Learn the Behavior of KAI Users when using Train Transportation from Sidoarjo Station
Applying Research knowledge on my Small Town in East Java
It is a personal project where I would like to apply the knowledge that I gained from working as a UX researcher to my surroundings, where I think that there is not enough attention being paid to solving or looking for the problem. This project is about how KAI users behave when riding the train at Sidoarjo station, which is one of many stations in Sidoarjo that are located in the town center and connect to many places, such as Surabaya or even other cities such as Yogya, Pasuruan, and so on.
I tried to learn about their experience using trains from Sidoarjo Station and what needed to be improved in order to make the experience of using trains at Sidoarjo Station better for the user and generate more train users per day in the Sidoarjo Station.
Background
Sidoarjo Station is one of the many stations that are located in Sidoarjo, as well as the only station that is located in the heart of Sidoarjo City compared to the other stations. Sidoarjo station provides several routes that connect to many cities in Indonesia, such as Yogya, Blitar, Mojokerto, Surabaya, and so on. While the routes have been upgraded since their inception, some of the infrastructure that makes using the train at Sidoarjo Station possible remains unchanged.
According to the article published by rethinking future, when designing a train station, several aspects must be considered from the user’s perspective. Then the inclusive features, so it could be used by everyone who would like to use the train, even the elderly or some who have a disability, could use the station, as well as how efficient the station is for the passenger’s boarding, unloading, and loading of goods.
As a result, we would like to understand and learn the behavior of KAI users who use trains from Sidoarjo Station to go to work or somewhere else they want to go in order to see what is good and what needs to be improved from the station itself. So we’d like to assess what things could be changed to improve the experience of using the train at Sidoarjo Station.
Research Goals
- To learn more about the users’ motivations and goals for using the train, especially from Sidoarjo Station,
- To understand more about how the user behaves when using the train, especially from Sidoarjo Station,
- To discover the challenge that users face when going to use the train from Sidoarjo Station
- To uncover the desired needs when using the train from Sidoaro Station
How I conduct the research
Because we wanted to discover their behavior while riding a train at Sidoarjo Station, we decided to use ethnographic studies to see the behavior in a real-world environment, as well as in-depth interviews to learn more about why our users chose to do those actions when they did.
Ethnography was used since this is research that does not focus on the digital product but more on the physical experience, so observation needed to be done so we could see the process of the KAI users using the train at the Sidoarjo station because if we were going to use remote research, it would not help much.
Who’s Involved in this Research Project?
In this research we are targeting participants:
- KAI users who are 18 to 55 years old
- Users who are traveling alone the last time they used the train from Sidoarjo Station
- Users who, at least within a month, have been using the train from Sidoarjo Station at least once
- Users who took the local train or intercity train the last time using the train from Sidoarjo Station
Crucial Insight
- First Crucial Insight
Participants who use the train at the Sidoarjo Station tend to wait inside the station (outside of the departure gates) rather than outside of the departure room outside of the station. If they wait outside of the station, they will not be able to get information about when participants can check in or board the train because the information is only from the speaker and cannot be heard clearly from the outside and inside. The participant did not like hearing the information through the speaker because it was not clear enough and there was too much noise. There is also no information that tells the participant what time they could board the train, so it makes the participant keep asking the KAI employee who is waiting at the boarding gate, which makes the room crowded with many people waiting.
When participants take a local or intercity train, they prefer to wait inside because there is no information displayed about what time they can board the train, and the information is only generated through a speaker, which is not clear enough, so the waiting experience is also not pleasant. So, it makes the participant, and some other people wait inside the station, where the station itself isn’t big enough, especially in the waiting room before boarding the train, because if they wait outside and sit on a chair outside of the room, they could not hear the boarding information clearly and would keep asking the KAI employee related to the boarding time. Especially if it’s during rush hour like in the morning.
So How Might We could help the users to make the experience better when waiting for the train before entering the boarding or departure room in Sidoarjo Station?
- We could try to create a boarding board that would display the time when the user could board the room for the specific train so participants did not have to ask the employee many times and could make them wait patiently because the information is clear enough for them.
- We could also show the boarding time inside the tickets, whether it’s a physical ticket or an electronic ticket purchased through the apps, so they can see what time they need to board the room and not wait inside the departure room and ask whether they can enter the boarding room or not.
- Second Crucial Insight
The participant feels uncomfortable when going to enter the train because the height difference between the train and the ground is too great, so it needed to use the small ladder to be able to enter or get out of the train. So when there’s no small ladder in some of the carriages, the participant has to jump or move to another carriage in order to get out of the train or get in the train.
One thing that the participant did not like that much about using a train in Sidoarjo Station is that it needed to be entered using the small ladder that was available on the train, so when there was no small ladder, it would be very hard to get in or get out of the train because there was a quite huge difference between the ground and the train door. It makes it difficult for the elderly, especially those with disabilities, to use the train because they must be picked up by a security or KAI employee first to get to the train and then bring the wheelchair in. So it makes the experience of using the train in Sidoarjo Station bad, especially for the older people who are past their prime.
So how might we help the users make the experience better when they enter and get out of the train at Sidoarjo Station?
- We could try to make the ground from the station and the train level so that entering the train is easier without having to use the ladder, especially for elders or people who don’t have a strong foothold to be able to use the train service from Sidoarjo Station.
My Learning :
- During the ethnographic studies, we were not only to observe, but we also had to take a chance to do a contextual inquiry or interview with a participant around there because if we were only to observe, we would only know what was happening but not the reason they were taking that action. So it isn’t a good thing if we only observe but do not take action to talk to them in the real condition where they are doing the actions.
- Aside from doing ethnographic studies, I think shadowing a participant could also be a better solution for this research because we follow them as they use the train station in Sidoarjo, which we could understand better and give more focus to one participant instead of many. While doing so, we may also discover why we are currently shadowing one participant rather than looking at a participant in the crowd.
