June 2000

PPPrrrooojjjeeeccctttSynthesis of the Real “User Needs” 1

Report to the European Commission

Synthesis of Real “User Needs” for Information within Intermodal

Journeys - Results

June 2000

PPPrrrooojjjeeeccctttSynthesis of the Real “User Needs” 2

Real ”User Needs” for Information within Intermodal Journeys

TAP output on User Needs for Public Transport related services and information

drawing principally on

EuroTraCS and INFOPOLIS 2 projects

Synthesised as part of CODE.

This presentation available on

http://www.trentel.org

as part of the TAP Transport guidelines

June 2000

PPPrrrooojjjeeeccctttSynthesis of the Real “User Needs” 3

Determinants of User Needs

– User Position

– Travel Type

– The Five Key Functions

• Journey Creation

• End Linkages

• ‘Tracking’ (Verification)

• ‘Forestalling’ (Short-term anticipation)

• On-the-spot Orientation

– User Type

June 2000

PPPrrrooojjjeeeccctttSynthesis of the Real “User Needs” 4

User Needs - Overriding Principles

• The purpose of information• Planning / Decision-Making• Reducing Uncertainty

– All the Key Functions relate to this theme

• The requirements of information content:• Relevancy• Accuracy / Reliability• Timeliness• Coherency / Consistency / Continuity• An easy to follow structure• Personalisation

– Remembering Intermodality throughout

June 2000

PPPrrrooojjjeeeccctttSynthesis of the Real “User Needs” 5

User Needs - Main Results

• Long-distance travel / Urban travel are different

• Pre-trip Planning is quite distinct from en-route functions

• Key Functions en-route are very important

• User Types behave differently

• Key ‘Trouble Points’ exist

• Elderly and Disabled have specific needs

June 2000

PPPrrrooojjjeeeccctttSynthesis of the Real “User Needs” 6

Pre-Trip Planning - A Vital Step

• This is difficult to satisfy effectively despite much progress:

• Example:– International travel may have very many options for the main

part of the trip– So the Traveller may limit himself to only a few choices– Choices depend on:

• Knowledge of what is possible

• Ease / Convenience of Travel

• Ease / Convenience of Obtaining Information

• Price

• Time available for booking in advance

June 2000

PPPrrrooojjjeeeccctttSynthesis of the Real “User Needs” 7

User Types

• Different Types– Distraught– Resourceful Novice– Professionals used to driving a car– Planners– Regular– Confident Door to Door– Technology Supporters– Calm and Collected

• How to provide– Develop range of tools that meets several user types. Try to

produce alternative media which give the same message:

June 2000

PPPrrrooojjjeeeccctttSynthesis of the Real “User Needs” 8

User Needs Key Areas to focus efforts

• Elderly / Disabled

• Disruptions

• Pre-trip

• Lack of network cohesion

• Entering and leaving the network or a new operator

• Anywhere isolated (abandonment)

• Private car drivers

June 2000

PPPrrrooojjjeeeccctttSynthesis of the Real “User Needs” 9

Key Area - Disruptions

• Three locations where better information is required

• Pre-trip (at-home, at-office, at-hotel)

• On-board

• At stops and at intermediate points

• End-trip (if the Traveller makes a mistake)

June 2000

PPPrrrooojjjeeeccctttSynthesis of the Real “User Needs” 10

Key Area - Pre-Trip

• 'Outside the area' (e.g. airports transfers abroad)

• What are the options (especially long-distance):

• Pricing information

• Journey Planner failings (e.g. no airport and ferry check-in times, no pricing information, perhaps poor user-interface)

• Information for the whole route door-to-door

June 2000

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Key Drivers for Success

– Off-site information

– Rapidity

– Overlapping Information

– Anticipation

– Multi-Sensorality

– Reliability

– Multiple Languages

– Recurrence

– Standardisation

– Urbanisation (Interchanges)

– Systematic Approach

– User-Friendliness

June 2000

PPPrrrooojjjeeeccctttSynthesis of the Real “User Needs” 12

Information Suggestions to improve Intermodality

• Pushing the 'secure' network out into the 'insecure' network (e.g. airport access map: airport is seen as ‘secure’)

• Public Transport network and quality: 'Solid / Reliable’, and visible

• Personalisation• Commercial electronic services to 'use time' effectively:

– e.g. internet-enabled phones, palm-top equipment, kiosks at departure lounges

• Audio help– but difficult to avoid 'clutter' and 'noise'