# In defence of a long pause: Designing better through lived experience โ€” Bhaven Chauhan, Chanel Lee โ€” session 2026-08-26T02:15:00.000Z โ†’ 2026-08-26T02:45:00.000Z _470 transcript lines ยท 93 slides_ ## Transcript of that research, we've spoken to probably 250 people about different aspects of using public transport even infrastructure, pretty even gender mix. But it was in the second last session only when I was talking to someone who was male or identified as male who said I make concessions for my safety when I travel on public transport. They were the first male to say anything of the sort. On the other side of the equation, every single woman I spoke to said, I make accommodations. I wouldn't go there at night. I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't catch public transport. I'd make sure my partner was waiting for me. Any of that kind of stuff. And so that 85% actually feels like it was under reported even though it was a self reported study. So I was super curious. One of the lessons of that is we always learn something new When we talk to people, we learn something even more. And there's a really valuable lesson in there as well the importance of designing public spaces and public infrastructure in particular with people in mind, and with a really clear eye and keen eye to making sure that those spaces work for as many people as possible. A proper of nothing I'd like to introduce Barvin and Chanel who are going to talk about their work with the, Transport for New South Wales in designing public infrastructure, public transport infrastructure to be more inclusive. Please join me in welcoming Barbara and Chanel to the stage. How are you going? Can you hear hear us okay? We're good. We're good. We're good. Sorry. I'm Logan. Hi. I'm Chanel. Designers and we love to solve problems as many of you do. We're both driven by a desire to make a positive social impact. We're the type of people that get frustrated at all things, around us that don't work as well as they should. Knowing there's always a better solution out there and that everything is possible. If you just put a little bit of attention, care, time and effort into it. In our everyday lives, we can't help but observe people. How they behave and how they interacted with interact with the objects and the spaces around them, which leads us down many rabbit holes. So one thing in particular that frustrates us is the level of access in the built environment. We believe that good design should be accessible for everyone. The desire for better and social impact is what brought us the chance to New South Wales. And we're both from the field of industrial design and now service design. Spend a lot of our time advocating for, change, representing the, the voice of the people who use a public transport system, particularly those that are most vulnerable. And, we have a long way to go, but things are getting better. Within Australia, one in five people have a disability, and this will increase as our population ages. Whether permanent, temporary, or situational, disability is a reality of life that we all need to embrace and design for. As designers, we need better understanding of our users to design for better outcomes. So why did we need to defend the long pause? As service designers at Transport, our purpose to to improve the customer experience on major infrastructure projects such as new metros, trains, ferries, light rail and buses. And there's pressure to meet project milestones. Projects tend to be in a hurry. And time is money. Transport projects are really complex. And we need to manage risk every day and processes take time. But things can go wrong. It was only a few years ago when Queensland Rail got into trouble from the Human Rights Commission for non compliance on disability to toilets and access paths through the train. When it comes to designing for accessibility, can't rush things or overlook equitable outcomes. It takes time to conduct high quality qualitative customer research. And our approach was to travel alongside peak people with a range of permanent disabilities on two train types that operate on our live network. We would facilitate interviews ourselves. We We pay participants an incentive for their time and gain operator approvals. Now to achieve this, we needed depth and breadth of planning. We needed to insource participants and build their trust and we needed the right context. To get the best outcomes. That includes allowing time, space and opportunity for response. Making time for reflection. Giving people the space that they need to gather their thoughts to surface memories both good and bad. Allowing for silence which we call the long pause. It's strange. Oh, yeah. To us, it seemed like a reasonable request. It sounds really simple. However, we were really struck by the reaction of our stakeholders who expressed, concerns like, it's too complex. It's a lot of work. The interviews are too long. It's too risky to take people on live trains. And, after the sessions, it's too slow. We needed the insights yesterday but the value of gathering, our data was in their translation. To insights and usable design recommendations. This was stage was really vital and we couldn't rush it. But in response to our concern into the the concerns that were expressed, we spent a lot of time reviewing our approach, reevaluating our options, and concluding that we had the evidence to defend our position. What we found that in sticking to our instincts, we created the right conditions that resulted in great levels of trust by the people that we interviewed with lived experience of disability. And this method of conducting customer research can challenge our understanding bring to light barriers, and that lead to better design outcomes. So our research was conducted as part of the Future Fleet program. That's a New South Wales government initiative to replace, Sydney's aging suburban fleet. Typically, train all the sorry. Organizations around the world buy trains off the shelf. So they manufacturers will have an overall design ready to go and there'll be some chance to make some relatively minor changes and adjustments to the structure and the fittings. But the overall main structure is set in place. So there's rather strict parameters to work within. Like efficiencies in safety, manufacturing, and assembly and operations. Customer experience is squeezed in afterwards, and there's not much room for innovation or change. This is where the Fitbit program is different. It's about finding opportunities to improve the train from the ground up up. The core of Texas is still there, but there's an also an understanding there's a need to enhance service quality, reliability, and accessibility. And meet customer experience expectations. Our population is growing. Aging, and there'll be an ever increasing number of people living with disabilities over the next fifteen years. These facts help us these help these facts help support the idea that and the and the idea of driving having customer needs to drive decision making from the very which gives room for much needed innovation. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity that we have. So our role is to understand customer needs attitudes, values, and expectations, and use these findings to, to make evidence based decisions to write customer experience requirements. These go into a contract for designers and engineers to who help develop, build, and build a train. Achieving the outcomes for customers isn't straightforward. There's always gonna be some tension between design design, customer outcomes and product needs. So, for us, we need to look at everybody's needs. It's gonna be a challenge for the designers and engineers. And with that, we're gonna have to create a compelling case to justify every single requirement. With such an exciting opportunity for us to influence change at a large scale and for the long term on a once in a lifetime project, if we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it right. We want to look at every single point of interaction a person has when they're taking the train. From trip planning to when they're waiting on a platform, how they get on board, when they move through the carriage to sit, stand, or place themselves, all the way through their experience onboard, and till they get off. And and from this very early stage of the project, we want to focus our attention on accessibility. Putting the needs of the most vulnerable first. If we want to improve the usability of sub of, our suburban trains, we need understand the experience of the people who live with disability and impairment. It sounds straightforward but in practice, it's far from it. The designer transport works within a very complex system and this is like a snippet of that complex system. Each of these are important and together they make it difficult to understand how to make changes for people who actually experience, the train in the real world. The challenge isn't simply, whether people with disability are consulted. It's whether we engage with the right people at the right time, in the right setting, and, using methods that reveal more than just preference broad preferences or whether it design meets a standard. There can be tension between breadth and depth. And, between controlled research and real world experience. And between gathering feedback and having enough time to act on it. In a compliance driven environment, researchers value for the numbers it produces rather than the depth of the understanding it provides. So as a result, surveys and focus groups are typically favored because they demonstrate scale. But they really explain why why problems occur or how severe they are for users. Qualitative methods like usability testing or contextual research provide these deeper insights. But their findings can be overlooked as they involve fewer participants. Focus on breadth over depth can leave important usability issues under So with compliance, it gives us a necessary baseline, but it doesn't tell us whether something is genuinely usable or ultimately dignified. So the question for us was how can we work within these constraints while using the while creating conditions for people that show us what matters in their everyday experience. Design in public transport spaces has made significant progress over the past decade in how people with disability and impairments are involved in fleet design. And so and with increased advocacy, greater awareness, and strong engagement, this has helped move the conversation beyond compliance a alone. But, there are still gaps, and they're still in for improved, when people with lived experience informs the science decisions. And at the same time, fleet projects work operate to a fixed schedule. Customer requirements need to be developed, Decisions need to be made, and opportunities to influence the design can narrow very quickly. Our task was to find an approach that could provide meaningful evidence within these realities and create enough trust for the participants to be able to share the details of their experience. Our research had to include the following ingredients. Our trains, our train systems, our customers, and how our customers interact with, our train and everything in between. So this includes screens, on apps, on, custom information, on on all sorts of media, the built environment, and all the workarounds they do as they're traveling. So there's what we know, we know. About our customers. So this is from existing data, so observation that we've done on live services, customer feedback, and complaint data, DI 10 divided CCD footage showing patterns of behavior for people boarding, getting off trains, and getting to their seats. Along with lessons learned from previous projects. And from all this, gaps in knowledge and themes emerge. So This is where there are things we realize that we know we don't know. About our customers. This can be assumptions, what we think we know, or, something where we know that needs further research or evidence to better understand. But then there are things we don't know that we don't know. The unknown unknowns. These are these come from situations that was unexpected. They couldn't be considered or anticipated. This is where we need to we need to decide what research method is most suitable to fill in the gaps and potentially discover something new. This led us to contextual inquiries. As a way of getting an in-depth understanding in men having conversations people with lived experience. It's not simply a personal story. It is knowledge developed through ongoing learning that emerges from engagement with systems in institutions, and the realities of everyday life. It's traveling on active train services. Observing how people plan their trip. How they moved on and off the train, maneuvering into place, what they held onto, what was in their way, revealing what does and doesn't work. How severe their challenges, and what opportunities there are for improvement. We needed to immerse ourselves to understand how customers use the system in context in everyday practice. And, this would reveal important design decisions that are grounded in understanding their motivations, their values, their emotions, and strategies. And their workarounds. It would help us observe real time interruptions and interactions with others and the constraints imposed by real world real world conditions. So if our aim is to make our trains better, this is the best starting point for us to gain rich data that would help to which would lead to deep insights. Into the current design problems. It sounds simple. You sit on a train, you talk to participants, But to create an experience for the participants to feel comfortable to open up, to share and reveal intricate personal and that we had to work out well before the activity started. It was going to take weeks of planning and navigating risk especially aligning with operators and frontline staff. Recruiting participants and designing tailored support for each participant. And then synthesizing the data and and, report writing. Now, this research was design initiated and an evidence base that we're incredibly passionate about and we knew that we needed. We also needed to develop a compelling business case. For it and convince others of its value. We'll cut to the chase on this one. It took a lot more defense than we expected. Or anticipated, but we got there in the end. So designing for the most extreme set of users needs to better outcome for everyone. People with disabilities make up twenty one point four percent. Of Sydney's population by 2041 as as in the earliest slide. That's around one point five billion people or one in five. So transport works with advocacy groups like the Accessible Transport Advisory Committee or ATAC. And this is a great study starting point for to get an overall understanding of the challenges that are faced by those living with disability. As an essential service, the need for retaining independent, travel and dignity is important to ATAC, but also to transport. Outside of advocacy groups, expectations for what can be done to improve things are pretty low. This stems from the social model of disability. Where a person is disabled by barriers in society. Bad design and inaccessible places. Rather than the actual impairment. So, we needed to talk with people who live with disability that may not always have the opportunity to talk or share their story. We need to understand the why and how of people's experiences and understand their meanings and their motivations. And, we needed a broad range of people, enough to cover all bases. Such with those with physical disabilities, or or impairments. So use of a mobility aid blind or low vision and the list goes on. So, we set up an expression of interest. A campaign and ran this past our stakeholder engagement groups. With just enough information to provide them, the community and promoted its through the ATAC social network. In two weeks, we were surprised that it resulted in over 80 potential participants. We had to decide on how many people would suit our purposes and decided actually on 12 in the first phase. As well as participants identify with a primary disability, more than often they identify with more than one disability. We completed a screening process and categorized disabilities and impairments as we would facilitate those interviews in house. It was at this point that we brought on a research agency to help us manage the scheduling, the booking, the incentive payment for our participants. And we moved from being service planners and researchers to event planners. Our plan for executing the interviews needed to be robust. We were the co leads of the project. Initially, we set up daily meetings to keep across everything and split our tasks between us. But we realized we needed support. Then we moved to twice a week. Then weekly or as needs. With Baven as the CX lead on the future fleet project, who took the role of aligning the overall approach with the project need what what the project needed for requirements against the focus areas. With participants in the interviews. And I managed the engage risks, procurement, collaboration with stakeholders to ensure potential barriers were cleared. We had another team member, analyze the trainet network, the system, including train scheduling, configuration, station facilities, and accessibility. Critically, we wanted our participants to feel safe. We needed to gain our participants trust so that they did not feel overwhelmed spotlight. And allow for them to be vulnerable and open up. We weren't going to achieve this in a group setting. As it would be hard to build rapport. Or to give each person a fair chance to speak and we wanted to create a psychologically safe environment. There was a lot to figure out. So we decided, also what we needed was some level of control on active live train service. We decided we'll conduct interviews in a setting that'll be as intimate as we could make it. Participants per session, each with their own interview. With 12 participants, we ended up with a contextual inquiry across six sessions over two two weeks. We had a long list of elements that we wanted feedback on. And we decided to do this on the latest suburban and intercity fleet that would give us a baseline, for future improvement. We reviewed, train timetables and fleet schedules to figure out what journey would be long enough to cover the long list of elements, but relevant to each individual participant's needs. Both for the journey out and back in. This is a snapshot of, our planning. And, yeah. So in the end, our best option was a service from central station towards on a Waratah train, and then to Central back to Central on a Mariem train. That was gonna be fifty minute fifty minutes there, thirty four minutes back. We also have to allow time to meet up introduce ourselves in the project, do a safety induction, and time to get to the platform, and wait for the service. Have a lunch break, a further break at Hornsby. Return and debrief. And also consider any backup services should we miss a train. It was important we didn't rush this experience. The last thing we wanted was for our participants to feel stress, pressure, or, unsafe. By the time we calculated the full session, it was getting close to three hours. This was our next challenge, the big one. There was initial resistance. We were asked to change the plans and shorten sessions. But once again, after looking at the many options, and scenarios, we came to the same conclusion, and we're confident we stick to the plan. We even had like, importantly, we had the backing from our ATAC advisor as well. With all the many things we want to assess and the importance of the right conditions for participants to feel comfortable, three hours felt perfect. This would permit us to ask open questions and use a long pause. Giving them a chance to think, allow time and space for their for, for their response, moments to reflect, gather thoughts, and serves memories. That would lead us to the deep insights that we needed. We then gain the approvals to carry on. The bulk of the planning was complete, with 12 participants confirmed. Then staggered our communications so as not to overwhelm the participants with too much information. But enough to make them feel prepared and confident, in the lead up to the sessions. And we developed a communications pack, containing the messages and the sequence from when they'll be sent out. So, as oh, this is the, our our easy read. As facilitators, we arrive early to meet participants at set location. And after a bit of small chat, we slowly took them down to meet the rest of the team. We had a support member who'd act as our, as our, like, lookout and our safety warden carrying goods and supplies. We had a photographer that would be there to capture some of the moments of interactions that the participants have with their surroundings. Had one or two observers who'd be there to ask any questions and provide any backup support. Each of these people had their own clear roles. Even down to how they positioned themselves on the train so as not to put overwhelm the participants. Or overcrowd them. We were entering an environment we're gonna be competing with thousands of people moving in all sorts of directions There's gonna be, chimes and voice recordings from public service announcements. Whistles being blown from guards, and train and horns from trains. The the safety and well-being of our participants was our number one priority. And, so we need to ensure every do everything possible provide reassurance and a sense of calm amongst the chaos. This included making sure that we were relaxed, so we wouldn't make the participants feel hurried. And with that it was time to slow things down and begin the sessions. It took time and effort to make this happen. To create the right conditions and set us up for those moments of discovery. Had to come in with a view that the people that we're engaging with had experienced challenges in the past. And we would genuinely show them respect for taking part for us to gain their trust. And trust isn't built quickly. For context, we were sensitive to the nature of our research. Asking participants to share about the struggles that they face when taking public transport. And to open up and share their most vulnerable moments. They've faced potential discrimination. They've dealt with anxieties and felt anger. We are hoping to make them feel comfortable to trust us for the information that they share. Trust that we are there for the right reasons. To listen and to learn. And and to ensure that, that that we can use their lived experience and advocate change. So we took our time getting to know them. Asking about their lives. How they typically plan a journey. What impacts decision making and we just let them talk. We ask them to think aloud in the moment telling us what was going on in their mind as they boarded the train and looked for a place to sit or settle. We asked what their experience has been like in specific situations. Like crowded environments, and started open conversation with let's let's talk about information for example. Getting in and out of a chair. What works well? What would you like to improve? Or ask them why they did something in a certain way. We ask them to tell us about their best travel experience. And their worst. We actively listened and observed. We allowed them to think about their response, and we'd sit in silence. Let time pass, told them that we could come back to a topic if they needed. This gave them the space that they needed to open up. Surface tensions, bring up emotions, and at times allow trauma to surface. It wasn't always instant. Some participants were visibly uncomfortable at first. They physically kept their distance, their answers were short. They Their nerves certainly came into it, but when we shared our own nerves, feeling and our feeling about the situation because this is the first time doing this, they started to relax. And by the time we got to Hornsby, they were sitting right by our side. Sharing everything unfiltered. And others were reserved but when they they listened to what when we listened to what they said, and compared that to how they actually interacted in the space around them, we could see effort or strain. And so we started conversation with you know, I noticed you were doing this. And when we did this it turns out that there was a lot they had to complain about. It took patience on our end and the time that we allowed for the session meant that there was no need to force or overtly prompt a response. There was a natural flow to those conversations. And it was part of setting the right conditions for the participants to feel comfortable which led to the results that we were after. In the end, we interviewed 16 participants and collected evidence through photography, audio and videos, verbatims and witnessed, firsthand participant behaviors to compare what they said against what they did in the real world. And not everything happened as planned. If we actually appreciated when things went wrong. As these are the experiences we have to face in reality. And moments like this uncovered issues we could never expect to fully understand until they actually happened. There were key things which came up early on. For example, challenges getting on and off the train, and the platform, conflicts around shared zones, and priority seating, and availability and consistency of information on We spent a number of weeks analyzing the observations and then synthesizing those findings. And it was clear to us that there are challenges to independent and dignified train travel for all. We would use these insights to craft design recommendations and write requirements to support improved customer experience outcomes on the future fleet program. And all of these elements with additional research and prototype prototyping that we would conduct contributed to designing better trains. Based on the evidence that we've gathered, we successfully advocated to make changes to existing requirements such as adding armrests to seats, and including requirements that left room for innovations and how customers gain help and support along their journey. This is because we were able to build empathy within the organization as we shared the lived The participants said themselves, they the experience felt quick, and the process them feel left them feeling valued and heard. And, the approach has become the gold standard, going forward with great support and enthusiasm coming from ATAC. Transport's goal has been equitable access on our trains. And from the outcomes of this research we feel we're making the right progress to achieve it. So learned a lot. There were challenging moments when we questioned ourselves and it felt really hard. This research was a big undertaking within a regulatory environment. But we believe we had a successful outcome built on foundation of communication. This is mentioned in one of the earlier talks. You know, we need we realized we needed to prioritize communication and stakeholder engagement. Communication may feel as though it sits outside the realm of a design research project. But a lack of communication can let down the project if there's a gap between expectations and reality. And, a plan will be let down if it's not be executed in ways that others will understand find meaning and to address their concerns. So, as we said before, we actually became event planners. Completely unexpected. We brought in an advisor with lived experience of disability who helped us shape the of the message. Test the messages. Look at language. Raise risks and addressing any concerns. So a strong communication is vital. We had to remind ourselves that the barriers that were raised by our stock stakeholders are often valid and need to be respectfully addressed. Respect was part of our need to plan meticulously. It We had to treat it like we were hosting our own wedding. Not our own. Address risks and concerns. There is genuinely no bad question if it's raised, we try and address it. Also, respect is care for the individual. As we developed a system to support the many design elements that we wanted to check, but prioritized treating everyone as an individual and personalized our discussion. To their experience. Safety. This was paramount. It was a principle that we used to buy and we prioritize again. We were inviting people who had, encountered challenging experiences to share intimate and potentially painful details of their lives. We work in a government context, so safety down to the par down to, the management of information was very important to us. We address physical, psychological and emotional safety, not just of the participants, but also the researchers themselves. During sessions, we're willing to relinquish the power to the participants, in the environment, giving them control, allowing them for the polls to check and to reflect. And, patience. We had planned so meticulously. So we had to give our ourselves permission to let things flow naturally. We learnt in unexpected moments but also in surprise moments, where things were unexpected and when things went wrong. ## Slides ### 00:00:55 [Faint NSW Government logo (stylized waratah flower with "NSW")] ### 00:01:57 # In Defence of the Long Pause ### Designing Better Through Lived Experience UX AUSTRALIA | WEB DIRECTIONS # DESIGN RESEARCH Design Research 2026 Chanel Lee and Bhaven Chauhan [Faint background image of people in a public space, one person in a mobility scooter] ### 00:02:17 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## Good design should be accessible for everyone ### 00:02:33 ### In Defence of the Long Pause Good design should be accessible for everyone ### 00:02:38 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## Good design should be accessible for everyone ### 00:02:58 # In Defence of the Long Pause Good design should be accessible for everyone ### 00:03:20 # UX AUSTRALIA | WEB DIRECTIONS ## DESIGN RESEARCH ### In Defence of the Long Pause # There is no excuse for discrimination - Queensland Rail and Transport disregards human rights - Human Rights Commission denies new Qld trains exemption for disability access needs - New Queensland trains denied Human Rights exemption > "It's outrageous how Queensland Rail thought that it could buy non-compliant trains and just get an exemption!" > "Queensland Rail seems to believe that people with disability don't count and have no need to access public transport or have accessible toilets provided, it's shameful." [Three screenshots of news articles about Queensland Rail being denied exemptions for non-compliant trains regarding disability access] ### 00:03:35 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # There is no excuse for discrimination ### Screenshot of Queensland Government Media Release Queensland Rail and Transport disregards human rights ### Screenshot of ABC News article Human Rights Commission denies new Qld trains exemption for disability access ### Screenshot of Brisbane Times article New Queensland trains denied Human Rights exemption > "It's outrageous how Queensland Rail thought that it could buy non-compliant trains and just get an exemption!" > "Queensland Rail seems to believe that people with disability don't count and have no need to access public transport or have accessible toilets provided, it's shameful." [Three screenshots of news articles about Queensland Rail's non-compliant trains and denied human rights exemptions] ### 00:03:58 ### In Defence of the Long Pause We needed to create the right conditions for success ### 00:04:18 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## We needed to create the right conditions for success ### 00:04:33 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## We needed to create the right conditions for success ### 00:04:37 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## We needed to create the right conditions for success ### 00:04:58 UX AUSTRALIA | WEB DIRECTIONS # DESIGN RESEARCH [Illustration of stick figures inside a box looking at a whiteboard with a simple path "A -> B", while outside the box is a tangled mess of red lines with arrows, and a figure looking confused with a "UM..." speech bubble.] ### 00:05:20 # DESIGN RESEARCH ## UX AUSTRALIA | WEB DIRECTIONS [Illustration of stick figures in a room, one pointing at a whiteboard showing a simple path "A -> B". Outside the room, a person says "UM..." while the entire scene is surrounded by a dense, tangled maze of red lines with arrows, symbolizing complexity.] ### 00:05:35 A -> B UM... VIRPI | BUSINESSILLUSTRATOR.COM [Cartoon illustration showing a group of people inside a box, looking at a whiteboard with "A -> B" written ### 00:05:43 # DESIGN RESEARCH [Illustration of a group of people inside a box, looking at a whiteboard showing a simple path from A to B, while outside the box is a chaotic tangle of red arrows. The illustration is credited to Virpi from BusinessIllustrator.com.] ### 00:06:06 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - Growing population: **6.3m** by 2036 - Aging ### 00:06:30 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - Growing population: **6.3m** by 2036 - Aging population: **21%** over 65 by 204 ### 00:06:32 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - **Growing population**: **6.3m** by 2036 - **Aging population**: **21%** over 65 by 2041 - **More people with disabilities**: **21.4%** by 2041 - **Growing tourism industry**: **1.5x** spending increase by 2030 [Icon of two people representing growing population] [Icon of a person with a walking stick representing aging population] [Icon of a person in a wheelchair representing people with disabilities] [Icon of a person with a camera representing growing tourism industry] ### 00:06:55 # In Defence of the Long Pause ## A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - Growing population: **6.3m** by 2036 - Aging population: **21%** over 65 by 2041 - More people with disabilities: **21.4%** by 2041 - Growing tourism industry: **1.5x** spending increase by 2030 [Icon of two people representing growing population] [Icon of a person with a walking stick representing aging population] [Icon of a person in a wheelchair representing people with disabilities] [Icon of a person with a camera representing the tourism industry] ### 00:07:17 # In Defence of the Long Pause - grab rails - handles - grab points - vestibule layout - seating layout/configuration - safety & security - gangways - accessibility - information - advertising - climate - storage availability - light/lighting - cleanliness - colours/materials/finish - component assembly List not exhaustive! [Two images of train interiors with red lines and dots highlighting various design elements and features, corresponding to the listed items.] ### 00:07:33 # In Defence of the Long Pause - grab rails - handles - grab points - vestibule layout - seating layout/configuration - safety & security - gangways - accessibility - information - advertising - climate - storage availability - light/lighting - cleanliness - colours/materials/finish - component assembly List not exhaustive! [Two images of train interiors, each with red lines and dots highlighting various design elements and connecting them to the list of terms.] ### 00:07:37 # In Defence of the Long Pause - grab rails - handles - grab points - vestibule layout - seating layout/configuration - safety & security - gangways - accessibility - information - advertising - climate - storage availability - light/lighting - cleanliness - colours/materials/finish - component assembly [Two images of train interiors, each with red lines and dots pointing to various design elements like grab rails, seating, and lighting.] ### 00:07:58 # In Defence of the Long Pause - grab rails - handles - grab points - vestibule layout - seating layout/configuration - safety & security - gangways - accessibility - information - advertising - climate - storage availability - light/lighting - cleanliness - colours/materials/finish - component assembly List not exhaustive [Two images of train interiors with red dots and lines pointing to various design elements corresponding to the list items] ### 00:08:20 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # Working in a complex system... - safety - legislation - rail and signalling engineering - community and stakeholder expectations - governance - established ways of working - technological advancements and limitations - production schedules - project deadlines - evidence standards - risk - compliance [Circular diagram showing twelve interconnected factors in a complex system] ### 00:08:34 In Defence of the Long Pause ## Working in a complex system... - safety - legislation - rail and signalling engineering - community and stakeholder expectations - governance - established ways of working - technological advancements and limitations - production schedules - project deadlines - evidence standards - risk - compliance [Circular diagram showing interconnected factors influencing a complex system] ### 00:08:57 ### In Defence of the Long Pause We need depth not just breadth, and aiming for more than the status quo ### 00:09:19 ### In Defence of the Long Pause We need depth not just breadth, and aiming for more than the status quo ### 00:09:33 ### In Defence of the Long Pause We need depth not just breadth, and aiming for more than the status quo ### 00:09:38 # In Defence of the Long Pause We need depth not just breadth, and aiming for more than the status quo ### 00:09:59 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # Key problems - Focus on achieving compliance, not designing to needs - Focus on breadth, not depth: - Scale of an issue prioritised over severity - Surveys and focus groups prioritised over usability studies - Qualitative methods not seen as valid - Researching in controlled environments - Lack of diversity in who is interviewed - Not using prototyping at the right stage or with the right people ### 00:10:21 # Key problems - Focus on achieving compliance, not designing to needs - Focus on breadth, not depth: - Scale of an issue prioritised over severity - Surveys and focus groups prioritised over usability studies - Qualitative methods not seen as valid - Researching in controlled environments - Lack of diversity in who is interviewed - Not using prototyping at the right stage or with the right people ### 00:10:34 # UX AUSTRALIA | WEB DIRECTIONS # DESIGN RESEARCH ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## Key problems - Focus on achieving compliance, not designing to needs - Focus on breadth, not depth: - Scale of an issue prioritised over severity - Surveys and focus groups prioritised over usability studies - Qualitative methods not seen as valid - Researching in controlled environments - Lack of diversity in who is interviewed - Not using prototyping at the right stage or with the right people ### 00:10:56 # Key problems - Focus on achieving compliance, not designing to needs - Focus on breadth, not depth: - Scale of an issue prioritised over severity - Surveys and focus groups prioritised over usability studies - Qualitative methods not seen as valid - Researching in controlled environments - Lack of diversity in who is interviewed - Not using prototyping at the right stage or with the right people ### 00:11:33 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # Going from what we know to what we don't know (the known unknowns and unknown unknowns) [Venn diagram with two overlapping circles labeled "Customer" and "System". An arrow points from the overlapping region to the text "all the messy stuff (how customers interact with the system)".] ### 00:11:37 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # Going from what we know to what we don't know (the known unknowns and unknown unknowns) [Venn diagram with two overlapping circles labeled "Customer" and "System". An arrow points from the overlapping region to the text "all the messy stuff (how customers interact with the system)".] ### 00:11:58 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # Going from what we know to what we don't know (the known unknowns and unknown unknowns) [Venn diagram showing two overlapping circles: "Customer" and "System". The overlapping area is labeled "all the messy stuff (how customers interact with the system)".] ### 00:12:20 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # Going from what we know to what we don't know (the known unknowns and unknown unknowns) [Venn diagram showing two overlapping circles labeled "Customer" and "System", with an arrow pointing from their intersection to the text "all the messy stuff (how customers interact with the system)"] ### 00:12:35 # In Defence of the Long Pause > "This matters because lived experience is not simply a personal story. It is knowledge developed through ongoing learning that emerges from engagement with systems, institutions and the realities of everyday life." Lived experience is often dismissed - but we should recognise it as a form of expertise The Conversation ### 00:12:39 ## In Defence of the Long Pause > *This matters because lived experience is not simply a personal story. It is knowledge developed through ongoing learning that emerges from engagement with systems, institutions and the realities of everyday life.* "Lived experience is often dismissed - but we should recognise it as a form of expertise" The Conversation ### 00:13:00 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## Observing under real-world conditions ### 00:13:22 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## Observing under real-world conditions ### 00:13:36 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## Observing under real-world conditions ### 00:13:57 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # Observing under real-world conditions ### 00:14:18 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## Observing under real-world conditions ### 00:14:34 # In Defence of the Long Pause ## Observing under real-world conditions ### 00:14:54 ## In Defence of the Long Pause ### Speaking to the right people under the right conditions #### Participants - physical disability or mobility impairment e.g. acute arthritis - cognitive or intellectual disability e ### 00:15:18 ### Speaking to the right people under the right conditions **Participants** - physical disability or mobility impairment e.g. acute arthritis - cognitive or intellectual disability e.g. stroke - use of mobility device or aid (motorised scooter, wheelchair, walker, cane) - deaf or hard of hearing - blind or low vision - neurodivergence e.g. ADHD, autism - psychosocial disability or mental health condition ### 00:15:33 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## Speaking to the right people under the right conditions **Participants** - physical disability or mobility impairment e.g. acute arthritis - cognitive or intellectual disability e.g. stroke - use of mobility device or aid (motorised scooter, wheelchair, walker, cane) - deaf or hard of hearing - blind or low vision - neurodivergence e.g. ADHD, autism - psychosocial disability or mental health condition ### 00:15:39 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## Speaking to the right people under the right conditions **Participants** - physical disability or mobility impairment e.g. acute arthritis - cognitive or intellectual disability e.g. stroke - use of mobility device or aid (motorised scooter, wheelchair, walker, cane) - deaf or hard of hearing - blind or low vision - neurodivergence e.g. ADHD, autism - psychosocial disability or mental health condition ### 00:16:01 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## Speaking to the right people under the right conditions **Participants** - physical disability or mobility impairment e.g. acute arthritis - cognitive or intellectual disability e.g. stroke - use of mobility device or aid (motorised scooter, wheelchair, walker, cane) - deaf or hard of hearing - blind or low vision - neurodivergence e.g. ADHD, autism - psychosocial disability or mental health condition ### 00:16:22 ## In Defence of the Long Pause # Speaking to the right people under the right conditions ### Participants - physical disability or mobility impairment e.g. acute arthritis - cognitive or intellectual disability e.g. stroke - use of mobility device or aid (motorised scooter, wheelchair, walker, cane) - deaf or hard of hearing - blind or low vision - neurodivergence e.g. ADHD, autism - psychosocial disability or mental health condition ### 00:16:35 ## In Defence of the Long Pause # Speaking to the right people under the right conditions ### Participants - physical disability or mobility impairment e.g. acute arthritis - cognitive or intellectual disability e.g. stroke - use of mobility device or aid (motorised scooter, wheelchair, walker, cane) - deaf or hard of hearing - blind or low vision - neurodivergence e.g. ADHD, autism - psychosocial disability or mental health condition ### 00:16:57 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## From Service Designers to Event Planners ### 00:17:18 ## In Defence of the Long Pause # From Service Designers to Event Planners ### 00:17:36 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## From Service Designers to Event Planners ### 00:17:37 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## From Service Designers to Event Planners ### 00:17:58 # In Defence of the Long Pause - Where will we take the train from and to? - Will it be a round trip? - What **train model**/fleet should we take ### 00:18:23 # In Defence of the Long Pause The slide presents a table with several themes and their corresponding elements. ## Theme: Carriage layout and configuration - Element: Costing, Capacity, ### 00:18:49 # In Defence of the Long Pause ## Carriage types ### Theme: Carriage layout and configuration - Learning tools - Doorway/placement - Doorway/width - Doorway/ ### 00:19:12 # In Defence of the Long Pause - **Central** - Meeting point: Information Desk - Duration: < 5 min - Time: 10:00 am ### 00:19:34 # UX AUSTRALIA | WEB DIRECTIONS ## DESIGN RESEARCH ### In Defence of the Long Pause - **Central** - Meeting point: Information Desk - < 5 min ### 00:19:58 # In Defence of the Long Pause > "3 hours is too long!" - _"Participants will get tired"_ - _"Participants will get bored"_ - _"Participants will lose attention"_ - _"There'll be nothing left to say"_ - _"All you need is 40 minutes... 1 hour max"_ - _"This is going to drag out the process"_ - _"You're going to be exhausting after this"_ ### 00:20:21 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # "3 hours is too long!" - "Participants will get tired" - "Participants will get bored" - "Participants will lose attention" - "There'll be nothing left to say" - "All you need is 40 minutes... 1 hour max" - "This is going to drag out the process" - "You're going to be exhausting after this" ### 00:20:36 ### In Defence of the Long Pause > *"3 hours is too long!"* - *"Participants will get tired"* - *"Participants will get bored"* - *"Participants will lose attention"* - *"There'll be nothing left to say"* - *"All you need is 40 minutes... 1 hour max"* - *"This is going to drag out the process"* - *"You're going to be exhausting after this"* ### 00:20:57 # In Defence of the Long Pause - **4 weeks before:** EOI with high level summary - **2 weeks before:** Confirmation and consent form - **1 week before:** FAQs and Easy Read - **1 day before:** Reminder email and call - **On the day:** Phone numbers for back up and full introduction [Timeline diagram showing a process over several weeks leading up to "On the day"] ### 00:21:20 # In Defence of the Long Pause ## Transport for NSW Accessibility Feedback ### Plan for the Transport for NSW train accessibility feedback session - We will meet inside Central Station in Sydney's CBD for 10:00 am. - The exact meeting point within Central Station is by the Transport Information desk on the Grand Concourse. - To get to the Grand Concourse, follow the signs when you arrive at the station. - We will stand by the wall at the Transport Information desk, under the big screen. ## Transport for NSW Accessibility Feedback - Chanel and Bhaven from Transport for NSW will meet you at the Information Desk. - Once we meet, we will move to a quiet place, to formally introduce ourselves and provide information about the day, including important safety information. - After introductions, we will go to the platform. - Once we arrive at the platform, we will begin our feedback session with you. - We will then ### 00:21:33 # Plan for the Transport for NSW train accessibility feedback session ## Meeting at Central Station - We will meet inside Central Station in Sydney's CBD for 10:00 am ### 00:21:57 # In Defence of the Long Pause ## Transport for NSW Accessibility Feedback ### Plan for the Transport for NSW train accessibility feedback session - **Meeting at Central Station** - ### 00:22:20 # In Defence of the Long Pause [Grid of nine photos showing people using public transport and waiting areas, including boarding trains, sitting inside trains, and interacting with each other] ### 00:22:33 # In Defence of the Long Pause [Grid of 12 photos showing people interacting with public transport, primarily trains, focusing on accessibility and user experience.] [Photo 1: People on a train platform next to a train.] [Photo 2: A person with a walking stick boarding a train, assisted by another person.] [Photo 3: Two people on a train platform next to an open train door, one using a walking aid.] [Photo 4: Two people sitting inside a train.] [Photo 5: Two men talking inside a train, one holding papers.] [Photo 6: A person in a mobility scooter and another with a bicycle inside a train.] [Photo 7: A person in a wheelchair being assisted to board a train.] [Photo 8: A man with a service dog sitting on a train, talking to another person.] [Photo 9: People inside a train, one person pointing upwards.] [Photo 10: A person in a mobility scooter inside a train with other passengers.] [Photo 11: Two women sitting inside a train, looking out the window.] [Photo 12: Four people sitting around a table, talking, in a meeting room.] ### 00:22:57 # In Defence of the Long Pause [Grid of 12 photographs showing diverse people, including those with mobility aids and service animals, interacting with public transport (trains/trams) and station platforms, focusing on accessibility and user experience.] ### 00:23:12 # In Defence of the Long Pause [Grid of 12 photographs showing diverse people interacting with public transport (trains, trams, platforms) and in group discussion settings.] ### 00:23:34 # In Defence of the Long Pause [Grid of 12 photographs showing diverse people using public transport, including boarding trains, sitting inside, and interacting with staff or fellow passengers. Some images feature people with disabilities, such as a person in a wheelchair or a person with a guide dog.] ### 00:23:55 # In Defence of the Long Pause [Grid of 12 ethnographic photos showing people interacting with public transport, including waiting at stations, boarding, sitting inside, and using accessibility features.] ### 00:24:09 # In Defence of the Long Pause [Grid of 12 photographs showing diverse people interacting with public transport, including waiting on platforms, boarding trains, sitting inside trains, and using accessibility features like wheelchairs and guide dogs.] ### 00:24:15 # In Defence of the Long Pause [Grid of 12 photographs showing diverse people interacting with public transport, including waiting on platforms, boarding trains, sitting inside trains, and using accessibility features like wheelchairs and guide dogs.] ### 00:24:38 # In Defence of the Long Pause [Grid of 12 photographs showing people interacting with public transport (trains, buses, light rail) in various scenarios, including boarding, sitting, standing, and using mobility aids or service animals.] ### 00:25:01 # In Defence of the Long Pause [Grid of 12 photographs showing diverse people using public transport, including waiting on platforms, boarding, sitting inside, and interacting with staff or using mobility aids.] ### 00:25:24 In Defence of the Long Pause ## High level insights - People struggle to travel independently and plan with confidence due to the physical and digital infrastructure. - Spaces are designed for the atypical user and uses, resulting in reduced comfort, safety and usability outcomes. - Design solutions have not been tested by people with lived experience in-situ, under real world conditions to be meaningful. - There are still gaps in providing equitable and dignified access for people with disabilities. - The customer experience is not limited to the train. ### 00:25:46 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## High level insights - People struggle to travel independently and plan with confidence due to the physical and digital infrastructure. - Spaces are designed for the atypical user and uses, resulting in reduced comfort, safety and usability outcomes. - Design solutions have not been tested by people with lived experience in-situ, under real world conditions to be meaningful. - There are still gaps in providing equitable and dignified access for people with disabilities. - The customer experience is not limited to the train. ### 00:26:08 # UX AUSTRALIA | WEB DIRECTIONS ## DESIGN RESEARCH ### In Defence of the Long Pause | Theme | Element | Observations and Findings ### 00:26:32 # In Defence of the Long Pause ### Analysis of Passenger Stability and Handrail Placement in Rolling Stock This slide presents a detailed table analyzing various aspects of passenger stability and handrail placement within train carriages. ### 00:26:57 # In Defence of the Long Pause This slide presents a detailed research findings matrix with the following columns: - **Theme** - **Element** - **Observations and Findings** - **Source/Evidence** - **Rolling stock** - **Customer impact** - **Image ### 00:27:23 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # We couldn't have achieved without... - Communication - Safety - Respect - Patience ### 00:27:44 # We couldn't have achieved without... - Communication - Respect - Safety - Patience ### 00:28:04 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # We couldn't have achieved without... - Communication - Respect - Safety - Patience ### 00:28:07 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # We couldn't have achieved without... - Communication - Respect - Safety - Patience ### 00:28:30 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## We couldn't have achieved without... - Communication - Respect - Safety - Patience ### 00:28:53 # We couldn't have achieved without... ## In Defence of the Long Pause - Communication - Safety - Respect - Patience ### 00:29:08 ## We couldn't have achieved without... - Communication - Respect - Safety - Patience ### 00:29:29 ### In Defence of the Long Pause # We couldn't have achieved without... - Communication - Respect - Safety - Patience ### 00:29:49 ### In Defence of the Long Pause ## We couldn't have achieved without... - Communication - Safety - Respect - Patience