IFE Reimagined
Overview
Problem
After a first-hand experience with a tedious long-haul flight, I wonder how the experience of being stuck in the seat for hours can be improved through in-flight entertainment.
Despite the fact that IFE (in-flight entertainment) has come a long way— from shared screen to personal screens with increasing features, there are still a lot of pain points exist within the current systems, which I explored in this personal case study.
Objective
How might the in-flight experience be enhanced through IFE?
Project Type
UI UX design
Duration
2 weeks (Dec 2021)
My Roles
Product design
Visual design
Information architecture
Design Process
Research
Competitive Research
I first interviewed some of my friends and family members who have recently interacted with an IFE system to find out the existing pain points and design opportunities.
Stakeholder Interviews
Aside from the IFE system that I have personally used, I have also researched on the IFE offerings (i.e. personal screens, remote controls, Apps, spefic features) from other airlines to gather more insight.
Articles Reviews
I conducted secondary research and tried to learn as much about IFE as possible through existing information provided online.
Through the competitive research, I learned the following:
Airlines are beginning to leverage in-flight WiFi for streaming entertainment
Trend of a more personalized in-flight experience
Trend of offering mobile Apps as a secondary (or even primary) IFE medium
Research Key Takeaways
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Poor Ergonomic Design
Using the touch screen makes for an unnatural posture where users have to hold their arms up, which is rather tiresome and not very intuitive.
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Accessibility and Inclusivity
People with disability such as visually impaired people have a hard time using the IFE systems without personalization to help their special needs.
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Unhygienic Public Devices
The pandemic has raised awareness for public touchscreens and devices. The touchscreens and remote controls of IFE system cause potential concerns.
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Lack of Transparency
The airline that I experienced doesn’t disclose the available meal options until flight attendants are already serving food—putting pressure on customers to choose quickly.
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Privacy & Disruption
Users have to press a button to switch a light on to notify flight attendants for help. The spotlight can make the passenger and everyone around uncomfortable.
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Poor Gaming Experience
Very few people actually play the games offered on flights due to lack of options. As technological capability continues to evolve, how might the gaming experience evolve?
Analysis
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Journey Mapping
Ideation
Design
Personal Devices As Remote Controls
Current user interaction
Proposed user interaction
Passengers can use their own mobile devices as remote controls—connect to the IFE screens and rest comfortably in their seats without having to make physical contact with the screens.
Changing Colors Based on Environment
Dark theme will be activated upon night time to adjust to the lighting conditions, which helps to improve visual ergonomics through ameliorating eye strain while conserving electricity power.
Cloud Gaming & Inflight Tournament
Provide more gaming options through cloud gaming technology. Users can use their mobile devices as a gamepad as a better alternative to the provided touchscreen.
Style Guide
