For this assignment we were to take part in our own observations to see for ourselves the way people react in different places, situations or to certain rules. This is to help us in the future solve many problems that may arise and can be solved through this form of research. I decided that my trip to London gave me great research material and as I was experiencing the use of the underground for myself, the basis of the research would be strong.
The London underground is a well-known and used means of transporting busy workers, locals, tourists from one place to another. This quick and so-called “easy” experience is one that can be quite daunting at first what with all the mannerisms and etiquettes that you have to follow to succeed on the underground, but once they have been cracked the process becomes second nature, as I know from experiencing this myself on a class trip to London.
The full process from start to finish is a journey in itself really the purchasing to the elevators to jumping on and off platforms. This can all be a bit much to take in but through the use of rules set out to follow, it works extremely well. From looking into these I can then study the way people behave and react to them.
On entering the tube there was usually a large gathering of people that would obstruct others from entering. This was most likely tourists, travelling in large groups all huddled together. From our groups own personal experience we were normally pushed for time trying to get to and from events and so the time it would have taken to stand and wait around for the queues to shorten, would have gotten us nowhere. So what we thought would have been the best place to stand reading "Ticket and Advice" actually wasn't. From observing the way "Locals" carried out this process helped our group of 20 and so we learned to follow them. Down the left hand sidewall of the station there were 6 or 7 self-serve machines. This was the key to purchasing your daily ticket in a quick and easy manner. One of the first rules learnt was to be approach the machines with your card or cash already in hand and know what zone you were using for that day. This, if not done caused a hold up and created a bit of a fuss, from the people behind who obviously knew what they were doing. In our group we seemed to rely on the older person to help us out if we needed advice, suppose going by the saying “older is wiser”.
Although this method worked to our time advantage it was still a daunting process that took a while to work out. The lack of encouragement from the locals also didn't help, but over the several days we were there, our groups finally got the hang of the self serve machines and managed for a short time to fit in with the underground users.
The next “barrier” was the ticket barriers themselves. Keeping your ticket out at all times you then pushed the ticket through the slot in the barrier, making sure it was up the right way up, then they would open to allow you to pass through. From my own experience this was not always the case, as a result from a dud card. You then had to move fast, and try and grab the first elevator that approached the platform. Although no one really knew why everyone tried to squeeze in so tight since there was usually another one a couple of minutes later. However the wise decision to make the lift a one-way system allowed people to enter and leave in an orderly manner, thus taking away the hustle and bustle of the situation. From being closely packed into the elevator one of the main mannerism I noticed was that people tried to avoid eye contact with one another. What with being so close to a complete stranger people had the tendency to stand facing the exit and look intensely at the doors and so when they opened, it was back to the fast moving pace of the underground.
From leaving the lift you then walked along the tunnel usually down some stairs and on to the platform where you would stand for a couple of minutes then hop on a train. Even in this short space of time this was probably thee most or one of the important things you will learn about travelling this way. This rule was however visible in the form of signs pinned up on the walls and was drawn to your attention. The rule was to “keep to the right hand side” when using the escalator stairs, thus creating a structured system where busy people who had no time to stop, could charge up the left hand side and others who were not so time conscious could rest for a few minutes. The importance of this rule was clear not just from the signs but as a result from getting in their way. Your timing has to be precise especially in large groups of people. Most of the time when you escaped from the elevator, you could hear a train slowing approaching the platform. When this happened most people reacted as if it was their last train home and so quickly picked up the pace to an almost fast walk/run. Now you can imagine what with a large group of people this was a difficult task and making sure everyone made it in time for the train seemed almost impossible. The one thing that was apparent though when we were in our groups was the instinctive reaction to split up and enter through separate doors. Once they were open you had to move fast to squeeze in before they closed, some people would even risk getting crushed between the doors to make it on that one train. There was a real sense of panic between the new comers as this was obvious to all. No one wanted to be left behind on the soon to be deserted platform.
Ok so a lot happens from the time it takes you to decide what zone, purchase a ticket, use the elevator, walk along tunnels and keep to the right hand side of the stairs before we actually get to the train itself. If you have managed to get this far then you have near enough experienced the full underground trek and so its just a matter of repeating and fitting in. When you do finally make it onto the train it’s more of the same situation as the elevator. The awkward glances, the weird closeness you’re forced to have with people, the unsociable music listeners. The usual scene normally consists of young groups of people taking really loudly causing people to stare, the tourists who stand looking at the map, confirming their route to take, the locals who travel back and forth and so carry around a newspaper, the strangers that end up striking up a conversation and the very few who sit and stare into space. From my short time down in London I was about to differentiate people into these different categories quite easily and found that everyone seemed to take a certain role to recapture some of their own personal space.
While travelling on the train, I would usually take in the surroundings, as I was still not accustomed to this way of travelling. What I noticed and from observing was the flow between passengers getting on the train and others getting off. The transition was really quick; normally more people would jump on than off. There were a limited number of seats so most people would try and grab one, as soon they were available. This was usually businessmen and woman who were regular tube users and were not hesitant to dive on in there first. Others would stand huddled together at the opening to the train, usually the ones last to arrive or the tourists gathered in large groups. You got the few who would keep an eye on seats, then change before the train would stop. Standing was definitely trickier what with the harsh movements so you did find yourself swaying back and forth into random people. You never really found people standing in-between the area where others were sitting down, as there wasn’t a lot of support, most people who were getting off would have to barge past them and there is always the risk of falling on someone’s lap, which I did see for myself. The one thing that stood out for me was the age difference. Since most working people use this form of transport to get to their work this explained the majority of people this age, however there was never really people younger than us, using this. Between certain times there were more young than old and vice versa.
From taking this time while down in London to stop and observe the ways in which people react to the set out rules and regulations and going about their daily business, its interesting to see the similarities in behaviour between people. It demonstrates a whole range of techniques from how quickly people adapt to their new surroundings to the ways in which people when comfortable behave different to one’s that don’t. I’ve learnt a lot from taking part in this observation the most important probably being that while doing this it can help solve many of the design problems out there and could also be of use to me in the future. From watching peoples mannerisms you can see the ways in which designs work better or can create problems.
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