Across — Shivani Mistry

The Problem

Airports are stressful. Now imagine not speaking the language.

International airports are some of the most cognitively demanding environments in everyday life — dense with signage, announcements, and directional cues that assume English literacy. For the 1.5 billion non-native English speakers who travel globally each year, navigating an unfamiliar airport can be overwhelming, anxiety-inducing, and isolating.

Across was designed to remove that barrier entirely — giving travelers real-time, native-language guidance through their physical environment using augmented reality.

What happens?

Struggles to form a clear mental map of the airport

Avoids asking for help due to language barriers

Misses critical way-finding cues at points like security, gates

The Impact

Increased anxiety leads to hesitation and slower decision-making

Small navigation errors result in missed connections or delays

Loss of independence reduces confidence in solo travel

Research

20+ participants. Real anxieties. Real gaps.

I conducted a mixed-methods research study including in-depth interviews, contextual observation, and usability testing with non-native English speakers across varying levels of English proficiency and travel experience.

20+

Research participants across 6 nationalities

3

Research methods: interviews, observation, testing

5

Key insights that shaped the final design

Key Insights

What research revealed.

Insight 01

Anxiety peaks at decision points

Travelers felt most lost at junctions, gate changes, and security transitions — not in open corridors. Navigation must be contextually triggered.

Insight 02

Signage overload causes paralysis

Too many signs in an unfamiliar language caused travelers to freeze rather than make a decision. Simplicity and clarity are more valuable than completeness.

Insight 03

Native language builds immediate trust

Participants responded significantly more confidently to directions in their native language — even when they partially understood English alternatives.

Insight 04

Asking for help feels embarrassing

Many participants admitted to wandering rather than asking for help due to language barriers and social anxiety. A self-serve solution was essential.

Design Principles

Designed for confidence, not just clarity.

01

Native language first, always

Every instruction, label, and confirmation is delivered in the user's chosen native language. No fallback to English without explicit user action.

02

AR overlays reduce cognitive load

Instead of interpreting a map, users follow contextual AR arrows overlaid on their real environment — reducing the need to context-switch between a screen and the physical world.

03

Calm, not urgent

The visual and interaction language is deliberately calm — soft tones, gentle transitions, clear confirmation states — to counteract the inherent stress of the airport environment.

Key Screens

From onboarding to destination.

Language Selection & Onboarding

Users select their native language on first launch. The entire app experience immediately adapts — every instruction and label switches to their chosen language.

AR Navigation View

Contextual AR arrows overlay the physical environment in real time, guiding users turn-by-turn to their destination without needing to interpret a map.

Gate & Terminal Search

Users search for gates, restrooms, lounges, or any airport facility — all results labelled and described in their native language.

Interactive Prototype

Experience Across firsthand.

Figma Prototype Embed

Interactive

System Flow

How Across works end to end.

01

Language Selection

User sets native language on first launch. All UI adapts instantly.

02

Destination Input

User searches for gate, terminal, or facility in their language.

03

Route Calculation

System maps optimal path using live airport data and user position.

04

AR Guidance

Contextual overlays appear at decision points in the user's native language.

05

Arrival Confirmation

Clear confirmation state reassures the traveler they've arrived correctly.

Validating Progress

Reassurance at every step

Continuous progress cues prevent early confidence loss across the journey.

Preventing Confusion

Context-aware triggers

AR overlays activate only at high-decision moments — reducing fatigue.

Visual Communication

Language-independent signals

Icons, color, and motion replace text-heavy directions wherever possible.

Outcome

Research-validated. Confidence improved.

20+

Participants across the research study reported significantly higher confidence navigating airport environments when guided in their native language via AR overlays.

Usability testing validated that the AR-first approach reduced decision time at key navigation points and lowered self-reported anxiety scores.

Across — AR Airport Wayfinding