PA SSENGER B E HAV IOUR
“If you have a poorly designed
cabin, you are going to see
negative behavioural patterns”
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
JUNE 2019 031
can’t see a good solution then we are not going to use
a good solution,” Krukow says.
The next step is to identify the barriers that you can
practically address in the environment. “You can’t do
something about all of the barriers,” she says. “Obviously,
in a cabin environment you can’t change many of the
physical things because you don’t have enough space.
But you have a framework to talk about these different
areas and to prioritise a touchpoint – say the moment
that you board the airplane – then focus on the
barriers and make certain changes within that system.”
After deciding what changes to apply, the next
step is to test their effectiveness and gather data that
validates the changes.
“Of course, once you find those elements that work,
you can scale them across cultures, countries and even
scale them into other processes. It becomes a generic
toolbox that you can use everywhere,” Krukow says.
A TIMELY NUDGE
Just as considered cues can foster positive behaviour,
missing cues and uncomfortable environments can foster
negative behaviour.
As Krukow says, “If you have a poorly designed cabin
environment, you are going to see negative behavioural
patterns and you are going to see, in likelihood, an
increase in bad behaviour. That affects safety and other
passengers, and creates a bad journey for people. It comes
down to things like how you use colours, and how you
use sounds.
“We are 90% driven by our senses. Especially, in a
moment like boarding an airplane, when you might be
a little bit scared, you might be
a little bit excited about where
you are going, or you might be
worried about how you are going
to meet your family at the end of
the journey and so forth. The
way we act and behave in that
moment is so controlled by the cabin
environment that you wouldn’t believe it.”
Not all nudging changes would require structural
changes or even a redesign of surfaces. Simple
environmental cues like light programs and sound
environments can have a positive effect on passengers
and reduce the likelihood of unruly behaviour.
“For example, if passengers see bright colours and
bright lights when they enter the airplane, they are more
likely to use system two of the brains. That means we are
more rational, we are faster, we are more turned on and
thinking more clearly. When we want people to relax,
dimming the lights and making the cabin more restful by
choosing warmer colours and things like that can be very
beneficial for nudging people’s behaviour and helping
EVEN THE SIMPLEST OF SPACES
SHOULD CONSIDER HUMAN
EMOTIONS AND RESPONSES
PHOTO: © TIERNEY/ ADOBE STOCK
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