Improving the infrastructure of a city can at times be a complex and difficult task. It’s generally expensive, a lengthy process, and sometimes controversial. What’s often more achievable is improving what we call the ‘infostructure.’ The infostructure makes use of mobile and ubiquitous computing technologies, coupled with dynamic urban displays, to give users access to… Read more
Posts Tagged: systems
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
T-card electronic payment in Korea
T-money is a smart card which can be recharged and used to pay for transport in South Korea, in a similar style to Melbourne’s Myki or Sydney’s Opal card. But what’s different about T-money is that it’s not limited to paying for your train fare. It’s also a credit card that can be used in… Read more
Signage examples in Germany and UK
Different countries use signage in transport systems in a variety of ways. By analysing examples, common design principles become apparent – clean and uncluttered information presented in a simple way, with a mixture of static and dynamic signs. In Frankfurt, small amounts of information are placed on highly visible signs. Both the size of the… Read more
Wayfinding case study Hong Kong
Overseas, transport systems employ a range of different methodologies to assist people in navigating stations. These can include static signs, dynamic displays, and interactive information points. Hong Kong can be seen to use a mixture of these in helping customers wayfind around a typical station. As you enter the station and go down the escalator,… Read more
The language of syndromes to identify ways of enhancing public transport services for customers
When someone is ill, there are two choices available to them. On the one hand, they can take painkillers or lozenges to mask their sore throat or headache. But while this makes their symptoms disappear for a few moments, it doesn’t address their underlying syndrome. It’s more desirable to take antibiotics as these will both… 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
Customer service and the ethics of influencing travel behaviour to improve public transport operations
Influence is a powerful phenomenon. As people go about their daily lives, they are pushed and pulled in various directions by forces as varied as advertising, the news media, their significant other, even signs and information points – these all influence the decisions they make. These relationships are positive if they are in the best… Read more
Using personalised digital information to increase peak spreading on public transport services
Public transport providers come under pressure in peak periods. Providing for high passenger volumes on networks running at their upper capacity means time windows for recovering from service disruptions are smaller and more can potentially go wrong if delays with one service cascade into another. In Sydney, like many other cities around the world, the… Read more
Keeping customers happy and transport operations stable: reducing the steady state
Imagine a bucket with water in it. It’s got a hole in the bottom and a tap above it. Depending on how big that hole is, and how much the tap is flowing, there’s some level of water that stays the same. In some ways train stations hold true to this analogy. Trains act as… Read more