Helping passengers by understanding their needs

Often the best ideas are the simple ones.

For anyone catching a bus in London during the rush hour has probably experienced a mad crush on the lower level only to find that the top level is almost empty.  For some, they like the convenience of sitting or standing close to the door.  But for others, there the lack of visibility of what space is upstairs along with perhaps an assumption that it must be busy and not wanting to go up, find it is full and have to head back down again.

So it's great that responding to this, Transport for London are trialling a simple indicator to show the availability of seats on the upstairs level.

You can read more about the trial at this blog - http://goo.gl/AuJcVC 

iBeacons helping the visually impaired to navigate

In an earlier blog we talked about some of the uses of iBeacon technology.  In this piece from the BBC, TfL are trialling their use in combination with a smartphone app to provide accurate walking instructions to the visually impaired.

View the video > http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31757593

When we did our research work for Guide Dogs for the Blind a couple of years ago, this kind of application was clearly something that would be of value in supporting wayfinding and travel.  It's only now as this technology for accurate indoor location finding becomes more available that such apps can be developed and put into action.

iBeacons - should we be pushing or pulling content?

iBeacons are causing quite a stir at the moment with a flurry of major companies, including airlines, retail giants and arts venues running trials and pilot schemes trying to work out how they can be employed, the benefits they may bring and how consumers react to the geo-position enabled devices.

The key battleground, as we see it, is the contest between enabling customers to pull context-relevant information when they want it vs. companies using the technology to push information.  The push model seems to have the negative potential to become intrusive and marketing led.

iBeacons are small, low cost, location transmitting devices, that can be installed in fixed locations within the built environment to talk to smartphones via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). They have the advantage over GPS in that they work inside and therefore can enable smartphone apps to trigger personalised messages and bespoke content to users when they come within close proximity to the beacons. In essence, the beacons provide the user with location sensitive information/content that has not before been possible within buildings. It also enables the provider to monitor where people are – for example, as shopper walks into a store or a passenger nears a check-in area.

Recently Tesco and Waitrose have both been running pilot schemes at single store locations with an expressed aim to boost customer shopping experience. Waitrose have developed an in-store mode to its app which, via the beacons, enables users to receive in-store offers as they approach particular aisles or food counters, read product reviews and add and collect items in a virtual shopping basket.

In another camp, Tescos are playing it more cautiously. Their trial is initially being used to deliver pop-up reminders to customers to pick up pre-ordered items as they walk into the store. Tesco have said they will be holding off pushing promotions, for the time being, over fears it could scare customers away from using the app if they are bombarded with messages.

Meanwhile in France, supermarket giant Carrefour have jumped in with both feet in its flagship Paris store, installing 200 beacons, which automatically open the Carrefour app upon entering the store then enable shoppers to be guided around the store in the most efficient manner to collect items from their personal shopping lists and/or recipe ingredients they have selected on their app at home. Their intention is to soon send geo-push coupons and offers to shoppers’ phones based on their location in-store and buying profile.

Over in the arts sector, the power of iBeacon-enabled apps is set to revolutionise the visitor experience within museums, galleries and exhibitions. Location sensitive content pushed to visitor smartphones and tablets as they approach exhibits has the potential to unearth a fresh new layer of rich and interesting information to support and entertain the visitor as they wander around the museum/gallery. Current thinking has proposed concepts such as:

• Provide additional information about an exhibit to bring it to life. For example a video or sound clip describing the details, inspiration and interesting anecdotes about a painting. 
• Augmented reality allowing the viewer to look back in time at the interior of a room via their smart phone screen. 
• Present information in a large range of languages rather than the sometimes limited set on printed information. 
• Provide suggestions of other artwork or pieces within the gallery based on items the viewer ‘likes’. 
• Provision of contextual info which automatically pops up as the viewer walks past a painting/exhibit making interaction effortless. The viewer chooses whether to engage with the pop up…. or not. 
• Provide dynamic routing around large exhibits and communicate proximity to facilities. 

Airports are busy transport hubs, with high passenger numbers who all have to abide by a set process and schedule. The airport also has a multitude of facilities, from retail, to dining to leisure. Within this dynamic and inherently multi-cultural environment there are opportunities for the application of technology and iBeacons to simplify or enhance the journey. SITA have recently published their research findings on the use of iBeacons in airports.  This includes automating the push of boarding info, automatically bringing passenger boarding card onto the smartphone homescreen when nearing checkpoints and advising passengers of the “rules” (e.g. remove liquids and laptops from your hand baggage) and informing arriving passengers of baggage timings and reclaim belt details.

Easyjet are also trialling iBeacons at three of their key airports allowing users of the Easyjet app to receive updates and personal info at key touchpoints. These include where to drop off oversize luggage, and personalising live boarding gate info to save passengers having to stare at departure screens. Virgin Atlantic are also on board with an iBeacon trial but appear to be pushing the envelope further with push notifications sent to passengers informing them of partner company promotions such as a currency exchange offer as they pass the TravelEx. They are also aiming to push notifications to passengers in the Virgin Club lounge when slots in the Club spa become available.

All of these trials and ideas show that there are different views and a very careful line to tread here between engagement and bombardment. So, are iBeacons the future of customer experience?

They certainly seem to offer an interesting opportunity to engage and communicate important useful information to users and to aide supporting navigation around indoor spaces. In the arts sector they can unlock whole new channels of information and entertainment. Most powerfully is what they can do in the provision of accessibility information and aiding navigation and travel information for hearing or sight impaired travellers.

However, there are clear concerns that the usefulness could easily be eroded by overzealous use for pushed marketing notifications.

We are interested in identifying positive applications where it can really make a difference to the users experience or interaction with a place. Our initial guidance on how iBeacon features should be utilised is that:

• Features which enrich the users experience or make it easier and reduce time queuing are positive and should be developed further. 
• Pop up notifications should be used sparingly and where companies believe they can deliver useful, usable content to the user.  The user needs to remain in control of what they receive
• Language selection inline with the users smartphone could really aide international travellers who may sometimes struggle in foreign buildings. 
• Geo-position targeted messages should not be use as a mass marketing tool. If it begins to feel like location targeted spam users will soon switch off and disconnect. 
• Automatic pop up of a feature that the user needs to use - such as a boarding pass is good, automatic pop ups of adverts is not. 
• Use of digital content should be seen as supplementing physical signage and displays within the building, NOT replacing. Physical signage communicates to all, not just those with smart phones and selected apps. 
• iBeacon features have the potential to deliver accessibility information to passengers/users with hearing or sight impairments to help them navigate and access travel information. We see this as a genuinely powerful and positive use of the technology. 

Self-service can work!

In the latest blog in our series relating to self service we look at a library kiosk.

One of the libraries we use has a self service kiosk called smartserve 400 (http://www.bibliotheca.com/1/index.php/our-products/self-service-kiosks/smartserve400)

It's a revelation!

• The on screen instructions are easy to read and follow and include clear and helpful graphics to illustrate them
• The space where you wave or swipe your books to borrow or return them is a breeze to use. There is no need to hold the book in any specific position or for a specific part of it to make contact with an element of the kiosk
• The machine provides helpful prompts to make sure you follow the right process and don't miss something out (a refreshing change from the machines in supermarkets that have flashing red beacons to tell you and everyone around you that you have done something wrong)

The user experience has clearly been the focus of the design of this self service kiosk. The result is an interface that puts the user at ease and guides them smoothly through the process instead of being a source of stress. 

We're not hear to promote one product over others but when you see something that works we want to learn from it.  We hope to see similar thinking going into self service for other environments soon.

Influencing modal shift in transport systems

Sometimes to get people to make different choices about how they travel you have to make things easy for passengers.  This usually means think about transport in a connected way and looking at what people need and want and what might be barriers.

So great example here from Germany.  Cyclists often use another mode of transport as part of their journey - interaction with trams and railways is often constrained by the lack of space for cyclists to store their bike on-board and therefore be able to continue their journey on bike when they reach the destination.

The solution? Provide better storage...

Future Technology for Blind & Visually Impaired People

This is a video from Guide Dogs for the Blind about the future use of technology to help the blind & visually impaired.

The work we are doing with them on travel & wayfinding needs will inform more work in this area.

Prosthetics and wearable technology

This story about a man who has adapted his prosthetic arm to embed a smartphone in it raises some interesting thoughts and questions.

The first is the around the continual striving of individuals to make technology work for them. A really great idea seems to suffer from a lack of support from suppliers and manufacturers and took some individual determination to make it happen.  The result, as is often the case, then becomes attractive to the bigger boys to take up.

The second is the simplicity of the solution.  It's not about complex technology or interfaces but taking the modern accessible technology and using it in a different way.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20125446-1/man-embeds-smartphone-into-prosthetic-arm/

iPhone and the female voice

On launch. much was made of the new iPhone 4S and the use of a female voice for its Siri technology...except in France and UK where the default is male (you change it for a female voice but only with a US or Australian accent!).  Some of the press here have reported studies that say a female voice is "more pleasing" (we've not done any research ourselves).  But why are we different in the UK (or France)?  There seem to be lots of theories about the choice of a male or female voice for different purposes but nothing to explain why we and the French seem to regard this different from the rest of the world (and Apple seem to be keeping quiet on the subject too!).  Any thoughts?

Perhaps the bigger question is whether Siri is any good or not.  We have iPhones as our company phones so have all had a play with it in the office.  It's certainly surprised us with being able to answer questions other than "what is the weather tomorrow?".  And find these answers is quicker than doing a web search.  But there's something strange about asking your phone questions in public!  Maybe for now, until we all get used to the technology as it grows (and maybe becomes the main way we interact), its seems to be something for occasional use when there is no-one around!

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/21/tech/innovation/female-computer-voices/index.html