Chairs in the Air
Accessibility From Gate to Seat
Chairs in the Air is a project partnered with Virginia Tech, Boeing, and All Wheels Up to develop ways to make airlines more accessible. My team and I developed a foldable aisle-widening seat concept as a way to allow wheelchair users to remain in their personal wheelchair from gate to seat and potentially sit in any spot on the plane.
Process:
After researching the problems at hand, our team conducted a series of interviews with industry professionals and wheelchair users to obtain their perspectives. Some of the most important information we received from the airline industry was that one of the biggest barriers to airline accessibility was that the aisle width was too small, and talking to wheelchair users we learned that first class can be too expensive, especially if they want to sit near family.
Final Design:
Informed by our background and ongoing research, as well as the information gathered from our interviews, we decided upon creating an aisle-widening seat.
This idea we developed is completely new from what is currently being worked on in the industry and tackles the issue of the aisles not being wide enough for a personal wheelchair, first-class spots being too expensive for accompanying passengers, and does not get rid of any airline seat after implemented.
Link to view process book with extended work and conducted interviews and research: Process Book.pptx
