Train app
This was a small project where I was asked to sketch some solutions regarding a train route. According to the brief, the train company wanted customers to buy ticket from Paris to Nice.
Having an app itself is not very innovative but still an effective way of competing for users (or customers if you
will) if it contains relevant and innovative solutions. I presume the app already has a way of buying tickets and
looking at time tables. What I suggest adding more things into it and focus a bit of attention to what value the app may have while travelling and not just for buying tickets.
Leisure travelers that go by train are likely to be more impulsive than those that go by plane. Still they probably buy tickets
earlier than commuters. Therefore the first function to add would be price alerts. This means that you type in where and
when you want to go and the app checks when the ticket is as cheapest (or about to go up) and shows this as a notification.
This would act as a trigger to the user to buy when the price has reached a new low. After all, conversion by the scarcity
principle is quite effective and not manipulative.
I believe a point system for traveling would add to the gamification as well as loyalty. This could be based on how long the
trip is. The points can be displayed in the app based on what trip your doing. Maybe it could even give extra score if you
complete certain lines (in his case Paris-Nice). The user should also be able to connect with friends to see what routes
they’ve made. When the user makes an investment like this, such as starting a “game” of traveling it also adds to loyalty.
The points can be used for beneficial prices.
Additionally, to be on the (for now) front line of tech, why not use Augmented Reality (AR) technology in the app?
The technology has been around for a while but now it’s getting strong and feasible to implement. It’s a good time to start.
If the user points the camera towards the window it could show information about where the user is and stories about the
place. It could show basic information like weather or speed.
With the help of AR it could even be a game. Children (or adults) could play the game with things happening outside the
window through the mobile screen. The trip to Nice is after all 5.5 hours. It can show speed and time to destination.
The point system can be connected to this and add to the price benefits or sharing scores to social media. Connecting
through Facebook or other social media should help with showing what lines friends have been traveling and by that make it
a friendly challenge.
The bottom solution of the train track concept above inspired me for a new solution which I made Hi-Fi so that the minimalist concept is visible. In this solution the big destinations, accompanied by large inviting images, are shown straight at the front screen. The user has the ability to click on the flat design line beside the label “Travelling to” to chose another destination.