Is there room in rail for more ideas?

At Oaklin we always like a challenge, so we wanted to test ourselves and see what ideas we could come up with regarding customer experience in the rail sector.  We therefore harnessed some of our energy by hosting an open-door session to share experiences and spark ideas on the rail industry using Design Thinking methods. 

Here’s what we came up with. 

How it started 

We started off by sharing our worst travel experiences – delays, lack of seats, and miscommunications – before splitting into groups to discuss what we saw as the main benefits, challenges and opportunities within rail. 

Most people agreed that rail was a preferred way to travel when things are going right - a comfortable seat, kind to the environment, being able to walk around, a nice view and options for food and drink.  

However, the impact of delays and strikes, high prices, lack of communication and overcrowded trains left a bitter taste in the mouth, and meant people often opted for other modes of transport. 

We used the ’three personas’ exercise to take our themes and convert them into ideas.  The idea is you pick three people with diverse viewpoints and apply those viewpoints to consider your problem from entirely new angles. We chose people known to have strong (!) views: Greta Thunberg, Jeremy Clarkson, and the world’s most famous rail commuter, Joe Biden.   

The dialogue this prompted and the ideas it generated to improve customer experience were considerable.  Here are five of our favourites. 

The big ideas 

Loyalty schemes

Reward regular passengers with discounts and benefits rather than penalising them with huge season ticket prices. Similar to air miles, rail could build an offering that ensures passengers keep coming back out of choice rather than necessity – whether that’s discounted food and drink, access to premium seating, or cheaper tickets.

Creche carriage / better service for families

Enhance the rail experience for families with specially designed children carriages. A creche carriage might be a stretch – but entertainment options such as child-friendly TV, or separate family zones on trains could help turn a potentially stressful journey for children and parents into something a lot more positive. 

Improved waiting experience at train stations

Rail delays are inevitable. So why not improve the experience and transform train stations into places customers are happy to wait? Instead of overpriced coffees and uncomfortable platform benches, revitalise stations with cafes, shops, self-care facilities and entertainment, and make the station a part of the journey you look forward to.

Alternative pricing structures

One of the key criticisms of rail is the price. In a cost-of-living crisis, and at a time when we should be encouraging more people to take the train, why can’t we think differently about how tickets are priced? Why not have cheaper tickets for standing-only carriages? Or avoid empty first-class carriages by making first class tickets more affordable? TfL is already re-thinking their pricing strategy by trialling all-day off-peak travel on Fridays, and it would be interesting to see if others follow suit.

Tap on / tap off nationally

The TfL tap-on and tap-off system was held up as a great example of user experience. Instead of having to buy tickets in advance or at the station, make the experience easier by allowing passengers to tap on and off when entering and leaving stations and automatically calculate the cheapest fare.

Think innovatively 

The rail sector is ripe for innovation, and arguably in dire need of it as we look to reduce our emissions when we travel. Some of these ideas may be fanciful or unlikely to work in practice, but it’s important to think outside the box, and consider new ideas that can help contribute to a superior rail experience for all of us. 

If you want to learn more about our work in rail or innovation, or how you can use design thinking to spark new ideas, then get in touch.