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نمایش مقاله

Title:

A Comparative Evaluation of Traditional and User-Centered Boarding Pass Designs through Eye-Tracking Metrics

Subject:

Brain–Computer Interfaces (BCIs)

Presenter Author:
Name:	Fatemeh Abareshi

Author:
Name 1:	Fatemeh Abareshi - Presenter
Affiliation 1:	Research Center for Health Science, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Name 2:	Mehran Ershadipour
Affiliation 2:	Independent Researcher

Name 3:	Alireza Choobineh - Corresponding
Affiliation 3:	Research Center for Health Science, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

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Abstract

Original Research

introduction :

Boarding passes are essential for granting passengers immediate access to critical information, including flight number, gate, seat assignment, and flight time (1). The ineffective design of these passes may result in confusion, heightened cognitive strain, and subsequent flight delays and missed flights. In underdeveloped nations, limited research has investigated the passenger experience and assessed the usability of boarding tickets (4, 5). International studies indicate that employing user-centered design and ergonomic principles can improve information clarity and reduce cognitive burden (6-8). Yet, few studies have empirically examined the benefits of user-centered design in boarding pass design. To address this gap, the current study compares a traditional boarding pass layout with a user-centered redesign, using eye tracking metrics to objectively assess how passengers visually process and interpret critical flight information.

Methods:

After obtaining informed consent, 19 right-handed university students (14 females, aged 21–39, M = 26.42, SD = 5.87) volunteered. A within-subjects experimental design was used to compare traditional and user-centered boarding passes. Participants visually examined nine boarding pass designs (four current and five redesigned). Behavior was measured by response time (RT) and fixation count, and fixation duration tracked error rate (ER), and eye movements. Pupil Labs Core eye trackers (120 Hz, 0.6° precision) with Pupil Capture 3.5.1 recorded eye positions. Stimuli were displayed using PsychoPy 2023.2.3 on a 15.6-inch FHD monitor (1920×1080 px, 60 Hz) at a viewing distance of 50–65 cm. Fixations were defined as gaze points stable within 1.5° dispersion for 100 ms. Data were analyzed with SPSS 22. Since the Shapiro-Wilk test indicated non-normal data, nonparametric tests (Friedman, Wilcoxon, Kruskal–Wallis, Mann–Whitney U) were used to examine differences and demographic effects.

Results:

Statistical evaluations showed substantial differences in response time and error rate across nine boarding pass types. The modified passes have faster response times and lower mistake rates than the old layouts. The RBP9 card had the fastest average response time and highest accuracy, whereas CBP2 and CBP4, representing existing airline designs, had the slowest and highest error rates. Eye-tracking data revealed substantial differences in fixation patterns between cards (p < 0.001), with modified versions (RBP8 and RBP9) with fewer fixations indicating improved visual efficiency. Fixation duration did not differ substantially between cards (p = 0.109), showing that layout organization rather than processing time per fixation caused cognitive burden variations.

Conclusion:

The study shows that user-centered boarding pass redesigns improve usability and visual efficiency. The redesigned layouts helped participants find flight information faster and more accurately. A horizontally arranged structure, Persian labeling, and color cues for emphasis made the RBP9 design helpful. Standard layouts increase cognitive demands due to poor information hierarchy, resulting in higher fixations and slower performance. Other ergonomic research found that better information structure and visual hierarchy help people understand and complete tasks. Boarding cards can be clearer, simpler to see, and better for passengers when designed with user-centered and ergonomic principles. This could apply to paper and digital travel documentation.

Keywords:

Boarding pass, User-centered design, usability, eye tracking.