Reactive

Melbourne Airport is one of Australia's busiest transport hubs - over 19 million passengers passed through the airport last year. Reactive Media were commissioned to redesign the Melbourne Airport Web site, making it more user-friendly, compelling and feature-rich.

The Solution

The relationship between Melbourne Airport and Reactive Media began in 2001, when Reactive were commissioned to redesign the airport’s official Web site.

The resulting site was widely acclaimed as a leading International aviation Web site and won numerous local and International awards such as:

• The highly coveted International 'Macromedia Site of the Day' award
• 'Macromedia Asia Pacific Site of the Week' (a showcase of the best Web design in the region)
• Finalist in the Macromedia Web Awards (a highly competitive international competition)
• Finalist in the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) Awards

Based on this success, Reactive were commissioned by Melbourne Airport to redesign the site in 2005. The site had grown over time, and needed a visual and structural upgrade.

The first stage of the project was undertaking user-testing with specialised Web usability firm UsabilityOne. The results of the user-testing were used to inform the design of the site and the information architecture.

The redesign the site makes it more user-friendly, compelling and feature-rich. Some of the features of the Web site include:

• Searchable Flight Information (updated every 5 minutes)
• Live Flight Radar (flights displayed on a map of the world in real-time)
• Shopping and facilities directory
• Interactive feature showing airport preparations for the A380 Airbus
• Car parking calculators - airport parking Tullamarine
• Interactive map of the airport (built in Macromedia Flash)

The use of Macromedia Flash throughout the site both engages users and displays complicated information in a practical and user-friendly manner.

The content for the site is administrated through a comprehensive (but easy to use) Content Management System, allowing airport staff to easily make changes to content and images in the site.

Testimonial

"Melbourne Airport has had a strong partnership with Tim and the team at Reactive for over 4 years.

"The goal for our web presence is to continue to provide an easy-to-use site for our passengers, visitors and partners; maintain a strong sense of brand and innovation; and remind site visitors of the excitement and buzz of visiting an airport. It's great to say that our site continues to excel in all of these areas.

"Whilst Reactive is strong in all things technical, it is their ability to turn complex problems into simple, user-friendly ideas that makes them so great to work with. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with the whole team at Reactive as our website continues to evolve."

- Thomas Perry, Corporate Communications Coordinator, Melbourne Airport

Web site users feedback

“May I congratulate you on your radar section, my sister has just returned to Australia after visiting me in the UK, she is 75 and was nervous about the flight, not only have Emirates been fantastic, it was a relief for me to be able to track the flight from Darwin to touchdown in Tullamarine. Thank you for this service.”

“A great site where one can enjoy the thought of a great mind long departed. Cheers for the good work!”

“The whole site is very impressive & very helpful. Excellent source of information. Very user-friendly and easy to navigate around. Keep up the great work!"

“What a fantastic site - all the information you need and REALLY EASY and simple to find what you are looking for - CONGRATULATIONS!!!”

“Your flight radar tracking page is wonderful. Thanks to the brainy people who deigned your web site.”

“Brilliant site! Excellent live radar and interactive terminals. Can't find another site to compare with this!”

"Just to say I think your live Flight Radar is fantastic and all the family have been watching our brother Jason on his way back to England. Just splendid thank you!"

Facts and Figures