Image of Women holding smart phone while seated next to a window in an airplane

The Power of Personalization.

Panasonic Avionics | Waterfront Seat

Industries

Air & Spacecraft

Deliverables

Design Language System
Experience Design
Prototypes
User Interface Design
User Testing Evaluation

Panasonic Avionics partnered with Teague to create a next generation Business Class seat that unifies physical and digital touch points while providing a completely customizable personal environment for passengers.

Image of Women sitting in Business Class seat with a handheld tablet connected to the inflight entertainment system

Challenge

Evolving the passenger experience.

As smartphones became the center of people's everyday lives and aircraft connectivity became increasingly more reliable, Panasonic Avionics challenged Teague, Formation Design Group, and Collins Aerospace to design and deliver a new, integrated seating product that could bring on-the-ground consumer expectations into the onboard passenger experience.

APPROACH

Prototyping physical & digital.

With Teague focused on the Waterfront digital experience, and Formation Design Group responsible for the physical design of the seat, the team began with an extensive research activity involving passengers and potential airline customers to solicit inputs and further understand user behavior. Studies previously conducted on Collins Aerospace’s Jazz Seat, also designed by Teague, helped inform the comfort and shape of the seat cushion while prototyping both physical and digital design at scale allowed the team to experience the product first-hand and quickly iterate toward a solution in which comfort and convenience work together.

Image of User interface prototypes for airline smart phone app and inflight entertainment purchasing

Image of User interface prototypes for airplane inflight entertainment and smart phone app

Image of Women in white jacket sitting in airplane seat prototype with smart phone

Image of User interface prototypes for airline seat controls

Image of User interface prototypes for airline smart phone app

Image of Interface prototypes for airline seat remote control

Image of Airline app and inflight entertainment user interface greeting

SOLUTION

Tailored for every passenger.

Teague’s primary role was centered on the Waterfront digital experience, including the design of a companion app, supplied in-seat tablet interface, and remote control.

From their personal device, passengers can control the in-flight entertainment system, as well as order food and beverages directly to their seat. Keeping frequent flyers top of mind, the app keeps track of any food, drink, or viewing preferences from previous flights. Passengers can also adjust the seat recline, temperature settings, and change the seat lighting to their personal taste.

As passengers approach their destination, the app provides gate, baggage claim, and car rental information along with a reminder to remove personal items; the main storage compartment includes a sensor that triggers an on-screen alert if anything is left behind.

Achieved through close collaboration with our design and manufacturing partners, the physical and digital experience work in perfect harmony to offer a new level of personalization.