Redesigning the Airport Security Experience

This project investigates the issues within the airport security checkpoint experience, focusing on the stress and anxiety faced by passengers as they go through the security screening process. I am currently exploring solutions that can help alleviate this stress through design interventions.

Work For

Capstone Project - Southern Methodist University

Tools

Figma, service blueprints

Skills

Interviews, research design, service design, prototyping

Year

2025 - Current

View my research presentation
Crowded TSA security line with passengers queued and showing boarding passes.
Traveler wearing a teal backpack walking through a mirrored airport corridor.

2023 saw over 4.4 billion air passengers worldwide. 12.4 million of those passengers passed through US security checkpoints being ineligible for expedited security programs like TSA PreCheck or CLEAR. I aim to answer the question:

How might we reform security checkpoints so that passenger experiences are less stressful?

Reddit post warning about one-hour TSA wait times at DFW gate D22.
Reddit post warning about one-hour TSA wait times at DFW gate D22.
Passengers walking through a bright airport concourse toward escalators and gates.

Context Building

I conducted secondary research to understand the current experience of security checkpoints, and identified key pain points faced by passengers. I found studies from behavioural science, neuroarchitecture, and psychology to understand how stress and anxiety manifest in public spaces.

Passenger sitting alone in gate seating by large windows overlooking the runway.
Reddit comment explaining DFW gate changes and advising to check boards or the app.
Reddit comment explaining DFW gate changes and advising to check boards or the app.

Research Design

To complement my secondary research, I designed a survey as well as a customized card sort to gather insights from airport designers and airline design teams. The card sort helped identify key problems that airport designers are trying to solve for within security checkpoints, including their aim for visibility, transparency, and efficiency.

Airport security checkpoint conveyor with empty grey bins and screening equipment.
Storyboard grid of airport security steps with illustrated scenes and blank fields for notes.
Storyboard grid of airport security steps with illustrated scenes and blank fields for notes.

Next Steps

I plan to take this project forward by furthering my research in the field of security checkpoint design, focusing on the current strategies used to create a sense of calm and safety within passengers. Additionally, I aim to prototype design interventions that can be tested outside of airport settings to evaluate their effectiveness in reducing passenger stress and anxiety, isolating security checkpoints from the airport.

TSA officers and passengers loading bins onto the conveyor during security screening.
Aerial view of DFW airport with planes taxiing beside stacked highways and the Skylink train.

Gallery

Illustration of a traveler removing phone, shoes, and belt at airport security while tossing dignity in a trash can.
Crowded TSA security line with passengers queued and showing boarding passes.
Aerial view of DFW airport with planes taxiing beside stacked highways and the Skylink train.
Passengers walking through a bright airport concourse toward escalators and gates.
TSA officer performing a pat-down with arms outstretched while masked travelers observe.
Airport security checkpoint conveyor with empty grey bins and screening equipment.
Traveler wearing a teal backpack walking through a mirrored airport corridor.
Passenger sitting alone in gate seating by large windows overlooking the runway.
Reddit post warning about one-hour TSA wait times at DFW gate D22.
Reddit comment explaining DFW gate changes and advising to check boards or the app.
TSA officers and passengers loading bins onto the conveyor during security screening.
Pastel illustration of passengers winding through an airport security line.
Clay-style illustration of a traveler placing shoes and a bag into a bin while TSA officers guide screening.
Clay-style illustration of a traveler repacking a suitcase at a table and looking worried.
Clay-style illustration of a TSA officer conducting a pat-down on a masked passenger.
Storyboard grid of airport security steps with illustrated scenes and blank fields for notes.