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.

View Brand Book

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

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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