Wayfinding application in the train station for IRCTC
This project is concerned with the enhancement of the user experience of IRCTC stakeholders and improving the existing flow of the application or creating a new flow altogether.
Team
Abhishek Bage
Tejas Pawar
Shrishti Tijaria
Mentors
Mr.Sachin Pisharody
Mr. Vipin Yadav
Duration
6 weeks
Vision Statement:
“To create a solution for the railway ecosystem due to lack of navigation signifiers, awareness, and feedback for non-frequent passengers.”
Understanding System and Subsystems
At the start, we created an octopus diagram of the railway system to learn about the different services available and the stakeholders involved in a railway station.
Research Planning
During the research planning phase, I pitched the idea to create a matrix for choosing the right research methods for our situation. The yellow column on the left shows the factors on which the research methods were judged: first being the context, Its general use, What are we going to use it for?, It's advantages and disadvantages, the deliverables of the research method and Is it feasible in the covid situation?
We concluded the final research methods suitable for our situation were: Survey, Mapping, Shadowing, In-depth interview, and Card sorting.
Survey
The purpose of a survey is to understand the passengers' thoughts, feelings, and opinions with respect to the Indian railway system.
Mapping
Mapping of the train station was done in order to understand the environment and observe patterns formed by the use of the different services available. This map provides an overview of services and signifiers available at the station. We mapped Howrah railway station.
Shadowing
Shadowing was done to observe and document the task performed by the passengers from starting of the journey to boarding the train. It also helped us to gather information on the mode of travel they use to reach the railway station, the process of offline ticket booking, interaction points in the offline ticket booking, and the signifiers and services passengers come across. The observation was documented in “AEIOU” format.
In-depth Interview
In-depth interview was done in order to gather qualitative data from the passengers, the main aim being to gather information about their behavior and experience related to navigation on the railway station, frequency and reason for interaction with services, and to understand why they use railway mode of transport.
Card Sorting Excercises
​Card sorting was conducted during the interview phase itself, and a few extra participants were taken to increase the sample size for accurate results. In card sorting exercises, there were 4 exercises first Open card sorting, the second test to measure the hierarchy of services, the third closed card sorting and the fourth to measure the effectiveness of the signage.
Insights
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
“One of the most common struggles that I even face today is to get to your correct platform.”
“I don't know what services are available at the railway station. ”
“I wouldn't mind asking help for navigation but everyone is in a hurry.”
“One of the most common struggles that I even face today is to get to your correct platform.”
“I am so confused even when people are around me while traveling. So if I travel alone, it will be difficult for me.”
User Persona
Journey map
Task Allocation
The journey map was further detailed out in task allocation matrix to understand the user and the system expectations, elaborating the personas’ tasks, with the precondition that the user has booked the ticket online on the IRCTC application.
Wayfinding application in the train station for IRCTC
This application is designed for non-frequent passengers who want to navigate easily at the train stations, and need awareness about the services present at the train station.
Final Outcome
User case #1: The user wants to reach the correct platform and seat.
Find navigation feature and enter PNR
After opening the IRCTC app the user has to find the navigation feature and then has to enter the PNR. Entering the PNR number allows the app to access the passengers and train details for better functioning.
Allow camera and location service
Give permission to the app to use the phone camera and location feature.
Enter platform number
Swipe through the list of cards at the bottom of the screen to find the platform card. Click on it, and it will show a list of services available on the platform. Enter the platform number you want to reach.
Start navigation
A dialog box appears at the bottom displaying your position, destination, amount of time required to reach the destination, and the total distance. Start the navigation by clicking on the arrow to reach the desired platform.
Scan QR to confirm the seat
After reaching the desired platform, to confirm the correct scan the QR is present above the seat.
User case #2: The user wants to drink tea, so he wants to find an avail food and refreshment service.
