Our Abstract

The problem to be addressed in this article is one of intimacy and the lack thereof in transport. The issue to us with travel is that it is to time consuming, too dry/cold and too lonely. This is a problem with most transport and in that mainly the factors of time taken, cost and experience. When one gets on their connection that will take them from their departure point to their destination point they are submitted to a time period where they do nothing but long for their destination.

The problem begins when you want to get into your transport.How can this experience be made more intimate, inviting and welcoming? This problem continues once you are commuting: rather often, you cannot do much with the time you have during your commute. So here the next problem departs, while you have nothing much to do, you begin to think of wasted time, all the things that are wrong around you.

All of these things can be improved greatly by making an experience more intimate. Transport can be made more intimate by invoking interaction, between the commuter and the vehicle and other possible people on it. This interaction can begin with something that stimulates conversation (conversation starters).

In approaching this issue from an open minded and creative point of view the application of theoretical frameworks can reveal the underlying forces at work.
The 4-step interaction design process developed by Bill Verplank (Designing Interaction; Bill Moggridge) should provide a good starting point for understanding the current state of affairs, and suggesting directions for improvement. Since issues of interaction are critical to the levels (or lack) of intimacy involved in the act of traveling, it is important to identify the key players, both human and constructed and how these various factors influence and respond to each other.

An initial step will be to develop an abstracted understanding of the main aims and motivators involved in creating a need for the act of transportation to occur. From there, analytical techniques (such as mapping dichotomies via semiotic squares) will describe the range of activity possible. How the state of "intimacy" occurs in a given situation, and how modifying that state affects the user (commuted) will be the primary topic of study.

A constant reference to creativity models (De Bono, Perkins) will enable the fullest exploration of both potential solutions; and the applicatbility and any limitations thereof.