I like the hierarchical approach to the design of this PIS. However, I think train number instead of coach number, or for that matter both these pieces of information should be displayed. After all, the coach cannot arrive independent of the train! The route information is good. However, would it be possible to present the same information on a map of India? I believe this would enable passengers to determine their spatial location in the context of North-South, East-West grid. I never quite understood the Up/Down nomenclature for train number! How is one suppose to decipher which way is up and/or down? Instead if trains were numbered for instance as Ashram Expresses 2916 Southbound, it would automatically indicate that this train going due south, in this case from New Delhi to Ahmedabad.
The additional information regarding the history of the current location, schedule etc., is very well designed. If this is actually implemented, I am assuming that display size will be proportional to the dimension of the interiors of a coach. And there would be multiple displays, perhaps one per cubicle. I would wish the Indian Railways would commission you to design, build and install these systems at least on some luxury trains! Good luck!
Thanks for such an elaborate critique. It’s always great to hear from you
This kind of information structure has been arrived at considering the basic mental models of users. As an analogy, think of the address 6E, CPWD, Vasant Vihar. Now when someone tries to reach this particular address, the logical sequence (for wayfinding, asking, locating etc.) is Vasant Vihar > CPWD > 6E. On the other hand, the way the resident would describe the address is completely the reverse. In other words, the representation of any spatial information is always (mostly) ego-centric. Hence, for a passenger in coach B2, the coach number becomes more important than the train number as B2 becomes the most important spatial landmark. The train number becomes an additional confirmatory information, which has been prioritised accordingly, at a smaller size. Now, here, the complexity is in the information chunk ‘B2′ vs ’2916 Ashram Express’ – here’s where language barriers come in, owing to the amount of information being processed by the brain. That’s why it becomes important to present the train number chunk in multiple languages.
I completely agree with you on the ambiguity of up/down in case of train routes. By the up/down logic, Mumbai-Kolkata should actually be left/right – but it isn’t! However, I’m not very sure of using directional references either, as in India, our directional orientation behaviours are completely haphazard. We’re just not used to being so organised hehe! Unlike in the US or any ‘organised’ country, where east, west, north, south actually make sense and are utilised, we guys here still believe the directions are nothing but an expansion of the word NEWS!
This idea was conceptualised as one display unit per coach (not cubicle). The motive was mainly to have a standardised means of information on the coaches, as opposed to ‘B2′ just being painted/scribbled on the wall. Of course, this HAS to be modular as a coach is never confined to a train. There are certain drawbacks inherent within the system (and hence, this design), which could only give more scope for research, and make luxury coaches an interesting avenue to test these
I agree with you in that, we (at least I) never grew up with the NEWS orientation! Upon landing here in the U.S. I found myself in extremely unfamiliar territory inasmuch as giving and receiving directions from point A to point B was concerned. Then one day, I decided to invest time in reading maps and figuring out the NEWS concept! Now I just find it so logical! I am saddened to learn that in India, this simple organization has not yet been implemented. Things would become so much more easier. But I guess, there are other larger social issues like mass illiteracy at play, that hinder the inclusion of somewhat high-level concepts.
Somehow I am not a great fan of the one display unit per coach idea. The question that begs asking is, “where will the display unit be mounted?” If it is near the door, for instance, then I can envision hordes of people crowding near the door, most likely resulting in a utter chaos! True the cost of mounting one display unit per cubicle could be high, and one does want to test on a small scale first, but I think in the long run, multiple display units per coach is the way to go.
I understand the logic for displaying the coach number in bold. Of course all the displays have to be digital, thereby lending to easy transfer of individual coaches to different trains. Perhaps there could be a central unit with GPS connectivity that could relay route information to the individual display units. This route information could then be displayed on an electronic map in real time – much like it is done on trans-continental flights.
Honestly, this is not a brand spanking new idea, but its customization to the Indian market could provide opportunities for business ventures. I would like to say that you are on the right track (!), but you may also want to do some research on how such information is made available to passengers on the aforementioned long-distance flights.
I’m with you on your concerns regarding putting such a system in place. Like I said before, this one’s not without drawbacks. What I’ve done here is focus only on the information hierarchy and presentation, and have given very less thought to the more important aspects as far as implementation is concerned.
The mode of communication need not be GPS, as there is relay of information between the train and the next station at any given time. However, GPS and a system similar to the in-flight navigation system would be quite ideal.
I like the hierarchical approach to the design of this PIS. However, I think train number instead of coach number, or for that matter both these pieces of information should be displayed. After all, the coach cannot arrive independent of the train! The route information is good. However, would it be possible to present the same information on a map of India? I believe this would enable passengers to determine their spatial location in the context of North-South, East-West grid. I never quite understood the Up/Down nomenclature for train number! How is one suppose to decipher which way is up and/or down? Instead if trains were numbered for instance as Ashram Expresses 2916 Southbound, it would automatically indicate that this train going due south, in this case from New Delhi to Ahmedabad.
The additional information regarding the history of the current location, schedule etc., is very well designed. If this is actually implemented, I am assuming that display size will be proportional to the dimension of the interiors of a coach. And there would be multiple displays, perhaps one per cubicle. I would wish the Indian Railways would commission you to design, build and install these systems at least on some luxury trains! Good luck!
Thanks for such an elaborate critique. It’s always great to hear from you
This kind of information structure has been arrived at considering the basic mental models of users. As an analogy, think of the address 6E, CPWD, Vasant Vihar. Now when someone tries to reach this particular address, the logical sequence (for wayfinding, asking, locating etc.) is Vasant Vihar > CPWD > 6E. On the other hand, the way the resident would describe the address is completely the reverse. In other words, the representation of any spatial information is always (mostly) ego-centric. Hence, for a passenger in coach B2, the coach number becomes more important than the train number as B2 becomes the most important spatial landmark. The train number becomes an additional confirmatory information, which has been prioritised accordingly, at a smaller size. Now, here, the complexity is in the information chunk ‘B2′ vs ’2916 Ashram Express’ – here’s where language barriers come in, owing to the amount of information being processed by the brain. That’s why it becomes important to present the train number chunk in multiple languages.
I completely agree with you on the ambiguity of up/down in case of train routes. By the up/down logic, Mumbai-Kolkata should actually be left/right – but it isn’t! However, I’m not very sure of using directional references either, as in India, our directional orientation behaviours are completely haphazard. We’re just not used to being so organised hehe! Unlike in the US or any ‘organised’ country, where east, west, north, south actually make sense and are utilised, we guys here still believe the directions are nothing but an expansion of the word NEWS!
This idea was conceptualised as one display unit per coach (not cubicle). The motive was mainly to have a standardised means of information on the coaches, as opposed to ‘B2′ just being painted/scribbled on the wall. Of course, this HAS to be modular as a coach is never confined to a train. There are certain drawbacks inherent within the system (and hence, this design), which could only give more scope for research, and make luxury coaches an interesting avenue to test these
I agree with you in that, we (at least I) never grew up with the NEWS orientation! Upon landing here in the U.S. I found myself in extremely unfamiliar territory inasmuch as giving and receiving directions from point A to point B was concerned. Then one day, I decided to invest time in reading maps and figuring out the NEWS concept! Now I just find it so logical! I am saddened to learn that in India, this simple organization has not yet been implemented. Things would become so much more easier. But I guess, there are other larger social issues like mass illiteracy at play, that hinder the inclusion of somewhat high-level concepts.
Somehow I am not a great fan of the one display unit per coach idea. The question that begs asking is, “where will the display unit be mounted?” If it is near the door, for instance, then I can envision hordes of people crowding near the door, most likely resulting in a utter chaos! True the cost of mounting one display unit per cubicle could be high, and one does want to test on a small scale first, but I think in the long run, multiple display units per coach is the way to go.
I understand the logic for displaying the coach number in bold. Of course all the displays have to be digital, thereby lending to easy transfer of individual coaches to different trains. Perhaps there could be a central unit with GPS connectivity that could relay route information to the individual display units. This route information could then be displayed on an electronic map in real time – much like it is done on trans-continental flights.
Honestly, this is not a brand spanking new idea, but its customization to the Indian market could provide opportunities for business ventures. I would like to say that you are on the right track (!), but you may also want to do some research on how such information is made available to passengers on the aforementioned long-distance flights.
I’m with you on your concerns regarding putting such a system in place. Like I said before, this one’s not without drawbacks. What I’ve done here is focus only on the information hierarchy and presentation, and have given very less thought to the more important aspects as far as implementation is concerned.
The mode of communication need not be GPS, as there is relay of information between the train and the next station at any given time. However, GPS and a system similar to the in-flight navigation system would be quite ideal.