I get to my seat, armed with some Netflix downloads ready for my flight. I’m prepared to hold my device, or prop it up with a book on the fold out table. To my surprise, on the back of the seat in front is a pouch that does all the hard work for me.
Wow!
I was initially impressed with the simplicity of the idea that I had never seen before. I used it and even if it gave my arms a rest from time to time, some problems ended up with me again holding my phone. So it made me wonder what these problems were and why they hadn’t been solved?
First let me talk about the benefits
✅ Watching content without having to hold the device
✅ Touch screen still works
✅ Convenient location
✅ Can use without try being down (take off and landing)
Simply put, being able to use your own device as your entertainment on short haul flights is genius. So many people do it anyway and spend the duration holding their device. What is even better is that it was relatively simple and used an already existing item as its base, the headrest pillow.
So me, as the passenger and user, does not need to hold my device at all times. I’m pretty certain that most of us who have flown have been fumbling around in the small space with a device, some food and drinks so to have a hands-free solution really helps. Especially, in the case when the catering cart arrives or even if you just want to check out the view.
Other attempts I have seen such as groove in the fold out tray that (attempts to) prop up a phone or tablet are less comfortable, can’t be used during take-off and landing and feel much less safe for our fragile devices. Not to mention that having the tray down in a limited space is already uncomfortable.
So I was pleasantly surprised that the touch screen still responded, and very well. Plus the choice of location is great as the seat in front already exists and the headrest can be used to anchor the device. Great job! 🎉
But, there are also problems in paradise
❌ Placed uncomfortably high up
❌ Screen covering has bad glare
❌ Access from back can disturb the passenger infront
Sadly it is far from perfect but it did appear that most issues were largely inconvenient. The first issue being the screen placement which was too high and I was always looking up towards it. However it also compounded with my main issue..
The device sits loosely in the pocket and the material used is reflective, so when it is very light outside or the cabin lights are on, then the viewing quality becomes quite poor.
Finally, the device is placed in the pocket from the back and it is quite difficult but it also feels incredibly like you are disturbing the person in front of you if you want to use the pocket. Naturally, this also means that you could also be disturbed - I didn’t experience that though but I am unaware if the passenger behind used it.
What could we do about this?
First it is important to understand why Vueling likely have these pouches in the first place and why some of the potential fixes have not been implemented.
Encouraging wifi and content purchases
By providing a solution that provides a useful entertainment opporunitiy, it is possible that Vueling have determined that their users are more likely to pay for Wifi and access to content. At some level this means they may have determined that the cost of implementing this is less than the high conversion of passengers paying for Wi-fi.
It could also be possible that they have also determined that the greater passenger experience for each person is increased.
Lack of changeable height possibly due to extra cost
As noted in the solutions below, a changeable height could provide a better experience for a lot of passengers, including myself. This would result in a small extra cost but at a large scale and may have been determined to be unnecessary.
Side entry an issue due to liability issues
If the passengers phones are placed in the side instead of the back, there is potentially a greater likelihood of the device falling out due to movements of the aircraft. This could result in lawsuits against the company or insurance claims.
Potential Ideas
- Add extra material to allow for an extra flip thereby lowering the height
- Use a different material that reflects less for the pouch cover or provide a way to press the device closer to the screen thus lowering reflections
- Be able to input and secure the device from the side - this would also be useful if the passenger wants to use the device’s technology inputs simultaneously
Ideas implemented across all ideas:
- Zip pocket for easier access to device and ensure that it is unlikely the device will fall from the pocket and reduce the likelyhood of bothering other passengers.
- A new screen material that has less glare and attaches the device to it. The closer the device is to the material, the less reflections and glare there will be 🎉!
Concept 1a:
Use a flip-pocket to let the passenger lower the height of the screen
Having a flip pocket where the passenger can insert the phone directly in the side using the zip also gives (device permitting) access to their attach headphones, power supply and other cables needed for functionality.
⚠️ A lot of extra material cost
Concept 1b:
Extra material used to lower the device and provide extra marketing/ad space
This is a cheaper and easier to implement version with the same objectives as the flip pocket. By added extra material so by default the phone is at a more comfortable height will also mean better viewing angle and less glare.
The small bonus with this is that then they will also get to use the extra space for marketing and ads if required.
⚠️ Extra material cost
⚠️ Takes up a lot of extra space
Concept 2:
Use an elastic material located behind the headrest so the passenger can decide at what height they want the screen to sit.
This is the most customisable of the three solutions and requires a small modification on the chair and also the pocket to use a velcro attachment point to let the passenger customise the height by themselves.
The elastic material should be behind the passenger infront and should be made to reduce noticing it.
⚠️ Could be disturbing for other passengers if people are pulling on the elastic often
⚠️ Velcro material could get dirty or broken easily
Summary:
This was a short project to apply the Design Thinking skills I have been using throughout my transition to a UX/Product Designer to see how they could be applied to an everyday object I encountered. As this is done within a business context, cost factor is a likely constraint so I believe that Concept 2 is likely to give the greatest improved experience at the lowest cost.