Adopting a Design Approach to Put People at the Heart of New Mobility Services – Interview with Marie-Charlotte Moret

by Webzineint | 31 Oct, 2019

Adopting a Design Approach to Put People at the Heart of New Mobility Services – Interview with Marie-Charlotte Moret

Marie-Charlotte Moret is a service designer. “Designer ah?! She creates beautiful objects then!”. No, not only. Her job is to analyze actual practices to bring out new solutions that improve everyday life, with services that are useful, usable and “desirable” (beautiful), essential conditions for their development and sustainability. This is why this approach is central to create new mobilities in the urban environment of the 21st century. Explanation!

Putting people back at the heart of urban mobility is a growing concern for city designers and local public transport authorities. Can you explain how service design meets this challenge?

The designer’s approach is indeed centered on humans. The methodology we apply is the analysis of what already exists, the audit of the environment, the behavior of the users and the constraints encountered. It is only after each step is complete that we start the creation process in order to answer the problems previously observed by choosing the product that best suits the needs. The next step is to check how the solution is used and what are its potential misuses.

I also apply the methodology of design thinking, which includes the users from the beginning of the reflection. Contrary to common assumptions, it is not just about filling a wall with post-it. The method involves observations in the field, interviews, explanations… We begin by empathizing with the user. What are his needs that are not covered? What are its constraints? Why would he use one solution over another? This approach is very useful for creating products as well as services.

You have worked on solutions to improve the mobility of people with disabilities. What have you learnt from this experience?

At University, I wrote an essay on: “How to improve the lives of elderly people in retirement homes”. When I arrived at Okeenea Digital in 2018, I discovered new users: people with disabilities in their urban mobility. However, the methodology remains the same. Putting the user in the center should be the start of any new project. Understand the needs, the problems, the daily life… to improve the overall experience.

Last year, we responded to SNCF’s Open Beacon tender (the French National Railway Company) by offering a mobility assistant at train stations. I then undertook observation sessions in the field, met users with all types of mobility problems. Currently, there is a human assistance service available for all travelers with disabilities or reduced mobility called Access Plus service. But this service is completely saturated and is very expensive for the SNCF. On the other hand, it is quite restrictive for users who must anticipate their trip at least 48 hours in advance and arrive well before the departure of their train. The organization is very rigid and does not allow a partial support on a single part of the trip, for example for a person who knows by heart his station of departure but only needs help for his correspondence or upon arrival.

We then imagined an mobile application combining wayfinding technologies and human help in case of temporary difficulties. Working on a project such as this one of course involves understanding the needs of the end users, but more generally of all stakeholders including station staff. During this project, I also exchanged a lot with reception agents, security agents and staff of the Access Plus service.

In short, to be a good designer, you have to think wide, not stay in a bubble. You must consider the experience as a whole. If you design a guiding solution, you must think about how the user will prepare his itinerary from home, the actual wayfinding solution, but also what happens after.

By working alongside with people with disabilities, did you discover difficulties, obstacles that you did not suspect?

When I led interviews and observations for the development of this wayfinding application in the metro of Marseille in France, I suddenly realized the diversity of uses among visually impaired people. Depending on how old was the person when the disability occurred, the mobility aid used (white cane, guide dog or nothing), residual visual abilities, the mastery of technological tools…, mobility approaches are very different.

But the accessibility of the environment is definitely decisive! I was recently very shocked watching a documentary of the journey of a person in a wheelchair. An elevator failure is enough for a 20-minute trip in theory to actually last more than an hour and a half. If the person is not aware of the failure, he must go back to the subway to continue his journey and turn around at another station. But in the absence of information on accessible stations, he must sometimes test them all before finding the right one. Hell! All these efforts to, sometimes, not even reach his destination.

Another example that also concerns mobility is free-floating scooters. When I see the number of abandoned scooters in the middle of the sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, I can not help but think of the visually impaired or wheelchair users. In this case, we see that the use has not been thought through. We thought about the need for quick mobility over short distances, the ergonomics of the application to unlock the system, in short, only the needs of end users. But at no time, we thought about the consequences of the commissioning of these vehicles on other users of the public space.

We clearly see that players are at the heart of the mobility and urban development policy. Do you have any advice for the stakeholders to achieve this?

Public authorities are in charge of the mobility and urban development policy. From what I know, although I may be wrong, there is no designer position in these instances. However it is up to decision-makers to choose the service providers who will execute the work or design solutions for the mobility of their citizens. They have every interest in favoring companies that have this approach, who practice innovation through the understanding of the needs. Even though it may cost a little more, the savings made afterwards and the service rendered really worth it. There is a tendency to focus too much on the possibilities of new technologies. But technology is useless if it does not answer a real need. And of course, innovation must fit into the economical context to have a chance to grow and live on. Usage, technology and economy thus form an inseparable triptych.

media

When I see the number of abandoned scooters in the middle of the sidewalks (…) I can not help but think of the visually impaired or wheelchair users. In this case, we see that the use has not been thought through. We thought (…) only about the needs of end users. But at no time, we thought about the consequences of the commissioning of these vehicles on other users of the public space.

writer

Lise Wagner

Accessibility Expert

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We Need to Talk About the Pedestrian Crossings of San Francisco and Their Accessibility

by Zoe | 25 Oct, 2019

We Need to Talk About the Pedestrian Crossings of San Francisco and Their Accessibility

Being a pedestrian in San Francisco is rough. In fact, it’s deadly. More vehicles than ever are on the road. Latest statistics show that 15 pedestrians were killed at an intersection in 2018. 55 were critically injured and 183 suffered severe injury from a motor vehicle. Pedestrians remain in proportion, particularly exposed road users but it is all the more true for blind and low vision people. In fact, have you ever wondered how do visually impaired people cross the road?

If you live in San Francisco, a leading city that has long pride itself on inclusion, you are entitled to wonder if it is now implementing measures to provide for more safety and autonomy to those who cannot see.

How inclusive and accessible is San Francisco now? This article provides for an overview of San Francisco’s policy towards blind pedestrian safety.

Stats and facts about San Francisco pedestrian safety for blind people

With 797,300 people living with visual impairment in California, the State holds the record for having the highest number of people with visual disability of the United States. The Fog City itself has identified no less than 18,162 blind people that need help navigating streets.

If the city invests in the safety of its citizens including those with disabilities, intersection crashes continue to cause serious injuries and kill pedestrians every year.

San Francisco is made for walking: commitments to a Walkable City

When we talk about walking in the street, we inevitably talk about crossing them. As long as we stay on the sidewalk, in principle everything is fine. But the number of intersections in San Francisco was estimated at 18,525. Thus the probability of having to cross the sidewalk is high. Let’s add the 492,988 vehicles that plow the city every day. That’s when things get complicated.

For several years, the city of San Francisco has been following a process of gradual transformation based on the strong idea of a shared use of public space, where all modes of travel have the same rights in the city. The goal is to restore the place to pedestrians by organizing a harmonious and safe cohabitation between them and the vehicles.

To translate this idea into practical reality, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is working on three ways to improve walking in San Francisco:

⊗ Pedestrian program

⊗ Pedestrian strategy

⊗ Vision Zero

With its slogan “San Francisco is a city that walks”, the SFMTA is carrying out its Pedestrian Program including the School Safety Program to ensure safe route to school and quick effective measures turning intersections into safe areas such as:

⊗ Red visibility curbs at 80 intersections

⊗ Painted safety zones at 40 intersections

⊗ Sidewalk bulbouts at 15 intersections

⊗ High visibility crosswalks at 200 intersections

⊗ Pedestrian headstart signal systems at 60 intersections

⊗ Advanced limit lines at 35 intersections

To further lead people to choose to walk for most short trips, ex-mayor of San Francisco Edwin M. Lee has implemented the San Francisco Pedestrian Strategy in 2013. This action plan is broken down into various measures mainly impacting crosswalks such as:

⊗ Give extra crossing time at 800 intersections citywide, at least 160 annually

⊗ Re-open 20 closed crosswalks by 2021

⊗ Upgrade 13,000 curb ramps in the next 10 years

⊗ Install pedestrian countdown signals at 184 intersections by 2021

⊗ Target enforcement of high-risk behaviors (i.e., speeding, red-light running, failing to yield to pedestrians) on highinjury corridors and intersections, and report quarterly on injury collisions and enforcement

San Francisco is also part of the global Vision Zero movement. Its goal? Safer, more livable streets to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2024.

Latest Vision Zero end of year report shows that there is room for progress. To meet the 2024 ultimate goal, ex-Mayor Lee partnered with the SFMTA and Department of Public Health to present the WalkFirst program as part of Vision Zero global action plan.

By providing technical and statistical analysis of where and why pedestrian collisions occur in the city, the Vision Zero program is able to provide a roadmap of needed pedestrian safety projects for upcoming years. The City has leveraged $17 million for this project at 170 high-priority locations identified by WalkFirst.

San Francisco’s policy towards Accessible Pedestrian Signals

Our streets should be safe to everyone including the young ones, the elderly and the disabled. That is part of the definition of an inclusive city which is partially addressed in the city’s three programs presented above.

But San Francisco is going one step further.

To provide safety and autonomy for blind people when crossing the road, San Francisco has adopted a policy to implement Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) throughout the city.

The ultimate guide to accessible pedestrian signals. I want it!

An Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) is a pedestrian traffic light equipped with an audible and/or tactile signal that allows people with visual limitations to cross at an intersection.

In a context where the multiplicity of vehicles using the roadway complicates the analysis of the circulation by the ear and where the tactile cues are not always implanted so as to constitute an effective marker, audio guidance on pedestrian traffic lights is a much-needed technology for visually impaired people.

Find out why Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) are a vital solution for the visually impaired in this article: How Do the Blind Safely Cross the Road?

2007: Accessible Pedestrian Signal Settlement Agreement

San Francisco was the first city in the United-States to address this critical pedestrian safety issue back in 2007.

In the Accessible Pedestrian Signal Settlement Agreement the city agreed to install at least 80 intersections with APS and to spend a minimum of $1.6 million on APS over a 2½-year period. The agreement also provides that the city will seek additional funding for more installations.

This agreement is the result of a successful multiyear advocacy campaign by the California Council of the Blind, the San Francisco LightHouse, and others. Before the campaign, only one intersection was equipped with Accessible Pedestrian Signals located at San Francisco State University. Using structured negotiations, members of the visually impaired community and the city jointly came to an agreement in 2007 that has resulted in the installations to date.

2010: Accessible Pedestrian Signal program receives funds

In the span on the three years following the agreement, San Francisco has equipped 36 new intersections with APS (116 in total) making San Francisco the national leader on this important safety issue.

In 2010, the City received more than $200,000 in federal funds in order to equip 5 additional intersections with Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS).

2019: San Francisco APS state of play

According to the SFMTA last update in March 2019, 272 intersections of San Francisco are equipped with APS. The full list is available here. 83 other intersections are upon request by the public to have APS installed.

Regarding the installation policy, the agency publicly states on its website:

“SFMTA’s policy is to install APS at all new traffic signals, and at any existing signalized intersection that is undergoing a major signal upgrade.”

Considering all the undergoing and future roadworks of this constantly moving city, APS units should increase if the policy remains the same.

SFMTA also receives requests from users and local associations to install APS at specific intersections. Theses requests are subject of a prioritization according to those three criterias:

⊗ The relative priority of the requested intersection as compared to other requested intersections.

⊗ Whether any work is being planned at that intersection.

⊗ Whether an APS is likely to be installed within the next three years.

These prioritization criteria are intended to sort out user requests, which can not all be met due to limited funding.

So far San Francisco has been setting out the exemple for other worldwide cities in terms of pedestrian safety. However, only 1,47% of intersections are equipped with APS leaving scope for even greater commitments from the city.

Also, it seems that SFMTA has been moving at a slow pace in the last two years when it comes to installing APS in the city. On an average, 17 new APS units have been installed since 2010 but it looks like this number is declining. Is San Francisco going to lose its leading position on the world’s accessibility podium? More than 18,000 blind San Franciscans are keeping a close eye on the project.

Want to go one step further? Find out all you need to know about APS regulation in Toronto.