Autonomous Air-Taxi

Luma

Ilona Porfirova

Turning Stressful Seattle Commutes into Happy Hours :)

The Brief

LUMA

LUMA is an autonomous air-taxi service designed to bypass urban gridlock. By applying Human-Centered Design (HCD) to urban air mobility, LUMA transforms unpredictable commutes into restorative, efficient, and mentally clear experiences.

Cityscape with tall buildings and the Seattle Space Needle at sunset, a drone flying above, and text describing an autonomous air-taxi startup improving Seattle commutes.

Design Context

Seattle Congestion: Seattle ranks as the 10th most congested city in the U.S., with drivers losing 87 hours annually to traffic.
The Unpredictability Factor: Commutes fluctuate wildly—such as a 20-minute drive unexpectedly taking 90 minutes—causing severe mental drain, physical fatigue, lost opportunities, and stress.
Infrastructure Limits: Expanding highway lanes has failed, making it necessary to transition urban transit from ground roads to the sky.

Traffic congestion on a highway with many cars and trucks, alongside text stating Seattle commuters lose 87 hours per year to traffic congestion causing mental drain, physical fatigue, lost time, lost opportunities, and stress.

Goals

Future of Commute

How Might We: How might we redesign urban commuting so that time in transit becomes efficient, predictable, and mentally restorative?
Target User Persona: Daniel Mercer (47, Managing Partner at Meta), who commutes between Bellevue and South Lake Union (45–75 min peak). He values time over status and requires schedule predictability, mental clarity before meetings, and seamless airport transfers.
Core Objective: Reclaim lost commuting hours so passengers can spend their time resting, connecting, or creating.

Field Research

Market Gap & Strategic Specification

Competitive Landscape: Direct Competitors (Joby, Archer, Volocopter, EHang): Offer quiet electric VTOL technology but focus on functional design with minimal passenger comfort or infrastructure integration.
Indirect Competitors (Uber Black/Reserve): Provide luxury on-demand booking but remain trapped in ground traffic with no time compression.
Substitute Competitors (Helicopters, Private Jets): Offer fast travel but are loud, pilot-dependent, non-eco-friendly, and airport-constrained.

Three-panel image showing different transportation technologies: left panel depicts an Archer eVTOL aircraft on a runway at sunset, middle panel shows a Waymo autonomous vehicle side view with text 'eVTOL Technology' and 'Autonomous Navigation', and right panel features a Zoox autonomous vehicle front view with headlights on and a red license plate.

A timeline diagram titled 'The Scope of Focus' showing stages Booking, Arrival at Skyport, In-Flight, Landing, and Marketing with corresponding deliverables Luma App, Skyport Network, Cabin Comfort, and Landing Page represented by connected dots of varying sizes.

System Architecture

Iterations

The Luma Mobile App: Refined through user testing and guided by Jakob's Law to maintain intuitive navigation. Features search destinations, fare transparency ($201.95 Luma vs. $130.30 ground ride-share), Skyport QR entry codes, in-flight ambiance controls, and landing touchdown alerts.
The Skyport Network Map: Redesigned from a low-contrast draft into a high-visibility map showcasing 6 Seattle skyports (averaging 12-minute flight corridors linking South Lake Union, Bellevue, and Sea-Tac) with global expansion projections.
In-Flight Cabin Experience: Evolved from an early car-seat layout into a pilot-free, sound-insulated pod equipped with panoramic views, ergonomic seating, onboard Wi-Fi, chargers, and custom light/voice controls.
Marketing Landing Page: Reorganized after testing to explicitly map out the full journey (booking to landing). Integrated smooth reveal animations and a looping video header via vibe-coding motion design to reflect a seamless flight experience.

Five smartphone screens showing app interface for booking and managing urban air travel, including destination selection with Seattle and Bellevue locations, flight confirmation with payment options, arrival screen displaying a drone-like air taxi and QR code for access, cabin settings with interior lighting and voice control adjustments, and landing confirmation with a map and user location.

Skyport network map interface showing global locations with highlighted Seattle region, featuring six skyports and an average flight time of 12 minutes, alongside a short description of service links for business travel.

Website landing page for an autonomous air taxi service named Luma, showing three vertical sections: left section with headline 'Above Traffic Beyond Time', a button to explore Luma, four feature points, and an interior cabin image; middle section showing flight booking steps over a cityscape background with map of skyport network and a button to explore the app; right section featuring a slogan 'A new way to move in your phone', smartphone app screenshots, core philosophy points, and footer navigation and contact info.

Future Vision

Next Steps

Testing & Promotion: Validate safety, comfort, and pilot-free operations through end-to-end trial flights with journalists.
Accessibility Infrastructure: Implement wheelchair-accessible boarding procedures and dedicated in-cabin placement to ensure independent travel.

Drone flying above a city street at sunset with tall buildings on either side and the Space Needle in the background under an orange sky with sunlight rays.

Reflection

Outcomes & Synthesis

Impact: Demonstrates how human-centered design applied to urban air mobility can return valuable time to commuters while serving as a strategic blueprint for Seattle and other major metropolitan areas.
Reflection: Emphasizes the importance of justifying user-focused design decisions over tech-heavy gimmicks, highlighting how vibe-coding motion and parallax effects enhanced digital engagement.

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