As a leading flag carrier, Air New Zealand continuously seeks to provide an outstanding travel experience. In an industry defined by intense competition and evolving customer expectations, the airline needed a partner to help them rigorously test new products, design next-generation digital services, and redefine existing processes for efficiency and delight.
For over a decade, we delivered world-first innovations, accelerated transformation programmes, and helped shape globally recognised customer experiences with Air New Zealand.
Background
Opportunity
Between 2010 and 2020, Purple Shirt was engaged to provide the strategic research and design capability required to support these large-scale transformations. We helped to embed a Human Centred Design (HCD) approach across critical touchpoints of the passenger and crew experience from planning and booking, through to day of travel and the flight itself. Our work has spanned core digital products, in-cabin experiences, loyalty and retail, all aimed at identifying latent customer needs and translating them into tangible competitive advantages.
Approach
Services Provided
Our engagement model has been flexible and comprehensive, ensuring we could support Air New Zealand’s needs and that decisions were grounded in rigorous customer insight:
- Multiple Project and Whole-of-Life Program Support: Offering end-to-end research and design for major strategic initiatives and long-running transformation programs.
- Embedded Strategy, Research, and Design Support: Providing dedicated expertise integrated within Air NZ's internal product teams.
- Ad Hoc Research Support: Addressing immediate, high-priority product and service challenges with rapid, targeted research and design solutions.
Outcomes
Through this partnership, Purple Shirt has contributed significant value that goes beyond typical project delivery:
- Acceleration of the Design Process: Our established relationships and deep domain knowledge have consistently streamlined decision-making and project timelines.
- Specialist Aviation and Travel Expertise: Providing niche insights and best-practice application from years of focus on the unique challenges of the travel and aviation sectors.
- Best Practice External Design System Contribution: Supplying high-quality inputs and principles that have elevated the standards of internal design and development.
- Delivery of World Firsts and Internationally Recognised Work: Contributing to high-profile projects that have garnered global attention and recognition for innovation in customer experience.
Portfolio Highlights
Our work has spanned the entire customer journey, demonstrating the breadth of our strategy, research and design capabilities:
Digital Experience
- Booking flow redesigns
- Mobile strategy and app experience
- Ancillary revenue: paid seat select, taxi bookings, insurance
On-the-ground Experience
- International check-in
- Domestic kiosks
- On-the-ground Strategy
- Airport experience strategy
In-cabin Experience
- Inflight Entertainment (2 generations)
- Crew Management Interface
- Aircraft Seat Evaluations
- Skycouch development and refinement
