For a description of the assignment, see here.

Introduction

Our group chose to observe the actions of individuals at the Union Square Station subway stop in Manhattan. Metro stops in general are chaotic, busy places with a lot of mental stimulus. In the Union Square station, which takes up nearly a full block of space underground, the situation is exacerbated by its immense size. There are overhead signs every few feet pointing the way to various tracks, there are hordes of people going in every possible direction, there are huge steel girders to avoid, there are subway maps on the walls, as well as other signs that sometimes are useful (e.g., posters informing about limited service on certain lines) and sometimes not very useful (e.g., advertisements, announcements of city events). Because of this capacity for mental overload, we must be careful that the improvement that we propose does not further overwhelm the subway riders. Any design must be situated intuitively within the space in order to enhance the riders' experience.

Observation Research

We gathered information through two primary methods: unobtrusive observation and surveys administered in person on the platform. During our observation, we watched people entering the station from above, and we also watched their behaviors once they had entered the station. We paid close attention to any difficulties they had, when and why they stopped, whether they seemed confused by anything, and what interactions they had along the way.

We solicited survey responses from about 25 subway riders as they waited for their trains to arrive. The information we gathered was: occupation; where they were from; how long they have lived in New York City; how often they took the subway; how long they waited for their train (their estimate); what they did while waiting; what they did when riding the train; what their biggest complaint was; their proposal for improving the subway; their suggestion for improving the efficiency of the experience. Anyone on the platform who was willing to take the survey was allowed to participate, and we obtained responses from a large cross-section of the subway-riding population, including an MTA Efficiency Consultant and a New York Police Officer.

Observation Results

We observed that there are two major groups of subway riders: those who ride on a daily or near-daily basis (frequent riders) and those who are new to the station and unfamiliar with the navigation of it (infrequent riders). For frequent riders, speed and efficiency are the priorities: They want to get to their ultimate destination with as few distractions as possible, and they want to avoid waiting (in lines, for trains, etc.). They want to know the answers to questions like the following:

• When is the next train?


• Is this the fastest route to my track?


• Do I need to speed up?


• Will the next train be express or local? If it's the local, is it faster to take it or to wait for the express?

The infrequent riders tend to be more concerned with information: They want to know where they are and how to get where they want to go. We often observed them asking others which train to take to get to a specific location. They want to know the answers to the questions:

• Is this the right track?


• Is this the way to my track?


• Which track should I take?


• Which exit do I take to get to the Tower Records (or Filene's Basement, etc.) aboveground?

There is some overlap in these two groups. Even users familiar with the subway system in general might not be familiar with the specific station they are at (in this case, Union Square Station). The frequent riders are easily identified by their purposeful gait when moving around the station, but many of these frequent riders are momentarily perplexed, along with the infrequent riders, as to which direction to go when they exit their train.

Through the surveys that we distributed, we were able to obtain some information that was not apparent through observation alone. There were several apparent themes in our respondents' complaints about the subway. One major source of complaint was the subway environment, including the general cleanliness, temperature, and noise level on the platforms. The other major theme was uncertainty. Delays and changing schedules were listed frequently as irritants.

Nearly half of the survey respondents indicated that they do essentially nothing while waiting for their train (i.e., common responses were think, sit, stare into space, etc.).

Proposed Improvement

Our group has devised a system of technological enhancements to the subway stop that we believe will improve the experience of frequent and infrequent visitors alike. We believe that one of the questions all subway riders would be well-served to know the answer to is the question, "When is my train coming?"

To this end we propose a train-tracking system that would be put in use in New York City's subways. The system would use radio frequency transmitters located in each train and receivers mounted at each track to monitor when trains enter and exit the station. This would allow for detailed information on train arrival and transit times. The MTA could use an internal database that would hold all the information for the trains. There are also several useful interfaces we propose for disseminating this information.

First, the LED display signs located in all stations that currently only display the time could also display countdown timers to arriving trains. These signs could also be mounted outside the stations as well, to give arrival information to subway riders before they even enter the station. This would allow riders to enjoy time aboveground, perhaps doing something more interesting with their time than simply "staring into space."

The display of train arrival time need not be limited to MTA-mounted signs around the subway station. The information could also be linked to a dynamic website that would allow riders to find train arrival information before leaving their apartments. Similarly, cell phone users could receive the same information via text message queries.

A system that tracks information for all the trains in the subway system could be further leveraged to great effect. The train arrival times for distant subway stations would be known by the system, allowing it to accurately determine transit times between any two points on the entire subway map.

Our final proposal is an information kiosk that would hold all the above information, made freely available to any subway rider in the station. This kiosk would be able to give detailed transit times between any two subway stations, as well as directing infrequent riders to the correct route to take to get to their destination. This would also solve the problem of changing route schedules that was noted on some of our survey responses.

This kiosk would be able to give a printed receipt with subway directions that riders could take with them to refer to on their ride. The kiosk could also be used to give aboveground information to the subway riders, such as weather information or the correct exit to take to get to a specific location aboveground.

This is a schematic of the system:

Summary

This subway train-monitoring system will allow riders (who consistently over-estimate their wait time, as we found on our survey) to maximize their efficiency, and reduce anxiety, in their subway experience. It will allow subway riders to feel empowered to know when they need to begin their journey before they can even see the subway station. It will give riders the ability to accurately predict their travel time around the city.

This system will also allow infrequent riders unfamiliar with the station or the subway in general to find answers to their questions at their own pace.

Other Improvements Not Explored

During our observation research, we found many areas of the subway that could be improved that went outside the scope of our project. Several of the areas that we found are summarized below.

Busy Turnstiles
At busy times of the day, there is a mass exodus at certain exits of the station. These occur right after a train has arrived. If the trains were outfitted with the RFID tags described earlier, the station will know when a train has arrived. If the turnstiles could then be momentarily turned into one-way turnstiles (by keeping the bar from being able to move in a certain direction) and indicated as such using green or red lights, then the subway riders just entering the station would be able to get through the onrush of exiting people. The turnstiles could also be outfitted to pay attention to how many times they have been used in the past 10 seconds or so, and if they are unused for a specified period of time, they could be turned back into two-way turnstiles.

Turnstile Feedback Sounds
We also noticed that occasionally the metrocard needs to be swiped again, and the sound that accompanies the "swipe again" message on the display is the same sound that accompanies a successful swipe, leading to riders occasionally slamming into an immobile turnstile. The solution to this is simple: change the sounds so there is a negative feedback and a positive feedback sound.