The Zabuton: Designing the Arriving Experience in the Japanese Airport

This research explores the value of airports upon arrivals by proposing a welcome service The Zabuton targeting passengers unfamiliar with the landing-place. The Zabuton service comprises of two systems; a local language information display (LLD) and a guiding passengers action app (GAA). LLD is placed in the baggage claim area displaying the written language and meanings of frequently used phrases, and its pronunciations in the local language. GAA supports the series of actions from the arrival gate to transportation consisting the following five components; (1) purchasing internet connection modules, (2) local transportation map and route search, (3) local transportation rules, (4) luggage service information, and (5) where the platform is to ride local transportation. An airport arrival lobby with The Zabuton lets passengers learn local language phrases through public displays and provides confidence in their forthcoming steps of transportation through a mobile app. This concept was constructed based on our research and illustrated accordingly based on scenario based design and user centered design process. This paper contributes to the redesigning of the airport arrival lobby by enhancing the local experience and supporting the travel procedures with the help of digital technologies.