Nate Klaiber

What Do Airplanes and Websites Have in Common?

I recently took a trip to Studio City, Los Angeles to work on a site with a friend. The intriguing part to me wasn’t California itself (although it was nice to be out of freezing Ohio), but the trip on the plane. I know this may seem odd, but I found several parallels of airports and building usable and functional websites.

DISCLAIMER: I realize that not all have positive experiences with flying, these are just my personal views and experience.

Pre Flight:

1. Automated communication leading up to the flight. Before I ever left for the trip I received several confirmation e-mails with details of my flight. On my way to the airport I received a phone call letting me know the time of my flight and it’s status. I never felt in the dark about my trip and the details.
2. Clearly marked signs and directions. Long before I ever pulled into the parking lot of the airport there were signs letting me know exactly where everything was and the directions I needed to take (if only they could have pointed out open parking spaces in the garage, that would have been nice). All signs are clearly marked. Most signs were shown more than once, and in several different locations.
3. No hoops to jump through. Besides the normal security procedures, I was able to get where I needed to be in a relatively quick time. I checked myself in with my driver’s license, checked my bags, and was on my way.

In the airport:

1. Clearly marked signs. Again, when you are in the airport it is very easy to find just where you need to be. Maps are available, and all signs are clearly marked and placed several feet from each other until you reach your destination. All gates are clearly marked with their number, flight number, and destination city.
2. No yellow hats/signs. Sure, all of the airports I was in had some sort of construction going on, but it wasn’t ugly. They also communicated this clearly and in a ‘nice’ fashion with signs like ‘Pardon our Dust: Thank you for your patience while we work to make improvements’. No ugly signs, no yellow hats, no little men with shovels — just a smiling face on a sign with a clear message.
3. Cleanliness. There is something about airports that I love. I love the sights, I love watching people. I love the smells. I love the environment. For a place that is continually busy (and this is just speaking in regards to the airports I was in), the place was very clean. Things were organized. Things were neat. Things were tidy.
4. Come one come all. Sure, airports get very busy — but they are accommodating. Large hallways make it easy for people to navigate throughout. Bathrooms have large hallways (not to mention automatic sinks, automatic toilets, and automatic paper dispensers). Seats are positioned well so you aren’t sitting on a stranger’s lap. The view out the windows is beautiful. Lots of traffic, not many holdups.

In Flight:

1. Unobtrusive advertisements. Advertisements were laced all throughout the magazines in front of me. There were several signs on some of the walls. The TV in front of me had several infomercials. However, it was my choice to pay attention to any of them. If I didn’t want to see the magazines, I could simply leave them in the seat in front of me. If I didn’t want to hear the infomercials, I didn’t have to plug in my headphones to the armrest. Nothing jumping out at me, nothing flashing in my face — just simple, unobtrusive advertisements.
2. Everything is spelled out clearly. The staff on the plane is there to assure your safety and educate you on procedures. In the seat in front of me there is bold text that reads “Seat can be used as a flotation device”. In the seat in front of me there are pictures to show me emergency procedures. The staff goes through all of these instructions pre-flight (whether I choose to listen or not). Not only do they show you, they demonstrate. Hard of hearing? You can see the visual cues. Can’t see very well? You can hear the audible cues via the speakers right above you. They cover all the bases for all people.
3. Honesty. There were several times where the pilot chimed in to let us know we would be experiencing some turbulence. The pilot let us know before hand what the weather was like currently and in our destination city. On my particular flight the pilot kept us informed of some fixes that were being made to the plane. No sugar coating, no pretending something wasn’t there, no surprises — just honesty.
4. Subtle call to action. All of the staff welcomed you, and as you left they sent you on your way with a warm greeting. “Thanks for flying {insert specific airline here}, we hope you enjoyed your flight”, “We hope to see you again on another flight”, and “We hope you enjoy your stay in {insert city here}, or wherever your final destination may be”.
5. Clear directions. Upon arrival into the airport, the staff let you know about other potential flights (if it was not your final destination city), the status of the flights, and the gate. Unless you were completely ignorant, you would have no problem finding where you need to go next.

Post-flight:

1. Where’d I park again? There is staff available to help you troubleshoot your problem of forgetting where you parked your vehicle.
2. My car won’t start! Battery go dead while you were parked in the garage? Simply contact the staff at any of the convenient phones to come help you get a jump-start.
3. How do I get out of here? Again, clearly marked signs letting you know where you are in relation to where you would like to be. Need to park your car somewhere else? There are signs giving you instructions. Need to get out of the parking garage? There are clearly marked signs letting you know which way is up.

Ok, so I think thats it for now. I am currently in the Las Vegas airport during a 4 hour layover (Thank you LAS, for the free wireless internet), if I can think of anything else I will let you know.

So, what are some of the parallels with building a website? Let me know what you think