing the experience
Testing & Learning
Five participants tried the prototype in a simulated airport setting, using think-aloud tasks, role-play, a usability questionnaire and follow-up interviews.
- 01
Security preparation
All participants completed the task. - 02
Finding the gate
Distance-based instructions needed clearer contextual cues. - 03
Missing passport
Alerts were noticed, but too many help options complicated the response.
Exploratory findings from a simulated study, not validation in a live airport.
06 / Turning feedback into decisions
A Clearer Next Step
The interface evolved toward a stronger hierarchy, more focused stage-by-stage guidance, and simpler access to help.
07 / Physical & digital, together
The Final Experience
AirPal brings journey guidance into a familiar object: a bag worn at the waist or across the body. Information stays visible, while essentials stay organised.
- Foldable screen for quick access to guidance
- Physical progress dial for moving between journey stages
- Dedicated storage for travel essentials
- Bear charm concept using colour and vibration for missing-item alerts
Item detection and live airport data remain proposed capabilities for further development.
08 / On-screen companion
From Preparation to Gate
A small set of focused screens helps travellers prepare, move through airport procedures, navigate, and ask for support.
