Time to Relax

Abstract

To improve the passenger experience at airports, an environment was designed around a relaxing chair. The goal was to create an environment in which passengers feel free to take some time to relax and forget about the aspects that cause them to experience stress or anxiety. The design is created to make the experience of passengers at airports less stressful and therefore more pleasant.
This relaxing chair, the VITA Sentation Lounger, is equipped with the innovative Frequency Physio Support (FPS) technology. The FPS technology stimulates blood circulation, reduces muscle tension and with that it reduces anxiety symptoms, stress and the experience of pain (NEWAS,2018).

A usability test with the VITA Sentation Lounger at Rotterdam The Hague Airport showed that the chair itself is experienced as very comfortable and relaxing. However, opinions about the FPS technology differ a lot, and passengers can evenly be divided in the following groups:
1. Passengers who prefer the chair without the FPS technology
2. Passengers who prefer the chair with the FPS technology
3. Passengers who don’t prefer one condition over the other.

The usability test also showed that besides having a comfortable chair available, a more private area, having some kind of distraction available and being aware of time is very important for passengers to feel comfortable in the run-up to flying. The one thing passengers worry most about is missing their flight.

Literature showed that a passenger brings individual perceptions, expectations and experiences into the environment, which all influence the overall comfort experience (Vink, Bazley & Jacobs, 2016).
Additionally, being surrounded by greenery in combination with green and blue colours reduces stress levels (Fjeld, 2000), and the presence of lavender scent (Kristidima, Newton & Asimakopoulou, 2010) and relaxing music (Pothoulaki et al. (2008) and Khalfa, Bella, Roy, Peretz & Lupien, 2003) increases the experience of relaxation.

Insights from the usability test and literature research resulted in two concept designs, of which one has been chosen to prototype and test in a second usability test. This concept design focusses on
distraction and gives passengers the opportunity to forget about negative experiences and to focus on the positive things that come with the travel journey. The seconds usability test was conducted
with a prototype of the chosen concept design. The test showed that the designed environment can contribute to a more comfortable and relaxing experience in the run-up to flying and participants
mentioned that they would love to use the design at the airport.

Main improvements include the possibility to safely store your luggage, the ability to see if the chair is occupied from the outside, and some problems occurred with unclear or even missing information
that was given by the interface (control system). These insights lead to the final concept design that is showed in picture 1 and 2.

For further research, it is mainly suggested that the final concept design is being tested at an actual airport with a broad group of passengers and some practical considerations need to be taken into
account. Besides, it is very important to start convincing airports and airlines about the benefits the design can bring when it’s implemented in their lounges.