IH02-ShilpiVerma
From IEOR 170 Spring 2007
Background and Problem Description
Many people in the Bay Area use BART on a regular basis, especially to go to the city. Even tourists utilize BART to get around San Francisco because they may end up staying somewhere outside of the city (i.e. Berkeley). After getting off at any BART stop, many people are unaware of what places/attractions are in walking vicinity and what exit leads to what street. For example, someone that wants to go to Macy’s at Union Square would get off at Powell station, and not know where to go from there. Currently, it is difficult for a person to gauge whether the store is walking distance or would it be easier to take a cab from the BART stop. Macy’s is a quick three blocks from the BART stop, but currently there is no way of knowing how to get there. Considering that San Francisco is a huge tourist city, it is important for people to asses how far certain places are from the stop they are at, and what the best feasible method to get there is.
Target User Group
Tourists are mainly the target user group, but people who use BART and are not familiar with the city are also included. Even if a person travels on BART daily, they may only know how to get to only a few destinations and are oblivious of other major attractions that are walking distance from their stop. People that fit this target user group basically want more information about locations and attractions close to the BART stop.
Proposed Solution
A proposed solution to this problem of inherently not having enough information about attractions/places in walking distance to a certain BART stop can be solved by having huge maps placed within the station itself. These maps should depict all the important places in vicinity to the BART stop a person has gotten off at. There should also be information about the bus and MUNI routes from any particular stop. This will allow tourists and people to easily estimate how far their destination is and if it would be easier to cab it or just walk. Also this solution will make people more aware of their surroundings and what attractions are in San Francisco.
Problem Context and Forces
A map is always useful for people, even if they just need assurance that they are going in the correct direction. There are always multiple exits from the BART stations, and it is easy for people to get confused. The exits only tell what street a person will end up on, and this does not help if someone does not know the exact street name. Just the fact that there are so many tourists that ride BART, having a map will help guide them to their destination. An aspect that might influence the problem solution is if there is an event in the city. For example, if there is an exhibition at the SF MOMA people will probably ride BART instead of driving because parking may be a hassle. The SF MOMA website tells users that BART riders can get off at one of two stops. Having maps at the stations gives the person the ability to decide which stop is closer for them, either Powell Street Station or the Montgomery stop. This solution will benefit not only all the different user groups, but any BART rider. Related solutions already exist in London. At every Tube station there is a map called “London Underground,” and every map depicts the “Important Places” in close proximity to that stop. These maps also provide a “Route Finder” by displaying information on the different methods of public transportation and bus services available and also illustrating the routes a person can take to get to a certain destination.
Solution Sketch
References
