10/24/2014

Names: ID: Donovan Lewis 0811658 Jelle Wories 0854640 Lia Klaren 0844482 René van Knippenberg 0850755

TU/E PACT-ANALYSIS

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Abstract For our PACT-analysis we looked at train stations and everything that goes on inside of them. We went to about a dozen train stations and observed the people there, their activities, the structure and look of the station and the technologies present in the station. Our observations showed a very chaotic situation when a train arrives and the travelers are getting ready to enter the train. Another observation we made was that the audible feedback system present in most stations is not very effective because of noise inside the station. Some opportunities for solving the problems shown in observation lie in the changing the audible feedback system to a visible feedback system and also in a visible system using light to make the arriving and entering of the train less chaotic.

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Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 1

Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................... 2

One – Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 3

Two – People ........................................................................................................................................... 4

Characteristics of target user group and stakeholders ....................................................................... 4

Usage and/or goal ............................................................................................................................... 5

Physical characteristics ....................................................................................................................... 5

Mental model .................................................................................................................................. 5

Departure ........................................................................................................................................ 5

Arrival .............................................................................................................................................. 6

Expectations ........................................................................................................................................ 6

Departure ........................................................................................................................................ 6

Three – Activities..................................................................................................................................... 7

Four – Context......................................................................................................................................... 9

Physical context .................................................................................................................................. 9

Organizational Context ..................................................................................................................... 10

Entrances/Exits ............................................................................................................................. 10

Information transfer ..................................................................................................................... 10

Train .............................................................................................................................................. 10

Social context .................................................................................................................................... 11

Five – Technology.................................................................................................................................. 12

Six - Conclusions, Vision, and scenario of use ....................................................................................... 13

Reference .............................................................................................................................................. 14

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One – Introduction In this report we will discuss the current situation of a train station with all the aspects of it. For this, you will find the results of the PACT-analysis. PACT is a framework which can be used to analyze design situations. When designing interactive systems, the designer needs to understand how each element affects each other or how each element varies. The outlines of this analyze are considerations that need to be taken during design. These considerations are divided in 4 chapters, the abbreviations of PACT: People, Activities, Context and Technology. Furthermore, Context is divided in 3 chapters: physical, organizational and social. This framework can also be found in this report with the four chapters of the PACT.

We, 4 students of the Technical University of Eindhoven, visited various stations on our way home. Our goal was to find an opportunity to improve the current situation. While being there, we looked around to all the aspects of PACT and wrote those down. After everybody has fulfilled this assignment, we combined all the aspects into 1 list divided in 4 parts of PACT. While discussing the list, we came to the following problem:

In the current situation, there is a big chaotic situation happening when a train is arriving. People do not know specifically where to stand and wait to enter the train. When a train is arriving, people walk more to the front or back of the train and only have eye for the train and not the travelers. While walking, they try to find the coupe with the least people in it, so the most free seats to sit. Furthermore, it is also a problem to find the right coupe when you want to travel by bike. And then there is also the division of traveling 1st class or 2nd class. Combining all this factors, you can imagine that this can be quite unorganized.

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Two – People

Characteristics of target user group and stakeholders Our target audience is the people who frequently use the train stations to travel from one place to another. Frequently use of the train station means that a person knows how a train stations works, what services he or she can expect at different stations and how to use the different public transport systems which are available at that train station. Also they have knowledge about the fact that there various options to get the information they need. This target group consist of students, teenagers, adults, families consisting of parents and their children, business people, conductors, people from all over the world, people going to work, students going to school, disabled people (deaf/blind/bad moving) and backpackers. This target group is already in possession of an OV chip card.

This journey could be work or study related as for recreation purposes. Also the train is often used to visit family, friends and loved ones. It is also possible that the train and in general public transport, is the only way some people can travel from one place to another due to physical, mental or financial reasons. This journey takes place during the day and/night. So it is highly possible people see the same route lit differently when they travel back.

There are also some stakeholders present in and around train stations which have effect on the target group. Stakeholders who are present on a train stations are: train operators, food companies, advertisers, convenient stores and kiosks. The main goal of all these stakeholders is to earn money from people who are using the train station.

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Usage and/or goal The universal goal of these users is to use a train station to successfully travel from one place to another. Successfully means: travel without delay, travel comfortably and travel without paying too much.

Physical characteristics All these people have a different light perception. That’s because everybody’s light perception is different also personal circumstances or adjustments change this light perception. For example, some people wear caps while others are wearing sunglasses or lenses etc.

Mental model A mental model is an explanation of someone's thought process about how something works in the real world. The mental model of our user which wants to take the train is as follows:

Departure The user decides to go to the train station to take a train.

He decided which train to take by forehand.

He has two different options to go to the train station;

1. Someone brings him to the train station. (Public transport, friends, family or a taxi)

2. He goes the train station by himself. (He walks, by bike or similar vehicle or by car or by similar vehicle)

When he gets to the train stations he parks his vehicle if necessary or walks the last meters from another drop off point to the train station. This place is often well lit to prevent people from feeling unsafe.

In the train station he needs to check in with his OV chip card to have a recognized proof of travel. When checking in, 4 scenarios can happen.

1. His balance is too low to be able to check in.

2. His balance is sufficient; he is able to check in.

3. The card is unable to be detected by the pole.

4. The card is detectable by the pole but the pole gives an error.

If case 1,3 or 4 is the fact. He should go to a service point to get more information. In case of situation 1, he could upgrade his card also by himself by a ticket machine.

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In case 2, he is able to proceed to the correct platform to wait on his train to arrive.

When the train arrives he gets in the train and walks to the correct coupé to take place.

Arrival The user arrives at a train station with some sort of public transportation system. He has the choice to check out or to make a transition. In this example we follow the choice to check out, because making a transition is similar to depart from a train station without checking in.

The vehicle arrives at the train stations.

Before he gets out (tram, metro, bus or ferry) het checks out. When leaving a train, he only can check out at the OV poles located in the station.

After checking out he has multiple choices to get to his next destination:

1. Someone brings him to his next destination. (Public transport, friends, family or a taxi)

2. He goes by himself. (He walks, by bike or similar vehicle or by car or by similar vehicle)

Expectations

There are multiple expectations in the above mental model. Certain information source provides the user with certain information choices to be able to arrive at your destination.

Departure When depicturing multiple information sources have been used:

He used the NS app, internet, the service center or signs to decide beforehand which train he wants to take and so what time he wants to be on the train station.

The information of your OV chip card is displayed on the screen of the OV chip pole. These OV chip poles are mostly placed on placed where you enter and thus also leave the train station. So you don’t have to search for these OV chip poles. These OV poles are also often lit or have a flashy color. These poles also have an indicator lamp to indicate if the pole is active or not. It is also an indication to see if you successfully checked in or out. They also produce a beeping sound as feedback.

Different screens and signs help you to find out which platform to go to get to your destination. These information sources also provide you with information about the train if it’s running late or not or maybe even if the train is cancelled.

Also different screens and other signs help you to navigate to the correct platform. Often there are multiple routes to take to the platform of choice. These information sources also guides you through the stations when you seek certain services.

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Three – Activities Our target group performs a large number of activities in different parts of the station.

As they walk in to the station they will charge and/or check in their OV-chip. Some people will be in a hurry and do this very hastily, whilst others are taking their time. If something goes wrong or someone needs help with charging or checking in the OV-chip, there is usually an employee or an information desk where the traveler can explain what went wrong and have it fixed or get help.

After they’ve successfully checked in at the beginning of the station, they will move towards the platforms. In order to do this they will need to know to which platform they have to go. Some travelers already know this from previous travels or have looked it up at home, but the others will look at the signs and information boards on the walls to see where their train is departing or they will look it up on their mobile phones. Then they will look at other signs on the walls and ceilings to see where this platform is and they will either walk or run there depending on how much time they have until departure. Whilst walking or running sometimes a collision occurs in the hallways, since people are going in different directions towards their personal destinations. In some stations there are little shops in the hallways where a traveler might go and buy things, so the traveler will interrupt his walking activity to enter the shop, buy something and then continues towards the platform.

When the traveler has arrived at the right platform, there is often still time left before their train arrives at the platform, so the traveler will wait for this. While waiting there are a number of activities that travelers perform. These activities include sitting, pacing, eating, buying things at a kiosk, working, chatting, calling, texting, playing games on mobile device, listening to music, reading books. Apart from chatting the activities are performed by just one person.

As soon as the train arrives the waiting stops for most of the travelers and they will start performing another set of activities. The new activities for the other travelers include standing up, looking for a place to enter the train (taking into account whether they travel 1st or 2nd class), waiting to let people get off the train, entering the train and looking for a seat. In principle these activities are individual ones and not group ones, but it is interesting to see that the travelers all stand up at about the same time and form

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a (large) group on the edge of platform even before the train has stopped. The travelers that were waiting for a later train on the same platform often don’t respond (much) to all the new activities of the other travelers, and will simply continue their wait.

The people getting off the train are also part of our target group. These people get off the train and want to leave the station or change trains or sometimes look for someone who is picking them up. The people who want to leave the station will be looking at the signs to find an exit, this can be a particular exit with other facilities or they simply want to leave the station and don’t mind which exit. Before they leave the station they will also need to check out their OV-chip. The people who need to change trains will look at signs to see to which platform they have to go and walk there. Sometimes there are bridges to go to different platforms and sometimes the travelers will walk through the hallways of the station.

Besides the activities of the travelers, there are also some relevant activities which are performed by employees. Such as the people working in the shops and kiosks who are selling things to the travelers, the conductors who need to decide whether or not everyone is in the train and blow their whistle, the information desk employees who provide the travelers with extra information or help, the people who make the announcements who provide information about the current situation (late departures/departures at different platforms) and the cleaning people who clean the platforms, hallways and other areas of the station.

Apart from travelers and employees there is also a group of people who have come to the station to pick up friends or family. These people are essentially performing the same activities as the waiting travelers, except they might be performing these activities in the hallways instead of on the platform. Another difference is that these people are more aware of their surroundings then the waiting travelers, because they are looking for someone. They are also often waiting in a certain spot (where they’ve agreed to meet), whilst the waiting travelers don’t really mind where exactly they are on the platform.

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Four – Context The context where everything takes place is divided in three parts: physical, social and organizational context. Although every station is not the same, there are some main elements that every train station has. We will focus on those main elements.

Physical context The amount of noise is quite high, especially when there are many people chatting on the platform. Trains arriving and departing is also involved in this amount of noise. It can also be possible that there are working conditions on the platform. The equipment they use makes also a lot of noise. And then there is still the possibility that there are announcements going on on different platforms. Adding all these factors together you can imagine that is quite hard to use sound for design purposes in this area.

Furthermore, we already said that there are different kinds of stations. Some stations have a platform under the ground and some do not. Regarding the stations with an underground platform, there is a big temperature change. When the hallway is placed underground, the hallway has a higher temperature than the platform on ground-level. This is mostly caused due to the wind blowing through the platform.

Regarding the lightning conditions of a train station, there is also a difference between the hallway and platform itself. The hallways are most of the time illuminated by many spots while the platform only has some lamppost. In the evening, the lampposts turn the environment in a kind of orange-looking environment due to the use of natrium-lightning.

The size of the platform is another thing which is different per station. Some stations have only 2 rails and others have many more. The bigger the size of the station, the more organizational aspects are there to consider. This will lead us to the next part: ‘Organizational context’.

Example of difference of lightning.

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Organizational Context

Entrances/Exits In any way, there are also the basic principles every train station has. The check-in or out are for instance always placed at the entrances or exits on a station. However, in some stations, mostly the bigger ones, you only gain access to the platform if you have a valid travel ticket. If you do not have one, every station has at least one or more ticket machines where you can buy them. In most stations, there are multiple entrances and exits, so multiple places to check-in or out and ticket machines. For people with a wheelchair, a bicycle or people that carry very much of luggage it also possible to travel along. Depending on the station, there is a difference in when a station is closed or not.

The check-in or out poles are also placed on the platform itself. One reason for this is that there are multiple train companies traveling through the same stations. When people need to take another train from another company, they need to check out on the first company and check in on the second company. These poles are always standing next to each other. At every entrance or exit are many signs of information. This kind of information transfer brings us to the next point to consider.

Information transfer Since there are multiple routes, multiple train and multiple kinds of trains, the transfer of information from the train company to the travelers is very important. Travelers have to know on what time what kind of train is departing/arriving and where it travels to. Via use of many displays, this kind of information is keeping up-to-date. With these displays, travelers also get informed about possible constructions or other possible delays in the trip. When trains cannot ride, the train company can arrange busses which will be used to transport the travelers. These busses are always standing on the public transport nearby the station where also many displays are placed to guide travelers to the right bus. When there are big changes in the travel program, there will be announcements via speakers over the whole station. People can also get to this information via the mobile application or website of NS. With these information sources, people can get information about when the train is departing/arriving, on what platform and an indication how crowded it will be. But there is also information transfer in the train.

Train In every section of the train are displays placed to show the up-to-date travel time. The same holds for in the train when there is a big change in the travel program. Unlike a bus, there are some other organizational things we need to consider. For example, the stations in Eindhoven, Naarden-Bussum, Sittard, Geleen, Maastricht, Tilburg, Geldrop, Horst-Sevenum, Weert, Utrecht, Breda, Roermond, all have places for cars to pick-up and drop off persons.

The train itself is divided in different kinds of sections. There are some sections where people can travel in 1ste class style and there are some sections where people can travel in 2nd class style. Out of our own experience we know that there are not many people traveling 1ste class since this is more expensive than 2nd class. All travelers have equal right; there is only a division in the way you travel, 1ste class or 2nd class. This aspect makes it most of the times chaotic when people want to enter the train or leave a train. In the hallway, there are no restrictions on how the travelers should

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walk to the exit. By this, many people walk in different directions. The fact that most shops are placed in the hallway makes it even more chaotic.

Social context While looking at the people at the station, we quickly noticed that many people are often busy with their smartphone. Some are looking for travel information and some are chatting with others via different kind of mobile applications. If some travel information is not clear, people can also ask conductors for information. It makes it easier for travelers to ask them instead of looking for it on the many signs.

People using their smartphones constantly are often not active in societal context. They prefer not to talk to others while traveling. By this, they often do not want to sit next to strangers to prevent them from talking.

There is also a difference in the mood of the travelers with different goals. People going on holiday or other events are mostly in a happy mood during the trip. These people also prefer talking to each other and strangers. In contrast to them, people going to work or school are most of the time sleepier and do not want any social interaction.

At last, the same as in busses, trams is that younger people stand up for elderly out of respect. This only happens when there is really no place to sit. With all these aspects we have now our context of use ready.

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Five – Technology When looking around for technology used, most train stations are quite basic. There are often several scanners for checking in and out, in more modern and bigger train stations like Rotterdam there are small gates that open when showing your proof of transport (OV-chipcard and such). There are digital screens showing where the trains will come, where the trains are headed, at what time they will leave and at where the next train will be going.

Furthermore, there are some information signs indicating directions to platforms, information desks, and where the toilets are. Ticket vending machines and machine to charge up your OV-chipcard are in the station itself or on the platforms. At the entrance of a station, usually there is an overview of all trains leaving in the next hour(s).

In the trains themselves there are screens displaying information about the travel, expected operations on certain trajectories, giving information about where the energy NS uses comes from, etcetera.

A new technology used in more modern stations provides information about what kind of train will come (single or double decker) on the same screens that display departure time and terminal station. These are all visual ways of communication, in most train stations there are also announcements over a speaker system.

NS also has a mobile application that provides information about trajectories, time schedules, what platform the train arrives/departs, railway works, delays, etc. The conductors have handheld devices to check OV-chipcards.

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Six - Conclusions, Vision, and scenario of use We concluded, after observing several train stations, that the arriving and departure of trains is very chaotic. People are pushing and running to get through to an available seat, reserving seats for other people, cursing because the doors didn’t stop anywhere near them. Solving this problem will greatly improve the travelers travel comfort.

We envision a train station where everybody knows where to go, no need for anticipating (incorrectly) where the doors will be, no need to search for a bicycle compartment, a silent coupe, etcetera. Every kind of coupe is indicated beforehand, indicating available amount of seats, so people will distribute before the train is even there.

By observing the context of a train station, we found that we shouldn’t use sound for organizational aspects. Many people listen to music so won’t they hear it. There is also a lot of noise caused by trains arriving/departing and possible working conditions. The use of light can be useful for organizational aspects since there are no problems found in the light context.

Making a mental model of people showed us the opportunity to improve the OV chip poles. These poles produce sound as a feedback medium. We already concluded that it is a bit noisy on train station. In addition, the National Public Transport Consultation also confessed that these beeps are not loud enough (ANP, 2014). So replacing this sound feedback system to a light feedback system could be a way to improve this system.

The information transfer needs to explain all possible information of the train. New technologies in the platforms themselves could indicate where the entrances of the train are going to be and what kind of coupe it will be. The system could indicate where first or second class, silent coupes, bicycle compartments will be. It could indicate the amount of people sitting in the coupe, the amount of people leaving the coupe, the amount of people going in the coupe. This could all be done using illuminating tiles in the platform, displaying this information, or using projection based technology. However, because a lot of people will stand on the tiles, projection from above will be distorted by the amount of people. Projection from below might be a valid option, but then the platforms would need to be made out of shattered glass or other semi see-through surfaces, allowing people to see the projections but not look through the floor.

The information transfer needs to be clear for the conductors as well, since they mostly help the people when there are things unclear. If the information is not clear to the conductor, than he/she will not be able to help other people as well. Since many people use a smartphone, you could also think of transferring information through a mobile application.

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Reference ANP. (2014, Oktober 23). Blinde kunnen in het hele OV op rekening reizen. Retrieved Oktober 13,

2014, from NU.nl: http://www.nu.nl/geldzaken/3902826/blinden-kunnen-in-hele-ov-rekening-reizen.html

PACT-analyze description, Retrieved Oktober 15, 2014 from: https://code.google.com/p/amour/wiki/PactAnalysis & http://ccit333.wikispaces.com/PACT