YVR Digital Twin

As the Lead Designer, I guided a multidisciplinary team through the creation of a cutting edge Digital Twin for Vancouver International Airport (YVR). My responsibilities spanned from early-stage discovery to final look and feel, including:

• Collaberated in client workshops to uncover operational pain points and align on goals.
• Defining the visual language and crafting the overall look and feel.
• Building a scalable design system to ensure consistency across the platform.
• Leading art direction workshops to align stakeholders on visual and experiential direction.
• Overseeing motion and interactivity, ensuring the experience was not only functional but intuitive and engaging.

The Challenge

YVR faced a complex operational challenge: how to predict and prevent bottlenecks across various airport systems, passenger flow, baggage handling, security, and ground traffic. They needed a solution that could synthesize historical and real-time data to improve efficiency, reduce wait times, and support sustainability goals.

The Solution

We designed and built a Digital Twin a real-time, data-driven replica of YVR’s physical operations. This platform enables airport staff to:

• Visualize and predict wait times at key choke points using historical trends and live sensor data.
• Monitor ground traffic and airside operations to optimize aircraft movement and gate assignments.
• Track security and baggage flow to proactively address issues before they escalate.
• Coordinate staffing and resources across departments with predictive insights.

Results

• Reduced wait times across security, baggage, and check-in.
• Improved operational efficiency, enabling smarter staffing and resource allocation.
• Enhanced security monitoring through predictive alerts and real-time tracking.
• Progress toward sustainability goals by reducing idle times and optimizing energy use.

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