Biometrics Workstation Design
British Airports Authority
Background
A new biometric passenger enrolment and verification process is being introduced into Heathrow Airport's Terminal 1 (T1). The purpose of this is to ensure segregation of onward domestic and international passengers and to guarantee that passengers present the correct (i.e. their own) boarding cards when leaving the transit lounge.
The ‘Enrolment' process involves taking a fingerprint scan and facial image capture for all passengers with onward domestic flights entering the FCC. Passengers will remain in the transit lounge until their boarding gate is available. On leaving the transit lounge, passengers will go through the ‘Verification' process. This involves checking that the passenger details held (hand scan and facial image) match the passenger leaving the lounge.
Project
We were commissioned to provide an ergonomics assessment of the design of this work space. The objective of the assessment was to provide;
- Ergonomic analysis of the proposed workstation design in relation to staff and passenger usage
- Identification of the most effective location for the biometric equipment on the workstations to support passenger and staff usage and to support the overall process effectiveness
- Provide recommended design changes to enhance equipment integration and workstation operability.
- Environmental considerations (task lighting, glare management etc);
Implementation
Full-scale mock-up testing was combined with SAMMIE modelling to provide a realistic environment for user engagement and to deliver accurate assessment of the feasibility of design options
The best locations to site cameras where they were one camera was shared was also examined using SAMMIE.
Outcomes
Data from both the full-scale trials, and the computer modelling, were combined for a set for specifications which were used in the final design.