Uh Oh! What to do now!?

Vraj Shah
Vraj Shah
Aug 28, 2017 · 3 min read

So I was at a bus stop yesterday waiting for my bus to arrive. First few minutes seemed enjoyable with all that ‘tinnie-winnie’ excitement ‘Bolting’ back of my mind visualizing the hot shower at home! Rather, ‘Satin’ had something else in his mind, it even seemed that my wrist-watch was bantering me with its ‘tic..toc..tic..toc’ clatter. Few minutes turned to an hour when I realized that something was tuna-ish. So I enquired with one of the pedestrian passing by if she knew anything regarding the bus route I was waiting since ages! She answered that due to some revamping going on, the bus would be taking a detour and shall arrive at a stop 7 blocks from the place we were conversing. Suddenly the hot shower stopped and I felt as if I was up for the Ice-bucket dare in chilling December! Holy-moly I panicked, acknowledging her I sprinted to the place and what I saw felt as if I missed the last space vehicle carrying humans back to Earth from Mars!

Little could I know that Mr. Don’s work seemed relevant with what I bumped into. Being an architect I could not agree more with his philosophy of what he calls the principles of a better design! The Google Maps has indeed made many lives quite smoother in commuting with all the updated schedules, but only if it could provide the circumstances a commuter faces such consequences in one’s travel. The terms used in the book ‘The Design of Everyday Things: Chapter 01’, affordance — signifier — mapping — feedback are fairly relatable with what I experienced.

He defined affordance as ‘what a person is supposed to do!’. In my state, I too faced the similar clueless situation, unfamiliar of how the system works. Next comes signifiers which means ‘how to do it’. In my instance, I had to rush to the re-routed bus-stop in order to catch the bus. Furthermore, comes mapping, which indeed satisfied the demarcation of the bus-stops. And lastly, feedback, indicating any detoured routes of the bus. Eventually I found out that an update had been marked on a paper at the new bus-stop I was waiting, referring where the incoming bus would stop. The only issue one faces if these updates were notified on either ‘Google Maps’ or at the bus-stops, which would’ve made the overall commute manageable.

Such experiences make one aware of the tangible-intangible issues everyone must be encountering in everyday lives. Of-course the term Human Centered Design has been kept in mind for all the bus designs, where the accessibility becomes smoother for everyone. But what about the journey before starting off the journey?

(*It’s astonishing how the bus system works here. Being a newbie it takes time to settle in with the fresh environment and get acquainted with the structure. I appreciate the organization working for improving the public commute, but as we were to produce assignment, this encounter served a better example. No hard feelings, peace!)

)

Vraj Shah
Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade