Boarding Pass re-design
#16
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: AA LT G (1MM);DL G, UA GM
Posts: 2,028
Building a Better Boarding Pass
A designer has thought about the most logical layout of a boarding pass and has come up with some ideas:
"I never understood why boarding passes are not laid out chronologically,” says Glynn-Finnegan. “It seems obvious. You are on a journey with a clear beginning and a clear ending. It always baffled me why the rest of the information didn’t fit into that timeline clearly."
http://www.wired.com/design/2013/09/...slideid-247201
"I never understood why boarding passes are not laid out chronologically,” says Glynn-Finnegan. “It seems obvious. You are on a journey with a clear beginning and a clear ending. It always baffled me why the rest of the information didn’t fit into that timeline clearly."
http://www.wired.com/design/2013/09/...slideid-247201
#17
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: LAX
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 946
Certainly seems better. The biggest issue is that there are a ton of numbers, letters, etc on a boarding pass and it becomes a jumble anytime you need a quick glance. I really appreciate the Passbook boarding passes on the iPhone for the sake of displaying less information, and only what is applicable to me. Anyone who needs anything more will have to scan it and then only gets info applicable to them.
#19
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: AA LT G (1MM);DL G, UA GM
Posts: 2,028
Personally I'd aim to make it easiest for the TSA (snarky speculation redacted). Anything to speed things up at security checkpoint.
#20
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Up North
Programs: Skymiles, MPL Chase Premier
Posts: 782
There's a thread on this already... and apparently Wired used this guys images.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...re-design.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...re-design.html
#21
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: LAS
Posts: 1,279
Besides, aesthetic design won't help teach a pig to sing.
#22
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: PEK
Programs: A3*G, UA Gold EY Silver
Posts: 8,956
Why hasn't anyone mentioned the size of the boarding pass. We're long past the time when we need such big boarding passes, as most of the time they're not kept by the airline. The stub should be enough. I know it's an industry standard, but it's one that can change .
#23
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Central Mass
Programs: Independent
Posts: 4,829
I commend the effort, and suppose I like the idea of trying to simplify the boarding pass, but... I am not sure it's really improving things or making it worse. Boarding passes are really a compromise document by nature - it has to work for many people in many different situations with often unknown or vague data. You can optimize it better for one group, but at the expense of another. And I am concerned that some information that may look senseless to one person is really important to another (or that looks vital is really useless). I mean, look what happened when DL tried to change theirs - there was a lot of problems and adjustments, an a lot of fixing.
Personally, I would like to better focus on signage and information int eh airport itself first, and maybe information availability from the airlines, before worrying about a minor document.
Personally, I would like to better focus on signage and information int eh airport itself first, and maybe information availability from the airlines, before worrying about a minor document.
#24
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2012
Programs: A3, AA. Plasticy things! That give me, y'know, Stuff!
Posts: 6,293
A designer has thought about the most logical layout of a boarding pass and has come up with some ideas:
"I never understood why boarding passes are not laid out chronologically,” says Glynn-Finnegan. “It seems obvious. You are on a journey with a clear beginning and a clear ending. It always baffled me why the rest of the information didn’t fit into that timeline clearly."
http://www.wired.com/design/2013/09/...slideid-247201
"I never understood why boarding passes are not laid out chronologically,” says Glynn-Finnegan. “It seems obvious. You are on a journey with a clear beginning and a clear ending. It always baffled me why the rest of the information didn’t fit into that timeline clearly."
http://www.wired.com/design/2013/09/...slideid-247201
Every time you change font colour you force the reader (mentally) to run a check for continuity and relevance to earlier info. It's all that much more time and mental fatigue. I don't know about you, but even half a second of extra time is too much with TSA, and I'm pretty certain that causing them increased mental fatigue is not good for them.
Almost all the designs are the same: they're simply layout style changes and they all rely on linear segmentation, not actually trying to present the information differently. The only actual exception IMO is the Air NZ flight record (it's not actually one of their boarding pases, although they do look similar) where they have broken it up into segments in a way that makes the segments actually visually meaningful. Of all of them, that's the only one that shows any progress. The rest are just moving the chairs about on the deck.
#25
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: STL
Programs: AA,DL,WN
Posts: 236
#26
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX (elite) and a few others (non-elite)
Posts: 687
Someone should write an app in the interim that lets you point your camera on the boarding pass and in real time translates the information as easy to read directions (along with potential value add - like say directions to the gate). I can see this being useful for elderly folks who have smartphones, but are not comfortable with taking well focussed photos - apps like wordlens don't require you to take a photo, just point the camera and the translation happens in real time. Of course, this can only work if the real time translation is accurate and doesn't direct the hapless person to A75 instead of A57...
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/barc...504201315?mt=8