rail saarthi

1. Containing the spread of COVID-19 by minimizing contact in regular interactions on the Indian railway stations.
This project was submitted for the D’Source Corona Design Challenge 2020 and was one of the winning entries in
the Interaction design catagory. A link to view the results: https://dsourcechallenge.org/results.html#dcdc9r
Fields:
Product Design
System Design
Design Research
Interaction Design
Team:
Soumil Singh Panwar (Team Lead)
Ayushi Gupta
Kasturi Katale
Rishika Kedia
Shrunoti Tatiya
RAIL SAARTHI
Your speed ticket to a healthy journey
Design Brief:
To create interaction design/ service design solutions to appropriately manage people in public spaces
considering the infectious pandemic : COVID-19

2. Over-crowded railway stations in India act as homeless housing, daily shopping hotspots and what not
apart from the general function of being a public place to board a train.
The Indian Railway Stations
For Context,
An official report by IBEF (Indian
Brand Equity Foundation) says that
over 7.5 million daily users buy a
ticket in the Mumbai rail network.
Railwar stations are often a home to
the homeless, specially during
monsoons.
These railway stations would have
been a major catalyst to the spread
of COVID-19 once the railway
network is resumed. The basic idea
of social distancing can not work
with this population density.

3. Employees
Exchange of luggage/goods
Monetary exchange
TC interacts with a lot of
people in different cities
everyday
Lack of focus on hygiene
between maintenance
workers
Vendor shops selling
cooked stuff will be an
issue: lack of trust.
Waste disposal system and
its workers would be prone
to exposure
Coolies would be
considered a hotspot. Their
lives will be affected. And
others coming in contact
with him or the luggage.
Vendors who sell through
windows or go inside the
train
Infrastructure
Sanitation: Washrooms,
physical interactions
Benches (Platform): Huge
number of people interact
Elevators : A lot of people
crammed in a very small
space
Escalators : Touching the
side
Waiting Area : A lot of people
come in contact with the
same piece of furniture
Water Taps : Lot of people
coming in contact with the
tap. The surroundings are
generally always wet.
Proper movement of luggage
Staircase: Touching railings
exchange
Behavior
Pushing people, running
Unhygienic behaviour
Attitude of me first in
Mumbai local
People have no sense of
how to use washrooms.
Phobia of catching the
virus
People are self centred.
They don't have faith in
the existing system.
Leaving the luggage in
the hands of strangers is
not safe
Others
Population, Overcrowding
Sanitation: Rodents, Improper
cleaning
Wheelchairs:
People carrying it might
spread The virus
turning the wheel on his own
Temporary housing and
belongings of homeless
people are extremely dirty
and might be thrown out as a
preventive measure.
Crowd management and
control will be an issue.
Key Problem Areas

4. Stakeholders
Cleaning Staff Pourters
COVID Staff Passengers
Law EnforcementTicket Checkers Food Vendors
Various stakeholders
engaging in different kind of
activity on railway platforms
in the COVID-19 pandemic.

5. To contain the spread of COVID-19 by minimizing contact
in regular interactions on Indian railway stations.
HMW make cash
exchange an
indirect activity ?
HMW ensure
non covid
washroom
interactions ?
HMW make ticket
verification
simpler/contact
less ?
HMW organize
movement of
people and
luggage in the
railway station ?
Hmw individualise
the railway station
experience to avoid
close contact of
people in crowded
situations ?
HMW ensure safe
work for these
workers with
community
involvement ?
HMW - How might we
How-Might-We Statements (Problem Definition)

6. Food Delivery
Platform Cleaning
Ticket Booking
Food Vendors
Porters
Homeless Housing
Public Washrooms
Police Helpdesk
Hotels
Parcel Services
Track Cleaning
Public Parking
Information System
Resting Areas
Emergency Healthcare
Accesibility Aid
Waiting Rooms Rail Enquiry
Auto/ Taxi Services
Newspaper and Books
Public Water Taps
Shoe Cleaning
Baggage Checking
Existing Services on an Indian Railway Station
Considering the number of passengers using the railway stations daily, most of these services
would be required.

7. In order to effectively empathise with the problems faced by various passengers, we listed
some personas down and chose the most vulnerable interactions.
These represent most of the personas that one would be able to find on a typical railway
station. Each of these was mapped against the existing services and the most vulnerable
persona-service interaction were elaborated.
Existing Personas on an Indian Railway Station
A person with Motor
Disability
A Visually Impared Person
First Time Train Users
Porters
A Pregnant Woman
5 Year old Kid
Ticket Checkers
A Sick Person
Goods Vendors
Cleaning Staff
Lone Elderly
Injured People
Daily Office Commuters
Lone Students returning
home with a lot of luggage
Homeless who come to use
Washrooms
Immigrant Daily-Wage
Workers
Lone Mother with a Baby Railway Doctors Entourage

8. WITHTICKETWITHOUT
TICKET
ONPLATFORMRailway Station Journey Map of a Passenger With a Child
Finding the way
Finding the way Interaction with ticketing
personnel and payment
Co-ordination with porter
Finding the way
Finding trash can
Seating / resting
spaces
Interaction with
food personnel
and payment
Finding the way
Finding seat
inside train
Coolie
payment
Hygiene
Luggage storage
= Problem touch-points
Disposes
trash
Purchases
food
Looks for
Coach no.
and position
Takes kid
to washroom
at the station
Identifies seat
Finds ticket
for verification
Unloads
luggage from
cab
Pays the
porter
Looks
for porter
Navigates
through
station
Navigates to
ticket
booking
Stands in
queue to
obtain a ticket
Pays for
the ticket
& collects it
Asks porter
for
information
Reaches
the
platform1.
2.

9. • Navigation on the railway station
• Buying a ticket
• Ticket confirmation with the ticket checkers on the train
• Washrooms
• Porters
Railway Station Journey Map of a Ticket checker
Vulnerable Interactions
Ticket Checker’s job involves close interaction with huge crowds with touch-points
at every stage of the journey.
Navigates to
TC area
without luggage
Selling ticket
to ticketless
passenger
Awaits train
arrival while
entertaining
passengers
Receives
prints of
seat
allotment
Enters &
settles inside
train
Law
enforcement
Cross check
paper/ phone
ticket
Identifies
passenger
on seats
= Problem touch-points
1.

10. A Railway Station Map for the passengers during the pandemic
To help in navigation and understanding of the new temporary facilities and checkpoints on
the platforms created by the government to ensure social distancing and adequate prevention.
Physical Interactions on the platform
To simplify and speedup the activities one has to undergo on the reilway station before
boarding the train with safety.
The App
To ensure safety and act as an information system to passengers travelling during the
pandemic. This app would be used for navigation, enquiry, information, ticket check, ticket sale
and ticket verification.
As a result of detailed brainstorming with the team, we chose to develop the solution in different
fronts. These interventions were done with an intent to simplify/ bypass the vulnerable
touchpoints from the two journeys and provide a safe rail travel experience to the passengers
inspite of all the mental stress due to the pandemic.
Solution
1.
2.
3.

11. Railway station Map
Key
Ahmedabad Kalupur station
Waiting Areas: Temporary shelters to accomodate for larger space considering social distancing
Helpdesk: Management of porters and assistance provided to passengers with COVID safety
Screening funnel: To sanitize passengers and ensure usage of protective equipment
Information System: To promote awareness for the virus and preventive techniques
Optimisation of parking area
Help desk
Coolie boothCoolie booth
Coolie booth
Coolie
booth
Drop off area>
Booking centre
Waiting Area
Waiting area
Parking Parking
Waiting area
Northfootoverbridge
Southfootoverbridge
Screening
Screening
Screening
Screening
New introduced area
Existing services
Help desk
Screening
Parking
Waiting lounge
Food stall
Washroom
Locker room
ATM
Information centre
Waiting Area
Crowd flow direction
Booking centre
Screening
Map reflects how the introduced spaces will interact with the present architecture of the railway station and helps in establishing a new crowdflow

12. 3. 4.
TICKET COUNTER
LUGGAGE
CHECK
TEMP: 36.2 C
MASK
2.
SERVICE & HELPDESK
train no. 8787
train no. 4336
1.
Sociofugal
seating to
minimise
face to face
interaction
Screen displaying
which train
passengers can
enter station
Waiting area outside station entry Helpdesk booth Helpdesk with
porters, wheelchair
& other special
services
Roller to
sanitise
cash
Social distancing with other people
Automatic/
manual mask
and temperature
detection
ensures safe
entry
Seperators to
guide the queue
Screening at entry Buying a ticket
Glass seperation to
protect ticket personnel
from microbes
Sanitiser infused foam
rollers. Money/ ticket
or any other paper
transaction happens
through these rollers
Santiser dispensers
placed around the
windows to clean hands
and debit cards etc.
Storyboard (Detail of the Proposed System)

13. 8.
FLUSH
7. “Keep
distance”
WASH HANDS
SAVE YOURSELF
CORONAVIRUS
BIMAARI SE BACHO
6. WASHROOM
5. BOOK SHOP
Vendor has to
ensure having
sanitiser and its
use after every
transaction
Clean delivery space
for books to be kept
by vendor
Hole for speaking/
any physical interaction.
Not in line with the mouth.
Back of book displayed so
customer can choose without
touching
Sanitising
liquid rollers
Rollers for
cash transactions
Newly arrived
goods kept in
isolation till
disinfected
Glass to protect
personnel
Fan for positive air pressure.
Prevents transmissions through air.
(Book) Shops
Washroom interactions 1/3 - Outside
Washroom interactions 2/3 - Inside Washroom interactions 3/3 - Cubicle
Visual
partitions
to replace
entry doors-
reduce one
interaction
Limited number of
people allowed inside
at 1 time
Distancing
Safeguard your
luggage near
a guard
Guard - staff
ensures luggage
safety, social
distancing, crowd
flow & ensures
handwashing
Proper signages
and boards
Long hooks
to hang small
bags- avoid
contact with
door surface
Foot operated
lock- no
contact with
door or handle
Foot
operated
flush
Visual
instructions
for new
controls
Posters to
urge passengers
to follow hygiene
regulations &
promote hand
washing
Soap
dispenser
Jingles to
remind
passengers
of COVID
related
regulations
No need
to touch door
handles since
you can open
the door with
your foot
Distancing

14. RAIL SAARTHI
(PASSENGER)
Self Check-In to bypass the TC
Contact free validation of
identity and seat booking.
Realtime notification of
journey details and
covid precautions
Local platform way finding
and navigation to avoid
human interaction and
simplify information-
perception

15. RAIL SAARTHI
(TICKET CHECKER)
Please use this link/scan QR code to view a prototype of this app interact
Minimal physical interaction
with passengers.
Temporary passenger
database is loaded on the
devices to verify passengers.
Self checked passengers are
completely ignored by the TC
Contactless sale of tickets
https://youtu.be/pmk5yr10D_Y

16. Use case scenarios (Working of the App)
3.
2.1.

17. 4.
5.