DESIGNING THE SWISSAIR IFEN

I was going through my files recently and discovered a bunch of screenshots from the in-flight entertainment network (IFEN) we designed for Swissair back when I was at Magnet Interactive. Admittedly, these are a bit of a jumble – different design paths, probably different iterations of each path, too. But they’re fun to look at.

It was a great project – lots of trips to Phoenix and Switzerland – but most importantly it made a lasting impression thanks to the strength and dedication of the team and because (at the time) fully-interactive seat-back entertainment systems were virtually unheard of. So in many ways we were making things up as we went along.

We were tasked with imagining a concept for what might be engaging, useful, and profitable content and functionality (think lots of duty-free shopping, some gambling, and on-demand media), which turned out to be the easy part. But the challenges multiplied when we had to design the system around the demands on domestic and international law, flight safety regulations, and the unique usability issues that come into play at 35,000 feet – small screens, turbulence, reclining seats and seat-back tables, inebriated passengers, and much more.

One interesting design note: on some of the language selection screens, the buttons were designed to incorporate notable landmarks to assist users in easily selecting their appropriate language. But apparently even today there’s some…unease…in using certain recognizable German buildings. So while in some screenshots you’ll see the German button featuring a building, in the final deliverable we switched to a snowy mountain peak.

At any rate, I loved the project, loved the team, and loved the very excellent finished product we delivered to Swissair.