Brief
British Airways required a design for their new inflight entertainment (IFE) system. The design had to successfully showcase the airline's rapidly increasing entertainment offering, whilst remaining simple and intuitive for the user. The system also had to be scalable and flexible enough to eventually roll out across BA's entire fleet.
Solution
Reactive created all elements of the IFE user interface, from the planning of the information architecture through to iconography and branding.
In creating the design Reactive researched a wide range of user interfaces, including digital TVs, games consoles and traditional airport checkin-kiosks, to establish best practice navigation principles beyond the traditional online space. It was also important to successfully meet the unique challenges of the in-flight environment such as varying light conditions in-flight, light pollution between seats and different cabin/screen layouts between classes.
By following a strong user-centred design process and testing designs at key stages, Reactive was able to deliver a system which more than meets the goals of British Airways and its loyal passenger base.
Reactive's interface designs were implemented by BA's inflight technology partner, Thales. The new system features hundreds of hours of on demand film and TV, audio programming and interactive games, all available via touch screen and handheld controller. The system also uniquely features interfaces for portable media devices, enabling passengers to watch their own movies and photos via the IFE screen.
Results
The new IFE designs are currently being used on British Airways' new Boeing 747-300ER fleet. The designs will continue to be rolled out across the rest of the fleet over the next 12 to 24 months.
"The user interface is extremely intuitive and showcases our increased entertainment offering to its maximum. Reactive really understood what we were trying to achieve and consistently came up with innovative ways of addressing the many challenges of the project."
- Dee Brady - IFE & Publishing Manager, British Airways
British Airway's IFE was recently awarded a Highly Commended in the Create Design Awards (Interactive & Digital category) and is a finalist for the British Interactive Media Association (BIMA) Awards in the Leisure & Travel category, with winners announced November 10th.