I recently traveled by Air Canada from Incheon (Seoul) to Vancouver and then to Toronto. I spent 9 hours in a new airplane (Being 788 Dreamliner) and then 4 more hours in an old one (Airbus 320). In two airplanes, I watched same movies and listened to same music to learn a commonality and several differences of the personal touch-screen TV systems.
As for the commonality, the in-flight entertainment systems embedded in two airplanes are controlled by touch. They have no wired/wireless controllers to select a program or to change the brightness or volume. Although touch is popular, a passenger behind me kept pressing his/her screen firmly and moving my headrest. Therefore, “minimizing the number of touching activities” will be critical in enhancing my own entertainment experience as well as improving the in-flight experience of the passenger sitting in front of me.
*Old*
As for the differences, I found two things that make the new system better than the old one. First, the new system has a better User Interface (UI or layout) than the old one. In the new system, I was able to store individual programs (e.g., movie, tv, and music) and then bring them up to play while enjoying other programs. For instance, while I was watching a movie, I could pause it and then call and listen to the music I stored in advance. In the old system, I completely stopped playing one program to enjoy another one and, more importantly, doing so needs many, many touches. Further, the new system has a new drop-down menu at the top which helped me navigate the programs.
Second, the new system provides a better Customer Experience (CX) than the old one. The new system has a simpler, darker background and thus the information and programs are clear. Adding to that, “a small airplane marker in the bottom” at the new system showed how much more to go to the destination. In the old system, I had no idea how many hours were left and, to quench this curiosity, I should have pressed a lot of buttons. More importantly, the new system responded to my touch faster and more accurately than the old one.
In goal-oriented services, consumers want to get transported from one well-defined state (start) to another (destination) state without much concern for intermediate states. A cost-based evaluation of such services should depend on the total cost associated with the service-i.e., the price and the amount of time taken for completion. In this paper, we demonstrate that the characteristics of the path to the final destination also influence evaluation and choice. Specifically, we show that segments of idle time and travel away from the final destination are seen as obstacles in the progress towards the destination, and hence lower the choice likelihood of the path. Further, we show that the earlier such obstacles occur during the service, the lower is the choice likelihood. We present an analytical model of consumer choice and test its predictions in a series of experiments. Our results show that in choosing between two services that cover the same displacement in the same time (i.e., identical average progress), consumer choice is driven by the perception of progress towards the goal (i.e., by virtual progress). In a final experiment, we show that the effects of virtual progress may outweigh the effects of actual average progress.
One thought on “Air Canada, UI and CX of in-flight entertainment system”
The author found the two differences between the two airplanes’ personal touch-screen TV systems. One is that the new system has a better user interface (UI) than the old one. The new system allows him to store individual programs and bring them up to play while enjoying other programs. The other one is that the new system provides a better customer experience (CX) than the old one. The new system has a simpler and darker background, so the information and programs are more visible. Based on these differences, the new system provides a better user experience than the old one. It can be concluded that the convenience of menu operation and improved visibility are factors for improving CX.
Recently, Korean Air’s latest aircraft, the neo, has introduced a new UI for its displays and provides video manuals to help passengers use them (https://www.koreanair.com/ch/en/in-flight/aircraft/a321/neo-182/prestige). A lot of new features have been added. The features include variety kinds of movies and dramas.
I want to discuss the new, broaden service of the airplane mentioned in the article from the perspective of the paradox of choice. Does diversity of services really affect the satisfaction of passengers?
The paradox of choice is the phenomenon that the more choices you have, the harder it is for you to choose. This can lead to increased pressure and anxiety about making choices, as well as decreased satisfaction with the choices you make. The paradox of choice arises for reasons such as the burden of choice, regret of choice, and opportunity cost of choice.
In general, it is easy to think that passengers’ satisfaction and utilization rate increase as airlines provide more kinds of content. But, what do you think it will be like in reality?
The paradox of choice theory can also apply to in-flight entertainment systems. In-flight entertainment systems offer a wide range of content, so passengers have a lot of choices. However, the more choices there are, the harder it can be for passengers to choose.
For example, there may be so many movies and TV shows available on the in-flight entertainment system that passengers find it difficult to choose. Additionally, passengers may be disappointed if they can’t find the content they want, if the content they choose is not interesting, or if it doesn’t suit their tastes. Therefore, it is important for in-flight entertainment systems to provide an easy-to-use environment for passengers to choose from. For example, providing search functionality so that passengers can easily find the content they want, or providing preview functionality so that passengers can see the content they choose before they select it. It is also a good idea to provide recommendation features that suggest content that passengers may enjoy.
The paradox of choice is a common problem in modern society, where there are many choices, a lot of efforts to overcome it are necessary. In terms of design, there are several ways to address the paradox of choice.
– Improve user experience (UX): It is important to consider user needs and preferences and improve user experience. Design for intuitive understanding and operation by users, and
remove unnecessary elements during the selection process to reduce user burden.
– Provide information: It is important to provide users with the information they need to help them make choices. Provide users with information about their choices and help them predict the consequences of their choices in advance.
– Provide guidelines: It is important to provide users with guidelines for making choices to help them choose. Provide users with criteria for making choices and examples of choices.
To improve the user experience, the following factors are necessary. First, the keyword “multitasking” comes to mind. This refers to behaviors such as watching TV and using a smartphone simultaneously, rather than focusing on one content. To satisfy users, it is necessary to provide content that allows them to enjoy two or three kinds of contents at the same time, rather than just one piece of quality content. Second, connectivity in the user journey is essential. As described in the article, the new aircraft allows passengers to save their desired content and music, makes it easy to resume watching after stopping, and to enjoy various content in a connected, continuous flow. This is also related to menu structure design. It is a way to minimize the number of clicks, or depths, required to reach the desired menu by users. Both of these methods are based on user behavior analysis.
From the perspective of airline company management, it is an act of consumers who have once experienced repurchase continuously to increase customer profitability and obtain corporate value in return. As autonomous driving technology advances, a car is no longer just a means of transportation but a personal space with various functions. You can play games, drink tea, or consult with a doctor. Look forward to cabin being an appropriate environment to enjoy content. I hope passengers and the company can benefit each other.
The author found the two differences between the two airplanes’ personal touch-screen TV systems. One is that the new system has a better user interface (UI) than the old one. The new system allows him to store individual programs and bring them up to play while enjoying other programs. The other one is that the new system provides a better customer experience (CX) than the old one. The new system has a simpler and darker background, so the information and programs are more visible. Based on these differences, the new system provides a better user experience than the old one. It can be concluded that the convenience of menu operation and improved visibility are factors for improving CX.
Recently, Korean Air’s latest aircraft, the neo, has introduced a new UI for its displays and provides video manuals to help passengers use them (https://www.koreanair.com/ch/en/in-flight/aircraft/a321/neo-182/prestige). A lot of new features have been added. The features include variety kinds of movies and dramas.
I want to discuss the new, broaden service of the airplane mentioned in the article from the perspective of the paradox of choice. Does diversity of services really affect the satisfaction of passengers?
The paradox of choice is the phenomenon that the more choices you have, the harder it is for you to choose. This can lead to increased pressure and anxiety about making choices, as well as decreased satisfaction with the choices you make. The paradox of choice arises for reasons such as the burden of choice, regret of choice, and opportunity cost of choice.
In general, it is easy to think that passengers’ satisfaction and utilization rate increase as airlines provide more kinds of content. But, what do you think it will be like in reality?
The paradox of choice theory can also apply to in-flight entertainment systems. In-flight entertainment systems offer a wide range of content, so passengers have a lot of choices. However, the more choices there are, the harder it can be for passengers to choose.
For example, there may be so many movies and TV shows available on the in-flight entertainment system that passengers find it difficult to choose. Additionally, passengers may be disappointed if they can’t find the content they want, if the content they choose is not interesting, or if it doesn’t suit their tastes. Therefore, it is important for in-flight entertainment systems to provide an easy-to-use environment for passengers to choose from. For example, providing search functionality so that passengers can easily find the content they want, or providing preview functionality so that passengers can see the content they choose before they select it. It is also a good idea to provide recommendation features that suggest content that passengers may enjoy.
The paradox of choice is a common problem in modern society, where there are many choices, a lot of efforts to overcome it are necessary. In terms of design, there are several ways to address the paradox of choice.
– Improve user experience (UX): It is important to consider user needs and preferences and improve user experience. Design for intuitive understanding and operation by users, and
remove unnecessary elements during the selection process to reduce user burden.
– Provide information: It is important to provide users with the information they need to help them make choices. Provide users with information about their choices and help them predict the consequences of their choices in advance.
– Provide guidelines: It is important to provide users with guidelines for making choices to help them choose. Provide users with criteria for making choices and examples of choices.
To improve the user experience, the following factors are necessary. First, the keyword “multitasking” comes to mind. This refers to behaviors such as watching TV and using a smartphone simultaneously, rather than focusing on one content. To satisfy users, it is necessary to provide content that allows them to enjoy two or three kinds of contents at the same time, rather than just one piece of quality content. Second, connectivity in the user journey is essential. As described in the article, the new aircraft allows passengers to save their desired content and music, makes it easy to resume watching after stopping, and to enjoy various content in a connected, continuous flow. This is also related to menu structure design. It is a way to minimize the number of clicks, or depths, required to reach the desired menu by users. Both of these methods are based on user behavior analysis.
From the perspective of airline company management, it is an act of consumers who have once experienced repurchase continuously to increase customer profitability and obtain corporate value in return. As autonomous driving technology advances, a car is no longer just a means of transportation but a personal space with various functions. You can play games, drink tea, or consult with a doctor. Look forward to cabin being an appropriate environment to enjoy content. I hope passengers and the company can benefit each other.