Until now, space agencies have worked to maximize safety and minimize the cost of crewed missions. But as private companies begin to send civilians to space, they’ll need to provide a better experience for their customers and double down on adding curiosity and delight to our explorations into the unknown.
Designing a space travel experience
Imagine that you’ve just won a ticket for a three-day trip to the ISS. Once aboard, you feel thrilled to float around in zero gravity and gasp at the majestic view of Earth beneath you. But after a few days of bumping into walls and your fellow travellers, eating packaged meals, and using tube toilets, your precious out-of-this-world vacation starts to feel like an ordeal.
Inspired by Don’s playful curiosity, a team of colleagues at IDEO decided to tackle the zero gravity environment through some out-of-this-world design exercises to explore the untapped potential of the burgeoning space travel market. Here are some of the guiding…