DBA Design Challenge 2002
 

i-connect / PSD:Fitch

Disabled people can tell painful stories about the difficulties of public transport. Many centre on the transitions between transport modes in large termini. How can design ease these transitions so that they become seamless and pleasurable and not a nightmare of missed connections and misunderstood directions? Working with commuters with a range of sensory and physical needs, PSD:Fitch investigated how an inclusive redesign of Waterloo Station's infrastructure could transform all our journeys.
 

How Does It Work?

The challenge of i-connect was to harness new Bluetooth and GSM/GPS technology to provide information customised to the individual needs of the traveller from the earliest planning stage of a journey to arrival at their destination. Their five point system addressed core concerns raised by the user group:

• Flexible customisation of services to suit individual needs
• Accurate real time information
• Ability to summon help at all times
• Use of new technology
• Rationalization of the physical environment to improve navigation

Arriving at Waterloo, a traveller would receive information in the format of choice from a wrist display with a separate earpiece and finger control loop. Navigation trails with tactile an visual cues lead to separate zones with different lighting, sound and floor finishes and an information wall where the traveller can receive information for their onward journey. Here the traveller relaxes in a white space created by noise technology that blots surrounding sounds. The control loop alerts them when it is time to board their train. Staff carry devices that provide printouts of comprehensive information and help can be summoned at any time.