Research about public transportation - Insights report

DANIELE IORI - @danieleibrido

Insights report

BETTER EXPERIENCES

FOR PUBLIC

TRANSPORTATION

DANIELE IORI - PROJECT CHALLENGE: BETTER EXPERIENCES FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Insights report (abstract)

BETTER EXPERIENCES

FOR PUBLIC

TRANSPORTATION

WHAT WHOINTROThis document is an abstract of a research activity made during the IDEO U course: "Insights for Innovation".

The observations and interviews were made in the month of February 2016.

Daniele IoriInteractione Designer @ Lolaetlabora

ibridodesign.com

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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CHALLENGE WHO I LEARNED FROMProject challenge How might we gather inspiration and insights to

design a better experience for people on public transportation in your area?

FOCUS

How might we gather insights to design a better travel experience for commuters, who travel every day to work by train, and who often face the train delays?

I have observed commuters at train stations (departure station and arrival one) and on board the trains. Early morning and late afternoon, when it is easier to meet commuters. I have observed some elders seeking information on a day when the trains were all late.

I looked for information on facebook and twitter about commuters local groups, Consumer associations, topics related to the public transport, delays, interruptions, cleaning, etc.

I interviewed 5 commuters waiting to leave.

I traveled for a week without bringing with me the smartphone. I read information only through official channels. One day I traveled with other transport means to experience alternative routes.


THEMES INSIGTHSThemes and insights Thanks to the information that I have collected, I

identified six macro themes of investigation

THEMES:

- Uncertainty and lack of information- Find or verify information- Lack of information sources- Alternative travel routes- Privacy- Group membership

#1To reduce uncertainty and indecision, commuters need to verify the information among each other.

#2To plan alternative routes, commuters need to know in advance the latest information about all public transport, to consult and compare.

#3To do social activities, commuters need to know if the group members are present and where they are.

#4To face the problems of commuter life, new commuters need to get in touch quickly with existing commuter groups.


INTRO OBSERVATIONOutdated information Quote: “I checked the train on the application and

verified that there was any notice. So, I asked about train at the ticket office. The ticket collector phoned and asked for information than said that the train was stopped due to a fault”

When the information is not updated, travelers can only ask to the staff of the transport company to have news.

In big stations it’s difficult to contact staff. The information only comes by monitors.

The elderly look for information only asking people.

The misinformation and the lack of staff creates lack of confidence and uncertainty, but makes more supportive personal relationships.

Commuters help each other. They use whatsapp groups to communicate travel information.

To create an advantage for everyone, commuters should be connected each other and integrate their information to the transport company ones.

A commuter arrives to the station. He checks on the monitor (train schedule) if the train is coming.On the monitor there are no warnings. Everything is OK. While he is waiting, he checks information about the train on a mobile application (unofficial public transport app), to see where the train is, but it is not listed.

At this point the user is confused and asks for information at the info point in the ticket office. He have to wait because there is a long queue.

When it’s his turn, the ticket collector tells him that train has not leaved yet and it will be delayed.On the monitor, there is any warning yet.The commuter personally tells the news to other commuters.

#1To reduce uncertainty and indecision, commuters need to verify the information among each other.


Often the monitors with train schedule are not updated with information in advance. In bigger stations, often the train info are displayed late, so people stopped in front of the monitor have to run to catch the train in time.

If a traveler arrives to the station at the last minute, he is forced to queue in front of the monitor to know the platform where the train will leave.


EMPATHY EXPERIENCEUncertainityWhen I arrived to the platform number two, I saw some people at the platform number three. Usually there are no trains at that platform. On the monitor, there were no changes. The train was arriving, but there was no way to know where.

If I had gone to the ticket collector to ask info, I would have missed the train, but if I had remained there, would I have lost it anyway?

At that moment, the monitors on the platform three showed the correct information about the train. People on platform number three advised those on the platform number two. All the people on the platform number two ran to platform number three, meanwhile the train was coming.

The main feeling is to be left alone. Wrong information. No one who helps you. Just uncertainty.

The misinformation and the lack of staff creates lack of confidence and uncertainty, but makes more supportive personal relationships.


INTERVIEWMutual aidQuote: “Commuters are quite loyal to each other, it is the only way to face problems of trains. The problems are common and there is no customer care, when we met new people we try to help them.”

Quote: “We use whatsapp to keep in touch. We write all the information that we have about delays, problems or possible alternatives. Also on facebook, we started a group of mutual aid, but on facebook is open to all commuters.”


INTRO INTERVIEWLack of integrated information

Quote: “At the station I seek information on the monitor, but often ask directly to the ticket collector because the information on the monitor are not always correct. Often the monitor shows a little delay that becames greater at the last moment, but at that point I have any choice.”

Often the information arrives too late, when it is too late to make alternative choices.

It’s not easy to find and compare timetables of all public transport available. Each company has its own communication channel.

When the traveler needs to quickly choose an alternative, he prefers to have information easily understandable and provided by reliable people.

Quote: “When you are in a big station the only information point is the monitor.This is a big problem, because if the information is inaccurate, it’s impossible to make other choices. So that, you need half an hour to go to the bus station by subway.

Bus schedules can be found on the website of the transport company, but they aren’t easily accessible and don’t help you to decide.Often the information about bus schedules is wrong. If you go to the bus station and the bus is not there, then you can’t go home.”

Quote: “I'd like to have more information about trains and have this information in real time. This allows me to access multiple alternatives. Often I can’t take the bus because the train company announces the delay of the train after the bus departing.”

Quote: “It would be very useful if there was a monitor in the central station with the information of the departures of all major transport links.”

#2To plan alternative routes, commuters need to know in advance the latest information about all public transport, to consult and compare.


Quote: “To take the bus I have to cross the street and go to the information desk of the transport company [The information center was closed, but the interviewee still doesn’t know that]. They tell me departure times. The bus takes about 40 minutes longer than the train. When I have accurate information on the problems of the train, I can decide whether to takethe bus.”

There is no information at the bus stop. Some information about departure times are inside the bus.


EMPATHY EXPERIENCEAlternative routes One morning the train had an indefinite delay, so I

decided to take the bus to experience an alternative route. The bus stop is located in front of train station, but there is any information center.

At the bus stop there is a board with the bus schedule. The paper has yellowed. I wonder if the bus timetables are correct and up to date.In a normal situation I would go back to the train station. But right now, the bus is the only possible solution. So I wait and try to understand the situation.

The only source of information is the bus driver. When a bus stops here, all people ask to driver information on schedules and destinations.

I ask to a person next to me to look for information on the website of the company, but the site is not readable by mobile.

During the travel, the driver stops for intermediate stops. Along the way there is no information about buses. The people we meet know the bus schedule by habit.


INTRO INTERVIEWSocial activities Quote: “While I’m waiting for the train, my traveling

friends arrive. I always travel with the same people.”Quote: “My friends and Me put ourselves in line on the platform, so we have more chances of being in front of the door. When the train arrives, it is always full and the seats are few. Who gets in first has more chanches to seat.”

Quote: “When the train leaves from the terminal, the first of us to arrive reserves some seats for friends. But the train fills up quickly and I have to leave again seats because I’m not sure that others will came.”

Quote: “When I arrive to the station I have to take the bus to go home, but when I meet my neighbors, I go home with them by car.

Often If we are not in the same wagon, we don’t meet, so I lose the opportunity to go home early.”

#3To do social activities, commuters need to know if the group members are present and where they are.


INTRO INTERVIEWGroup membership Commuters always travel with the same group of

people. Becoming part of a group is not easy.

Most of conversations take place in the evening. There are many groups. it’s very difficult knowing someone who can put you in the group.

Often new commuters don’t immediately realize the value of relationships to face travel problems.

Quote: “While I’m waiting for the train, my traveling friends arrive. I always travel with the same people.”

Quote: “We always meet us in the same wagon. There are groups of commuters with the same habits.Each of us has his own group.”

Quote: “My friends and Me put ourselves in line on the platform, so we have more chances of being in front of the door. When the train arrives, it is always full and the seats are few. Who gets in first has more chanches to seat.”

Quote: “Commuters are quite loyal to each other, that is the only way to face travel problems. The problems are common and there is no customer care, when there are new people we try to help them.”

#4To face the problems of commuter life, new commuters need to get in touch quickly with existing commuter groups.
