For someone who has traveled since earliest childhood, I’m a surprisingly poor traveler. I fret. I worry. I end up at the airport 3 hours early with nothing to do.
This summer has been particularly travelly. Since may, this has been my itinerary:
VA (train) NYC (train) VA (car) savannah (car) charleston (car) VA (plane) Paris (commuter rail) Vaires-sur-Marne (commuter rail) Paris (plane) Toulouse (car) Vic-Faisansac (car) Agen (supertrain) Paris (supertrain) Agen (car) Vic-Faisansac (car) Agen (supertrain) Paris (commuter rail) Marne-la-Vallée (commuter rail) Paris (commuter rail) Bois-Colombes (commuter rail) Paris (chunnel) London (chunnel) Paris (plane) VA. All this with assorted subways, buses, cars (and even a rocket on a merry-go-round) in between.
Anyway, this post highlights the one great example of travel interface design I encountered this summer. It was in an unexpected place: a commuter rail station. It was so great I’m still thinking about it weeks later. Here it is.
Doesn’t look like much, I know, so let me explain why it’s so amazing. Usually, railroad boards post the upcoming trains by time, with the line and terminus noted. What’s often not noted are the stations in between. So if you don’t know that New Brunswick is on the Northeast line, to give a NJTransit example, you may well get on the wrong train or be left on the platform. Either way: no Stuff-Yer-Face Boli for you. 🙁
This board, instead of focusing on trains, shows the next two departures for EVERY destination served, listed alphabetically. This means you don’t need to know which train stops where. The line – or lines – is irrelevant. You just need to get to the right track when it’s posted.
If you look closely, you’ll also notice that the time to each destination is also posted. This is another genius move: let’s say the first train is a local, but the second is an express. The board lets you know if it will be more advantageous to wait for the later but faster train.
This is a small thing, but it makes traveling to an unfamiliar place much, much easier. I will keep hoping that this innovation makes it stateside.
And in the meantime, I’ve got more travel ahead, by car, ferry, and maybe some bicycle.
Bons voyages à vous aussi!