How can we create a user-friendly system to help non-English speaking travelers find their way through Los Angeles Airport?
Product Demo Video
LANA:
LAX Navigation Assistant
Addressing the navigation challenges faced by non-English speaking travelers at LAX, our project introduces multilingual kiosks strategically placed throughout the airport, providing interactive, language friendly guidance, connectivity support, and visual aids to enhance the overall airport experience.
Design Challenge
This project aimed to tackle transportation and mobility challenges faced by non-English speaking travelers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The goal was to develop a solution that addressed these issues, with an emphasis on incorporating digital elements to enhance accessibility and user experience.
Role
User Research, UX Design
Year
Fall 2023
Length
16 weeks
Project Team
Carey Corrow, Ryn Rangel
Overview
Problem
Navigating Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) can be challenging. The airport layout is complex, as the signs can be confusing and misleading. Non-English speaking travelers face an even greater challenge, as all the signs and directories are only in English. Additionally, the majority of LAX staff lacks proficiency in multiple languages, making it hard for travelers to seek assistance. The combination of an intricate layout, confusing signs, and language barriers creates a significant challenge for all travelers making their way through LAX.
Insights
Our research highlighted the need for clear, diverse communication for diverse travelers. We found that travelers value autonomy and are inclined to independently plan their routes. Even so, non-English speaking travelers who do seek assistance often struggle to find multilingual staff to help them, and often even able bodied travelers resort to unconventional measures like requesting wheelchair assistance to be ushered to their gate. Recognizing the discomfort in seeking help, especially with language barriers, highlights the need for user friendly solutions that cover end to end airport experiences.
Solution
We propose the solution can be placing multilingual kiosks across the airport. These kiosks offer real-time directions in various languages, with visual aids like landmark images so that non-English speaking travelers are able to easily identify landmarks along their path. This plan promotes user independence and aims to make the airport experience easier for everyone.
Process
Field Research
To kick things off, we visited Los Angeles International Airport to identify and understand the navigation challenges at the airport.
Transportation Directory at LAX, with similar icons used for different transportation systems.
Key Insights
• All signs are exclusively in English, and the icons can be indiscernible from each other.
• The environment is confusing, loud, and stressful.
• Existing navigation systems consist of a limited number of hard-to-locate non-multilingual kiosks and a wayfinding website that doesn't load correctly and offers unhelpful directions.
Secondary Research
Next up, we checked out online sources like articles and reviews to see what others have been saying about getting around LAX. This helped round out our on-site assessment and gave us a broader picture of the navigation experiences shared by different people.
LAX reviews on Yelp.
Key Insights
• Many negative reviews cited challenges of getting lost due to the confusing layout and limited resources at LAX.
• Non-English speakers often had to request wheelchair assistance, restricting their autonomy to move freely within the airport.
• Despite being the fifth busiest airport, LAX is frequently considered one of the most stressful.
• Flyers stress the significance of having real-time flight information available at every step of their journey.
Journey Map
We made a journey map to capture how non-English speakers at LAX could utilize the multilingual kiosks.
Journey Map of flyer using a multilingual kiosk to get directions.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Welcome Page
Language Selection
Language Specific Welcome Page
Low-Fidelity prototype of language selection.
Drawing on the insights we gathered, we've crafted wireframes for a multilingual kiosk. These wireframes serve as the blueprint for a user-friendly and inclusive system, aiming to address the challenges identified in our earlier steps.
Direction Retrieval Opening Page
Direction Retrieval Planned Route
Low-fidelity wireframes of direction retrieval.
User Testing
We tested individuals familiar with LAX to evaluate their proficiency in using the kiosk, comprehending its features, and navigating through both a paper prototype with altered language settings and a digital prototype.
Key Insights
• Several testers struggled to recognize the language icon, particularly when it was positioned in the corner of the screen.
• While most initially chose to export directions to their phones, testers expressed a preference for keeping the option to print available.
• Simplicity emerged as a crucial factor, as an excess of options on any screen led to confusion among testers about the next steps. This was especially true for the home screen, as many testers were unsure of how to proceed.
• Many testers were unsure about the kiosk's capabilities, commonly associating kiosks solely with airport check-ins. The design didn't immediately convey its role as a resource for multilingual navigational support.
User testing paper prototype.
Results
At a Glance
LANA prototype at a glance.
First Interactions
After language selection, a notification pops up on the corner of the screen prompting users to connect to LAX Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi prompt.
Creating Route
Users are given options to select the map, look up their flight information manually, or scan their boarding pass or luggage tag for a personalized experience. Users are also able to stack multiple locations in one route
Personalized map after user scans boarding pass or luggage tag.
Receiving Directions
Users can choose to print directions or have them sent to their phones. The directions feature images of key landmarks, aiding non-English speakers in navigation by providing visual references.
Directions prototype printed and exported to mobile.
Reflection
This project opened my eyes to different ways a language barrier impacts how someone interacts with a physical space. As someone who has never been in a situation where I wasn't able to find directions in a language I speak, learning how non-English speaking travelers sometimes resort to requesting wheelchair assistance for guidance showcased the limited autonomy in confusing environments without adequate tools for independent navigation.
One challenge we had to overcome was finding a way to test users. Being proficient only in English, I couldn't conduct tests with individuals who speak other languages. While we were able to use a gibberish prototype to simulate a language barrier, I would have ideally tested those who have specifically run into language barriers at LAX. I would have loved to pursue testing this product with a demographic who would have a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by navigating the airport with a language barrier.