Donella Meadows was an important systems thinker of the 20th century. She was one of the authors of the 1979 report The Limits to Growth – which stated the world couldn’t continue the way it was – with the rates of population growth and economic and environment consumption it had. 40 years later, that’s something… Read more
Posts Tagged: customers
Human-centred Design as a Driver for Innovation in Transport Research
Human-centred design involves placing the human at the centre of all design considerations and decisions. Looking at a smart phone, someone coming from the ‘machine’ perspective might be concerned with the efficiency and effectiveness of file accessibility for a user. But a human-centred design methodology starts from the other end – the person, rather than… Read more
Ambient Computing in Public Transport Environments
A forested area is an environment rich with information – there are different paths, varieties of plants, and an array of sound and colour. Yet such a walk is refreshing and relaxing, because you do not have to pay full attention to all these pieces of information surrounding you. You can focus on some and… Read more
Innovation and smart technology in public transport
Though large-scale changes to infrastructure may be difficult, smaller modifications to the transport environment can improve customer flow, speeds, and leave people with a more pleasant experience as they commute. Below are examples of services and components of the transport system that help achieve this, drawn from Hong Kong and Seoul train stations. Above is… Read more
How ‘wicked’ are your public transport operations?
Transport planning is a wicked problem. A wicked problem is a problem so complex it seems insoluble. Take the health issue of smoking in Australia – stakeholders include government, consumers, the tobacco industry, the health sector, and the rights and freedoms of the public. Different political parties don’t see eye to eye, people hold different… Read more
How do you get positive change in public transport? The role of ‘burning platforms’
The idea of a burning platform comes from a story of a man on a platform in the sea. It catches fire and he must choose to stay on, and likely be burnt, or jump and try and swim to safety. The best choice is to jump – even though it’s not the most attractive… Read more
Re-framing a bus stop: increasing customer access to essential services at transport hubs with digital information
The typical Australian bus stop is a seat, shelter and timetable. It could just be left as that – it functions perfectly well as is. But if the bus stop’s a point people come to just before they come home, what other things might they have to do? It’s possible they need to pick up… Read more