Delhi : Observations and analysis (03)

Once the user study which included the three phases - interviews with transport management authorities, user attributes observation and field study was over the analysis began with consolidating the various information gathered.

The analysis began with mapping all the information related to the transport modes such as routes, stops and fares on the actual road/geographical map of Delhi to understand their relationship. Various additional information such as locations of hotels, hospitals, tourist sites, Commonwealth Games venues, police stations etc were also marked.

Delhi : Observations and analysis (02)

Delhi : Observations and analysis (01)

The trip to Delhi was particularly helpful for these reasons :

The attempt to focus on a small part of the system "Public Transport" helped in identifying the people who will participate in the entire process.Once identifies the three main entities in the contextual system analysis diagram, the authorities, the people directly and/or indirectly related to public transport (the staff / employees / the Commonwealth Games Federation etc) and the end users were involved in the process through interviews, informal conversations and discussions to get their qualitative inputs on the whole system.

This helped in developing an ideal communication model that should exist between these entities which in turn exhibits the loopholes in the existing system and the areas where work can be done to make the system as close to ideal as possible by 2010 (considering that the situation in 2010 can only be extrapolated at this stage-in spite of the numbers, probable visitors and the ongoing developments).

Also, the inputs received from the users (Indians and foreigners) make it easier to predict the expectations that an end user might have from the entire system. Added to these are my own point of view and personal experience.

The next post will contain the detailed observations about the current situation and the information gathered from the authorities.

This initial analysis completes Stage 02 : Phase 02 which also includes consolidating all this information and visualizing the communication model mentioned above.

Contextual systems analysis

Stage 02 : Phase 01

This diagram shows the relationships between the different entities I found relevant to Public transport in Delhi, 2010. The system obviously does not include every possible component that is directly or indirectly related to public transport but only the ones that will be affected by the project outcome and are related to the context of the project.

The entities are divided in three layers. The rightmost layer is directly related to the problem I will be working on i.e. the users of the consolidated map, their information needs and the language of the map. The layer on the left acts as the foundation for the information that will be put on the map and the will eventually benefit from it. The entity layer in the middle has all the direct information that is related to various modes of public transport. I will be solely concentrating on the intra-city modes of transport right now. The map will act as a communication medium between the authorities and the users (which is to say, I intend to design the map so that it serves this purpose).

p.s. : Thank you Ram :)

What do we need and why ?

Looking at the maps we have at present does not really show what is planned for 2010. With the amount of work going on right now to cope with the public transport needs in 2010, it can be said that we might be pretty well equipped with whatever we need.

However, on the other hand the plans are still in the form of estimated numbers and mean very little, especially when it comes to buses which are DTC's responsibility. DMRCL appears to be doing a pretty decent job.

This is where Stage 01: Phase 02 begins. I think, the deliverable at the end of the project should be focused mainly on helping tourists expected in Delhi in the year 2010 for getting around the city with ease. The design hence needs to be based on a uniform and successful information system already deployed in various countries. The reasons behind doing so are:

• A uniform design that is easily understood by tourists irrespective of their nationality.
• The information is coherent without any overlaps as they will be presented simultaneously.

The information touchpoint (as i am yet not sure about what the map will actually use as the medium) at the end of this project however will be a modified version designed for the context it is applicable in, instead of being a blind copy.

It has to be based on user analysis at different levels to the maximum extent possible to ensure a design that is uniform and coherent. And finally, apart form being applicable to the scenario of 2010 it should also be dynamic and flexible enough to fit the needs of commuter as the public transport expansion grows even after 2010.

The points mentioned here obviously stresses on uniformity in design (when compared to maps from other cities) and accessibility. And to do so, i went through the subway/metro/bus/public transport/etc. maps of a few other cities here.

Also, the changes and additions done during the Sydney 2000 Olympics and the Beijing 2008 Olympics will serve as a good reference to understand the entire system as a whole i.e. the Commonwealth Games in 2010, the public transport scenario in 2010 and the expected tourists in Delhi in 2010.

What have we got right now (02) ?

Compared to the Metro maps available on DMRCL's website, the maps on DTC's website are cleaner and clutter free but they barely give any information at all!

For example, this is the route map for bus route Rohini metro circular sewa..

and this one is for Bus route no. 012..

I have no idea what use are they of for anyone using them for the first time. The relative distance between two bus stops is quite clear but .. Which Bus Stops!?

Anyways...studying existing maps for public transport : My Project's Stage 01: Phase 01.

What have we got right now (01) ?

These are some maps that are used by DMRCL right now ..

The maps shown here are the ones available on DMRCL's website. Compared to subway/metro maps in other countires, these maps obviously lack coherency as these are just superimposed views of the route on Delhi's map.

Also, it is very difficult to get any idea about the distance between two stations, the junctions - the interchange stations.

Compared to these maps on the website, the maps in the stations are much more coherent but I doubt how accessible they are..

Also, the problem about relative distance between the two stations persist.