In-Flight Entertainment Reimagined

How to design a best-in-class In-Flight Entertainment experience. A good place to start is with a solid and well-developed brand identity and to infuse this with innovation through a process of ideation and user experience design.

We had already created the new Saudia entertainment and passenger experience brand, SaudiaBEYOND, and the first continuation project was to utilise this visual design system for the next generation IFE-C systems from OEM providers, Panasonic, and Thales.

Like any IFE-C system, designing the content discovery experience for Audio Visual On-Demand (AVOD) is a core part of the process that requires careful design thinking across user experience and interaction design. Beyond this are many other ‘modules’ that can create a next-generation and differentiated in-flight experience. Whether seat-back duty-free shopping, food and beverage ordering, or leading-edge features, these also need to be planned into the design phases and considered via the same process of innovation and design craft.

Working closely with Panasonic and Thales is also key — to successfully communicate the new design experience, to consult on the expected user flow, usability feedback, and implementation of business rules, and ultimately to ensure everything is implemented with the correct level of software build and end-user quality. We found that weekly consultation was a key tool. We ran walk-throughs of the new design modules with discussion and decision-making with the client and software teams. And ran remote and in-laboratory QA rack and usability testing as the project progressed. This resulted in many successful and on-brand innovations. Here’s the final line-up:

• Bluetooth Headphone Connect — connect your own to the IFE-C. No widgets, no adaptors required. No wires to get in your way.
• Mecca-Pointer App — with prayer time reminders as you fly.
• Vanity Mirror — using the front-facing camera in the seat-back hardware. Look your best before landing without having to queue for the bathroom mirror.
• Accessibility Features — sight and hearing accessibility.
• FP 3D Aero App — spin 3D models of Saudia aircraft, explore data and seat plans.
• Food & Beverage Ordering — including passenger-to-crew help functionality for cuisine queries.
• Duty-Free Shopping — purchase from the seatback screen and get delivery to your seat.
• Personalisation – easy login via e-ticket number, frequent flyer number, or booking reference, then; ‘continue watching’ finish a movie that you started on a previous flight, access your loyalty program dashboard, load preferences for entertainment and cuisine, pull up pre-ordered meals, cancel or order more from the IFE cuisine menu, open pre-made playlists, start listening to your playlist, begin your pre-planned movie marathon or add to it.
• Bluetooth Companion App Connect – connect to the Saudia companion app via the seat-back GUI, another way to load pre-made playlists to the IFE-C.

We were mindful to apply brand identity at every touch point and throughout the UX and UI, the visual aesthetics, and the written word. With SaudiaBEYOND, we could bring the tradition of Saudi Arabian hospitality together with the Kingdom’s future vision.

After in-person/in-laboratory and remote testing at the Panasonic and Thales test racks, the next-generation IFE-C GUI design is now flying on Saudia Airbus A321 Neo aircraft and is soon to be rolled-out further to the wider Saudia fleet.