Role: Lead Industrial Designer
Product: 13.3” In-Flight Entertainment Monitor for Economy Class

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Overview

Elite is Panasonic Aviation’s next-generation In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system, featuring a 13.3” display—an unusually large size for economy class. The system required both innovative industrial design and close collaboration with mechanical teams to achieve a modern, space-efficient solution within aviation constraints.

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Project Scope

• Category: In-flight entertainment hardware

• Target Environment: Economy class seat-backs

• Key Goal: Deliver a sleek, larger-format display within the highly regulated aviation industry

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Key Contributions

• End-to-End Industrial Design Leadership
  Led all aspects of the physical design with no dedicated CMF or UX designer on the team.

• Slim, Modern Form Factor
  Challenged the status quo of thick, ivory-bezel IFE units by proposing a full edge-to-edge glass screen and a super slim aluminum back housing—borrowing aesthetic cues from premium consumer electronics.

• Proactive Mechanical Integration
  Requested full CAD data from the mechanical engineering team in Japan—an uncommon practice at the time—to tightly package internal components and minimize overall thickness.

• Design for Manufacturing & Compliance
  Navigated aviation-specific constraints, ensuring the design met industry regulations while delivering a cleaner, more modern user-facing product.

 

Design Outcome

The final Elite IFE monitor brought a consumer electronics–inspired aesthetic to the aviation space, delivering a larger, slimmer, and more premium in-flight experience to economy passengers.