Leading a multi-year collaboration with Boeing spanning 8 U.S patents, 50+ future concepts, 2 visits to Boeing headquarters, and the most prestigious international aviation award.
Timeline: Several projects from 2019-2025
Industry: Aerospace / Aviation
Role: Research Project Lead
Funding Amount: NDA Protected
Research Question: What will the future flying experience look like in 2040? Who will be traveling, what will their expectation be, and how can airlines and airports offer exciting new business models?
NDA Protected Outcomes: Apart from the awarded patents and process shown below, all outcomes are proprietary to Boeing. I can discuss more details upon request.
Why this work matters?
This work demonstrates how human-centered research and future foresight can directly translate into new business models, defensible intellectual property, and long-term competitive advantage. By anticipating passenger needs, technological shifts, and evolving market dynamics, this collaboration leveraged innovation and systems-thinking methodologies to help Boeing and airline partners prepare for 2040 with solutions that are both visionary and commercially viable.
8 U.S Patents
Crystal Cabin Award
Coffee House Cabin
The concept won the 2020 Crystal Cabin Awards in Hamburg, Germany. This is the global aviation industry event of the year. Further outcomes were presented in news outlets like CNN and C-12 alongside multiple media articles.
The concept was also patented by Boeing under: U.S No. 19-1607-US-NP Seating Systems and Methods for an Internal Cabin of an Aircraft.
Research Process
From 2019 to 2025, this work involved leading a long-term research collaboration with a Fortune 100 aerospace partner, directing multidisciplinary teams and overseeing more than 40 researchers and designers. The program explored the future of passenger aviation through the lens of next-generation technologies, evolving demographics, societal change, and advanced AR/VR/XR simulation environments. The collaboration resulted in 8 awarded U.S. patents, multiple executive presentations at Boeing's corporate headquarters in Everett, Washington, and international recognition through the industry’s highest honor, the Crystal Cabin Award.
Phase 1: Understanding
This phase used proprietary innovation methodologies, and focused on identifying high value opportunity areas for the passenger aviation ecosystem in 2040 by combining rigorous human centered research with strategic foresight. Using a mix of primary and secondary research, including stakeholder interviews with Delta flight attendants, trend and STEEP analysis, future user archetypes, journey mapping, and ecosystem mapping, the team translated complex technological, societal, and market signals into clear insights.
The outcome was a set of actionable opportunity spaces that informed future business models, passenger experiences, and innovation directions for both aircraft manufacturers and airline partners.
The outcome was a set of actionable opportunity spaces that informed future business models, passenger experiences, and innovation directions for both aircraft manufacturers and airline partners.
Secondary Research
Conducting User Journeys, STEEP Factors Analysis, Trend Forecasting, Persona Archetyping, alongside other design research methodologies, to frame concise directions which were translated into consolidated scenarios and opportunity areas to explore in the Ideation Phase.
Phase 2: Ideation
In this phase, research insights were translated into testable concepts across multiple levels of fidelity, enabling rapid exploration and validation of future aviation experiences. The team applied proprietary ideation and "multi-level prototyping" methodologies to develop concepts across analog, physical, digital, AR, VR, and XR environments, complemented by structured co-design sessions with industry partners.
This approach produced a series of concepts, responding to identified themes based on technologies, and socio-economic trends, addressing the airport, aircraft, and end to end passenger journey, each assessed for strategic relevance, feasibility, and long term value.
Phase 3: Refinement
During this phase, selected concepts were refined into cohesive future experiences integrating products, services, interactions, and viable business models. Full scale aircraft cabin environments were developed and evaluated using physical mockups and immersive AR and VR simulations, enabling detailed assessment of user experience, operational feasibility, and technological readiness.
Each concept was finalized using clear selection criteria, including target user demographics, supporting trends and technologies, strategic alignment with airline and manufacturer priorities, and potential pathways for revenue generation.
Phase 4 Next Steps:
Final concepts were presented at Boeing headquarters in Everett, Washington, following each sponsored project, supported by internal workshops and co-design sessions with Boeing experts across engineering, user experience, strategy, and marketing.
Selected outcomes advanced through internal review and intellectual property processes, resulting in 8 awarded U.S. patents and international recognition through the industry’s highest honor, the Crystal Cabin Award. These outcomes demonstrate how design-led research and innovation, alongside the development of proprietary methodologies, can move from foresight to implementation, delivering strategic value at scale.
Selected outcomes advanced through internal review and intellectual property processes, resulting in 8 awarded U.S. patents and international recognition through the industry’s highest honor, the Crystal Cabin Award. These outcomes demonstrate how design-led research and innovation, alongside the development of proprietary methodologies, can move from foresight to implementation, delivering strategic value at scale.
Interested in more information?
Due to confidentiality and NDA protections, specific concepts and detailed project outcomes cannot be publicly shared. However, I would be glad to discuss the design research and innovation process, the strategic frameworks applied, and the resulting IP protected outcomes in more detail upon request.
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