In my recent travels I have noticed a quiet revolution in the sky, with the roll-out of redesigned Inflight Entertainment (IFE) systems by some of the major airlines.

BA and Singapore Airlines are clearly investing heavily in IFE, no doubt to further differentiate themselves from the low-cost operators. From a customer’s perspective, it’s pleasing to see that the user-interface design has improved to a very high standard.

On a recent flight from London to New York with British Airways, I had the pleasure of using their new Audio and Visual on Demand (AVOD) system. Designed by UK agency GT, and powered by Rockwell Collins' Total Entertainment System, the touch-screen interface is clean, simple and very easy to use.

However, in my opinion the design lacks personality (or charm), as a result of being too clean and simple. That said, BA carry over 2.5 million passengers each month, so it’s hard to argue against a utilitarian design.

Regretfully, BA couldn’t resist the temptation of banner advertising (in this case a BA Holidays promotion), not to mention the pre-roll video advertising that is now standard before each movie.


On a (much longer) flight from London to Melbourne with Singapore Airlines, I was able to experience and contrast their old vs new inflight entertainment systems. I have always liked the old system, which boasts a clean (inoffensive) design, nicely consistent with the Singapore Airline branding. Think flowery flourishes and orchards aplenty. However the new system is the best I’ve seen…

First impressions help. On boarding the sparkling-new 777, I marveled at the lovely new high resolution, wide (10.6 inch) LCD screens, set within the newly designed seat-back. The seat panel includes a USB port and (surprisingly) Microsoft Office software is built into the system.

The hardware is a great start, and the next thing I noticed was the IFE was available immediately. Yes, I could start watching Underdog while other passengers were still boarding! Furthermore, the user-interface design is outstanding. Carefully crafted icons and nicely designed backdrops are a treat. It’s no longer traditionally Singaporean (the interface could just as easily work for BA), but it perfectly matches the contemporary cabin design.

I am unsure who designed the user-interface (if you know, please add a Comment below), but the system is powered by Panasonic Avionics eX2 system.

On long-haul flights, a good IFE really does make the difference, and in my case will heavily influence my choice of airline. It’s great to see that BA and Singapore Airlines (my two favorite carriers) are getting it right; unfortunately the same cannot be said for Thai Airways.

On my return flight from Melbourne to London with Thai, the second leg of the journey (from Bangkok) was like a step back in time. In a bad way. It’s practically inhumane to endure a 13 hour flight without seat-back IFE, especially when the only entertainment (on the projector) was; an old episode of ‘Everybody Hates Chris’, a BBC documentary and the movie Hairspray!

Rest assured, I won’t be flying Thai again. But I’m already looking forward to my next flight with Singapore. I would love to see the Business Class seat-back design, so if you’re reading this SIA, please contact me about that free upgrade!


If you know of any other examples of great IFE user-interface design, please let us know by adding your comments below…

Footnote: I have to mention the fantastic Bose Noise Cancelling headphones, which I find make every flight more enjoyable, regardless of how good or bad the IFE. Expensive, but a great investment if you travel often. Ask for them this xmas!


Tim O'Neill, Managing Director UK

Labels: Design and Usability, Technology

Recently I was asked to do some last minute consulting work on JetStar's e-ticket check-in kiosk. The kiosk was a bright orange box and incorporated two monitors and several peripherals; an infrared scanner (which uses new technology, invisible to the eye), the credit card reader and the printer. The on-screen graphics aimed to inform the confused traveller about which of these intimate interactions to use and what could be gained by such a romantic exchange of personal data. Simply put, most of my advice aimed to create a better visual relationship between the icons onscreen and the icons painted onto the kiosk (visible in screengrab above). Reducing the time it takes to self check-in literally saves money and an incremental decrease of 30 seconds is a really big deal. It was an interesting project which got me thinking more about how people use the device, their expectations and how important context is when designing interactions. For example; Airports are busy, travelers are already anxious about catching the flights so when they arrive at the kiosk they are already predisposed to anxiety, they are also planning on their experience to last a very short time. The device itself has to be 'visually read'. First timers need to take in the machine and immediately interpret the various ledges, bumps, indentations, colors, surfaces and moldings and connect them somehow with actions they need to perform. Buttons need to be the size of the human finger which changes the proportions of everything on screen. Touch screens don't have a hover state (because they don't have a mouse) so clickable items need to look really clickable and the interface can't provide visual feedback for pre-click reassurance These are just a few considerations. Every device is different and I am reminded of how important it is to consider design in a broader setting. I am often disappointed by the usability of ticket machines, ATM's and other devices. Often all it is is a poor marriage between the hardware and what's happening on screen. Maybe designers and engineers need to collaborate more often or maybe the world just needs more marriage guidance councillors?

Tim Kotsiakos, Creative Director

Labels: Design and Usability, Reactive