Designing for bus stop experience: An emotion-driven project

Abstract

The present paper investigates the process of developing an experimental design project for users of urban public transport in a large southern Brazilian city, Porto Alegre. This research, however, refers to a very specific aspect within this complex transportation system: bus stops. Its main objective is to evaluate the contribution of design process based on emotion-driven approaches on bus stop concept development. It presents three separate methodological steps and their respective results: (step 1) a preliminary in loco observation followed by a first design workshop; (step 2) an in-loco analysis of users’ emotional experiences when using public transport; and (step 3) the application of this information in design workshops. The first step provided a general view of the phenomenon and fed the design process with inputs from real-world situations. The second step was based on Appraisal Theory (Desmet, 2008) and helped the researchers to understand that the most important emotions to work on would be anxiety and irritation, as well as the concerns that would trigger then on users. The third step, a three-day design workshop, was developed with the participation of 23 designers, divided into four groups. Three bus stop concepts, inspired by the experience-design analysis, were developed and are presented in this paper. The main results showed that all the designed solutions were able to offer alternatives to prevent unpleasant emotions, namely anxiety and irritation, based on a user-centered approach. The research also reinforced the view that, although it is not possible to design emotions, it is possible to design tangible conditions where emotions can be avoided or reinforced.

Keywords: urban mobility, bus stops, design for experience, emotion.