Railways

Linknote — 1 June 2018 — 92 words

Economics — Human-centred approaches — Travel

The amazing psychology of Japanese train stations

How Japan uses behavioural science (nudge theory) to keep its railways flowing efficiently.

Tokyo is home to the world’s busiest train stations, with the capital’s rail operators handling a combined 13 billion passenger trips annually. Ridership of that volume requires a deft blend of engineering, planning, and psychology. Beneath the bustle, unobtrusive features are designed to unconsciously manipulate passenger behavior, via light, sound, and other means. Japan’s boundless creativity in this realm reflects the deep consideration given to public transportation in the country.

Linknote — 27 April 2018 — 80 words

Digital — Politics

How can we incentivise the digital world to make safer services?

How regulation came to be in railways, engineering and cars — and what this tells us about how digital services may be regulated.

Trigger points for regulation have varied depending on the field, the period of history and the country. However, the thing all these triggers have in common is a change in attitudes. People need to demand change to incentivize companies to make their products and services safer.

Linknote — 17 January 2018 — 46 words

Human-centred approaches

You can’t start with an iteration, you can only start with an idea

We often talk about iterative developments and continuous improvement. But by using the example of King’s Cross railway station, Ben Holliday demonstrates that sometimes you need to “completely strip back previous ideas”.

Article — 7 September 2016 — 640 words

North Coast 500 – days 1 and 2 – Rogart and Helmsdale

Travel

Part 1 of a series of posts about the North Coast 500, a road trip that takes you on a circular route around the north coast of the Highlands of Scotland.

Article — 20 January 2013 — 527 words

Newtyle Railway walk

Walking

Our project to complete 40 walks in Dundee and Angus gave me the perfect excuse to explore the Newtyle Railway.

Article — 12 December 2011 — 378 words

The importance of design for transport

Human-centred approaches

I was pleased to see an article on the BBC News website about the brilliance of the design of the UK’s road signs. Minimalist and clutter-free, British road signs are a design triumph.