Microsoft Surface Partnership: Design Delta's Seatback Entertainment System

You are a product manager on the Microsoft Surface team. Delta Air Lines has asked you to design its ideal in-flight entertainment system. Nothing is fixed in advance: you choose which travelers and other users to serve, which situations during a trip the system should handle and which features it should have. Explain what you would build and why: the users you would focus on, the scenarios you would design for, the first set of features and how you would know the system is working. ```hint Map the whole flight Think through a trip from boarding to arrival, for passengers and for the crew, and note where today's seatback screens let each of them down. Then ask which of those gaps a Surface-based system is unusually well placed to close. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Should the system be screens built into every seatback, devices handed out on board, or a service that also runs on passengers' own phones and laptops? - What prompted Delta to ask: passengers barely using today's screens, poor satisfaction scores, high maintenance costs, or a wish for new revenue? - Which flights come first: short domestic routes, long-haul international routes, or premium cabins? - What does the Surface team want from the partnership: a large hardware deal, a public showcase for Surface and Windows, or usage of other Microsoft services? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Goals for both Delta and the Surface team, and how the design serves each without one undercutting the other - Segmentation of passengers and crew by trip length, cabin and purpose of travel, with a justified focus segment - Pain points mapped to moments in the flight, and the constraints of an aircraft cabin: limited connectivity, safety announcements, certification, durability and hygiene - A prioritized first version that plays to Surface hardware and Microsoft software strengths, with its trade-offs stated - Success metrics for passengers, crew and Delta, with reliability and cost guardrails ### Follow-up Questions - Most passengers already carry a phone, tablet or laptop. Why keep seatback screens at all, and what changes if Delta decides to drop them? - How does your design behave on a flight with a weak internet connection or none at all? - A screen fails in the middle of a long flight. What happens for that passenger, and who is responsible for repairs, Microsoft or Delta?