A superjumbo jigsaw puzzle 29 Aug 2008

The New York Times has an interesting article on Marc Newson, the freelance industrial designer who redeveloped the cabin of the Airbus A380 double-decker superjumbo jet on behalf of the Australian airline Qantas.

Newson talks about the problems associated with navigating the "strict safety regulations and the logistical labyrinth of a multinational industry with unionized work forces in airports all over the world" (Hence the article's/this post's title). However, the most interesting part concerns the modifications he made to the plane's user experience. For example:

"...the L.E.D.'s that illuminate the cabin...are programmed to wash the interior with colors that change subtly throughout the flight. Each shade is selected to create the ideal mood for a particular activity, like sleeping, waking or eating, regardless of time zone."

Nice!