Perception of crowdedness at NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen)
This project focused on the crowdedness indicators in the NS application and explored how we could influence passenger behavior to increase awareness, understanding, and use of these indicators. A key objective was to encourage travelers to choose less crowded trains by improving the visibility and interpretability of crowdedness information. The project also emphasized understanding human behavior and identifying effective strategies to motivate users to make more considerate and informed travel decisions.
We began with domain research to understand the context and identify key stakeholders, values, and needs. We then created a stakeholder map and ethical matrix to guide decisions. A detailed survey helped us explore passenger behavior and align with NS Group’s expectations. It included questions on user needs and ranked brainstormed ideas. Using survey results and client feedback, we developed user personas to choose a promising concept. We prototyped this concept in Figma and validated the design through a second survey, where passengers selected the most useful option for navigating train crowdedness.
In this project, one of my main responsibilities was conducting domain research to help the team gain a deeper understanding of the context. After identifying our stakeholders, I created an ethical matrix to map out their values and the potential tensions between them. This helped guide our ideation process toward more thoughtful and inclusive solutions. Once we collected the first round of survey results, I developed user personas to better represent the different types of passengers and their needs. These personas became a key reference throughout our design process. In the final phase, I used Figma to create an interactive prototype based on feedback from both users and the client. I implemented changes to improve the visibility of crowdedness indicators and designed alternative travel suggestions to encourage more informed and flexible passenger decisions.
Persona
Customer Journey Map
Our final deliverable was an interactive prototype that combined the three most promising ideas based on user feedback and client expectations: enhanced crowdedness highlighting, alternative route suggestions, and improved notifications.
- Improved Visibility of Crowdedness: We redesigned the way crowdedness indicators are displayed by adding a colored highlight and a bold border around the recommended travel option. This helped draw users’ attention more effectively to less crowded trains.
- Alternative Route Suggestions: To support user decision-making, we added an informational box that appears when a user selects a crowded train. It offers alternative routes that are less crowded, encouraging flexibility and improving the passenger experience.
- Enhanced Notifications: We redesigned the in-app notification system to provide clearer, more timely alerts regarding train crowdedness, helping passengers make more informed choices before boarding.
This prototype addressed both user needs and stakeholder values, offering practical solutions to guide passengers toward quieter travel options and promoting a smoother commuting experience.
This project was a valuable learning experience in understanding how design can influence user behavior, especially within complex systems like public transportation. One of the key takeaways for me was the importance of grounding design decisions in research—not just domain knowledge, but also in real user needs and stakeholder values. I particularly enjoyed working on the ethical matrix and stakeholder analysis, as it helped me realize how interconnected different interests are, and how ethical considerations can shape more thoughtful design outcomes. Creating personas based on survey results also deepened my appreciation for user-centered design, and how essential it is to reflect diverse perspectives when building solutions.
Prototyping in Figma based on real feedback pushed me to think critically about usability, visual clarity, and how small UI changes—like highlights or borders—can make a big difference in user attention and decision-making. Collaborating with my team to merge ideas into a cohesive prototype taught me a lot about balancing creativity with practicality, and how to iterate quickly while staying aligned with client goals.
Overall, this project strengthened my skills in UX research, prototyping, and ethical design, and it highlighted the role that thoughtful design can play in encouraging positive behavioral change.
Crowdedness Highlighting & Route Suggestion
