Courtesy

Info

Courtesy is a Skytrain handle designed to redirect the flow of passengers in Taipei MRT aiming to solve the problems of overcrowded passengers in the MRT doorway. The design contains the feature of reminder through the reception of visual information, making the light the most direct and effective reminder to remind the surroundings that the passenger is getting off at the next station.

Observations

The team conducted on-site research to observe the natural behaviour of MRT passengers on a daily basis from morning rush hours to afternoon rush hours. From the behavioural mapping, the problems observed are the passenger flows and the usage of the handles in the MRT.

Survey Research

According to our user survey, the main reason for passengers standing near the door is to have an easier time getting off the train, while passengers standing in the middle of the car are afraid of blocking the route.

Design Concept

Therefore, we propose a design hoping to redirect the flow of passengers by leading them from the door of the MRT car to the middle and distribute the space evenly so that the passengers in the middle can disembark smoothly.

The design concept began by sketching out different shapes of the handle with how the passengers would hold the handle while having access to the new features.

Final Design

The final shape of the handle consists of a round shape with a silicone cushion at the bottom for the passenger to have a comfortable experience. In addition, the touchscreen remains flat on an angle tilting downwards for passengers to have an easier time accessing the device.

Challenges and Solutions

The challenges were mainly met during the process of designing the MRT handles. By taking inspiration from current public transit handles from different countries, handles were formed into many different shapes. Therefore, I directed workshops during team meetings to list out our core features and the purpose of the MRT handle and then began the quick sketching sessions done individually with everyone on the team.

Takeaways

Key takeaways from this project are:

• Learning different methods of understanding user’s behaviour. This includes on-site research and behavioural mapping to understand users in their natural environment.
• The ideation and prototyping process is not a linear process. Going back and forth during the design thinking phase including ideation, prototyping and testing is a must to ensure the product is feasible.