CLIENT: Queensland University of Technology

PROJECT: Airports of the Future

ROLE: Research Assistant

TIME: 3 months, 2012

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'Airports of the Future' (2008-2013) was a research project on global aviation security and passenger experience. Airports are critical components of international transport networks, complex socio technical systems characterised by interdependence. It ran as a collaboration between Queensland University of Technology, other international universities and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

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After completing my undergraduate studies I was awarded a vacation scholarship to contribute to the 'human systems' sector, human interaction with services and technologies, led by the Industrial Design school. This was an opportunity for me to apply my design skills to services and explore if post graduate research was the right path for me.

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Security screening is an important moment of a traveler's journey, which is essentially using public transport in a highly regulated environment. Passengers are required to participate in a process that is typically unpleasant and potentially unpredictable, that is deemed necessary to ensure the safety of all involved. I was tasked with creating a literature review on this point of the experience and positioned it as exploring the intersections between passengers, staff and technology.

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Through completing this project I improved my skills in critically examining a complex environment through an experience lens, alongside further developing my research and writing skills (11,000 words).

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Excerpt of the research report

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Airports of the Future website

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