This project centered on truly stepping into the consumer’s perspective. While I fly frequently, I realized that relying on memory or assumption would not be enough to understand the experience I was designing for. To gain real insight, I needed to test the environment continuously. Living in Los Angeles, where almost anything can be sourced, I set out to find authentic airplane seats to work with. I was able to purchase a set and secure permission to install them in our makerspace.

I then built a movable platform system, aligned the seats in realistic configurations, and constructed a functioning tray table. This hands-on setup completely transformed my understanding of the experience. What I initially assumed would be helpful quickly proved essential. Sitting in the seats repeatedly revealed new insights each time and fundamentally reshaped my design decisions.

What once seemed obvious because I had flown before became an entirely new perspective. The process reinforced the importance of being deeply consumer-focused and demonstrated that meaningful design comes from fully immersing yourself in the user’s reality.