Studio Brief 02 - UX design in train station

New York's Penn Station is regarded to be NYC's worst train station i.e. a wayfinding nightmare. To alleviate the mass confusion, graphic designer John Schettino created a coordinated station-wide wayfinding program by providing detailed maps and diagrams that can be printed or downloaded to mobile devices. 

Spending months in Penn Station, Schettino was able to study Penn Station: taking notes, sketching, and photographing corridors, concourses, platforms, signage, and kiosks in an effort to better understand the train station's space and how travelers interact within them.

The high contrast between the black signage and the light blue colour scheme of the app make it easier for the reader to identify which platform or area to go to, which is important as people transiting often are in a rush and don't want to waste their own time figuring out where to go. Having the floor plan in 3D gives the reader better spatial awareness, allowing them to have a better idea of where they are in the station, especially as Schettino explains that "the dimensionality is helpful during peak travel times when physical obstructions and dense crowds make it difficult to see more than a few feet in front of you". 

Colour coding also plays an important role, it clearly distinguishes the two main lines intersecting at Penn Station and the identifiers of the app. Not only that but the choice of colour as well, to create an explicit difference between the train lines an almost complimentary colour choice of blue and yellow was chosen.

This confusion is in the Penn Station is similar to a personal experience navigating Leeds Train Station. The platforms and directional cues are not signed effectively enough to provide easy navigating through the station. Often times having to track back to find the correct platform, straining to find the platform number and confused as to where the directional arrows want the reader to go. 

Therefore an onscreen solution could be made for Leeds Train Station. To ease the user experience navigating the station through a user interface that makes it easy for all ages to understand. Leeds train station however is not on the same scale as Penn Station. So to create an on screen solution would be unnecessary as opposed to a redesign of the current signage. Penn station is a large train station that may require the passenger to travel quite a lengthy distance from on end to the other, where as Leeds station is more compact and isn't multi leveled.