Julie Whitis, a surgeon in San Diego, and her husband, John, are avid members of their local aviation community. When John retired from the air force in 2020, his dream was to become a pilot for Delta Airlines. Unfortunately, COVID-19 forced many airlines to severely reduce their staff. Unable to find a job, John’s biggest fear was being unable to fly to keep his pilot’s license up to date. Keeping pilot licenses current was found to be a large problem throughout the industry. Julie approached SCADpro to develop a business solution to the problem at hand. Built by a team of 13 designers, Right Seat was conceptualized from the ground up.
Not all planes require two pilots to fly. In fact, some smaller planes regularly fly with the co-pilot (the right seat) empty. With this in mind, the team developed Right Seat’s business model as an application that connects unemployed/ furloughed pilots with these empty seats. While Right Seat pilots will not be employed by these partners, they will be able to maintain their licenses’ currency, thus making it possible to continue applying for full-time positions.
In addition to developing the business, the team also crafted Right Seat’s brand to align with the professional, technical backgrounds of its customers. This brand could then be applied to the UI design that allows pilots to access the services outlined in the business proposal.
Right Seat x SCADpro
Brand Identity and Application


Role
Skills
Branding Lead
Presentation Lead
Design Management
UI Design
Branding Identity
Team
Charlie Barron
Lisa Neumueller
Daniel Pellitier
Victoria Schloenbach
Jasmine Attanasio
Yasmine Keirbeck
Ni Ma
Yu Du
Erin Dreyer
Trinity Serra
Zoltan Monori
Xiaoya Wen
Zixuan Zhao
Timeline
10 Weeks
UX Problem
Problem
Since the COVID-19 crisis, fewer than half of all commercial pilots are still flying for a living. The unprecedented number of unemployments and furloughs has led to a large segment of pilots in need of flight time to maintain their flying licenses.
Target Users
Furloughed or unemployed pilots seeking commercial opportunities
How might we...
-
ensure pilots are provided opportunities to keep their licenses current?
-
ease the emotional and mental burden of being furloughed or unemployed?
-
build a community of pilots?
Logo System

The airfoil is the piece of the plane that creates lift and makes flight possible. Right Seat aims to do the same thing — lift its pilots and get them flying again. Both the mark and elements of the logotype are created from a Clark Y airfoil. The mark’s shape is inspired by the rising sun — representative of a new day of hope for pilots. It is also reminiscent of an engine’s turbine.
Right Seat App


Reserving right seats
Track pilot-in-command hours and number of take-offs and landings
Filter flights near you
View nearby flights with available right seats
Book flights in the app to help maintain currency



Community
Communicate with other pilots in forums
View job postings for full-time positions
Connect with or become a mentor
Process Overview
Samantha
May
Marketing Executive
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It’s easy. Just click “Edit Text” or double click me.

Veteran Victor
Veteran Seeking to Maintain Currency
-
A convenient way to remain current
-
Quality time with family
-
Solutions with mobile capabilities
Needs

Community Carla
Seeking Commercial
Aviation Jobs
-
A cheaper option to maintain her license's currency
-
Networking opportunities with other commercial pilots
-
A hopeful community of job seekers
Needs
Business Model Canvas
