Project Overview
Virgin America
Red IFE & Check-In Kiosk
As an individual contributor on a cross functional team, I helped design Virgin America's "Red" In-Flight Entertainment system from the ground up. In an era before touchscreens were ubiquitous, we built a user experience inspired by the familiar desktop interfaces of the time, introducing innovative features including seat to seat chat that allowed passengers to connect mid flight. The work extended beyond the aircraft cabin to a self check-in kiosk that carried the same visual language into the airport.
Problem Statement
Project Goals
Virgin America needed an in flight entertainment system that matched its bold, differentiated brand. Most airline IFE systems at the time were utilitarian and dated. The challenge was designing something that felt modern and engaging within the hard constraints of seatback hardware: limited screen resolution, directional pad navigation, and no touchscreen capability.
The check-in kiosk needed to extend that same brand identity to the very first touchpoint of the journey, creating a seamless experience from terminal to cabin.
Red IFE System
Designing Red
My contribution focused on the visual design and interaction architecture of the Red IFE interface. I designed screen states, navigation flows, and the seat to seat chat feature, producing the UI documentation that guided engineering and hardware integration. The design drew on familiar desktop UI conventions of the era while pushing into territory no airline had reached before.
The interface had to work across a wide range of content modes: movies, music, games, food and beverage ordering, flight tracking, and live chat. Each mode needed its own visual treatment while remaining unmistakably part of the same system.
Check-In Kiosk
From Terminal to Cabin
I worked on the self check-in kiosk design as an extension of the IFE visual system. By carrying the same color palette, typography, and UI patterns from the seatback screen to the airport kiosk, the goal was for travelers to feel the Virgin America brand before they ever boarded the aircraft. The kiosk brought touchscreen interaction into the picture, which required adapting the IFE's directional pad optimized layouts into a tap first experience.
Business Results
Impact that moved the needle
The Red IFE system became a landmark in airline UX, widely recognized as one of the most innovative in flight entertainment systems of its era. The seat to seat chat feature became a defining differentiator for Virgin America, generating significant press attention and passenger engagement. The integrated brand experience across IFE and kiosk reinforced the airline's reputation for design forward thinking and passenger first service.