Safran Passenger Innovations
SPI is the creator of RAVE, an award-winning inflight entertainment and connectivity system that serves millions of daily users across more than 60 airline brands.
I had the privilege of first being a UX/UI designer responsible for new feature creation and visual branding design application before being promoted to lead the prestigious Passenger Experience and Creative Services department, setting the creative and product direction for an array of new products in the RAVE ecosystem.
Company Overview
RAVE stands for
reliable, affordable, & very easy,
SPI’s promise for both airlines & passengers
Modularly designed interfaces,
out-of-the-box ready for development with widgets that are customizable for each airline’s brand & strategy
Specialize in seat-centric IFEC
or inflight entertainment & connectivity that is displayed in the seatback
IFE generally includes movies, TV shows, music, audiobooks, eReaders, games, shopping, & an interactive map
One design team responsible for the UX/UI
of passenger-facing products
plus the crew & maintenance platforms
Added mobile apps to the lineup in 2014, creating an innovative complementary seatback & mobile device experience
B2B
originally focused on smaller, regional airlines but expanding to pursue the likes of Emirates
Complex variety of users,
from class (economy to first), age group (10 years old to over 60), & a wide array of cultural backgrounds
The design team also acted as the marketing department, creating all campaigns, trade show graphics & assets, and company videos
Product Design Work
Fulfilling the passenger experience aspect of my department’s responsibilities, I both oversaw and participated in the UX and UI designs for all current and upcoming RAVE features and product line additions. I inherited many of these interfaces and their front-end development, creating an interesting set of parameters to build and design within.
RAVE OS, the third generation of the seatback
My roles: Design management, lead design and product strategy
RAVE REMIX, the second generation of the seatback
My roles: Design management, lead design and product strategy
The RAVE Mobile App
My roles: Design management, lead design and product strategy
The Next Generation Mobile App POC
My roles: Design management and product strategy
Airline Branding
Building the standard RAVE products was only part of the job. Once SPI won an airline’s business, my design department was responsible for taking each client through a 9 month branding and configuration process. This included each assigned design lead to meet with their airline, study their brand, and intelligently apply their look-and-feel to balance usability and business strategy.
AIR FRANCE on RAVE OS
My roles: Design management and design lead
Virgin Atlantic On RAVE OS
My roles: Design management and design lead
Etihad ON RAVE OS
My roles: Design management and design lead
Visual & Video Design Work
There was no marketing department at SPI, so any time any kind of creative need arose, executive leadership often turned to my department. While I spent my entire management tenure advocating for two separate department, one focusing on product design and the other on visual design, I established parameters that the company could agree to so that my department could still support our company, our business, and our customers.
Trade Show Booth Graphics
My roles: Creative direction and project management
Videos: Feature Concepts & Trade show recaps
My roles: Creative direction and project management
Creative Services Projects
My roles: Creative direction, lead design and project management
Print advertisements
My roles: Creative direction and project management
