In the summer of 2014, I interned with Textron Aviation's Industrial Design team at the Mid-Continent Airport Campus in Wichita, Kansas. I worked with an interdisciplinary intern team of aerospace, mechanical, and electrical engineers, and industrial and interior designers. We developed a blue-sky interior concept for the Citation Hemisphere business jet.
HOW CAN EXECUTIVE TRAVEL BE TAILORED TO THE INDIVIDUAL?
I lead the intern team through a series of user-centered design sprints to develop interior concepts from a fresh perspective. We interviewed subject matter experts within Textron Aviation, as well as spoke to existing customers and pilots. Through our research we realised that the majority of Cessna’s private jets were not directly owned by individuals, but often chartered or leased through a time-share model. How could the same cabin interior offer unique experiences to a diverse clientele?
ONE CABIN, THREE ZONES
The solution we arrived at was a modular aircraft interior, targeted at a charter/fractional ownership business model. The cabin was split into three flexible zones, each of which could be configured with an alternate layout tailored to individual needs. The modular approach offered greater interior flexibility, allowing charter companies to personalise their fleets based on customer demand.
DESIGN AT SCALE
Low-fidelity, full-scale foam core mockups were built to develop aesthetic forms and refine the cabin interior. Designing at scale allowed us to quickly visualise and experience the spaces we were creating through the user’s perspective, and iterate rapidly on concepts and layouts.
