Levelling up the UX of University Elevators.
Elevators are more than just metal boxes that move us between floors — they’re modern marvels that make life effortless. Whether you’re rushing to class, carrying heavy bags, or simply avoiding a long flight of stairs, elevators are the silent workhorses of our daily routines.
But beyond convenience, they play a crucial role in accessibility, ensuring that people with disabilities can navigate buildings with ease. Imagine a world without them — high-rise living, towering office buildings, and even subway stations would become far less practical. Elevators don’t just save time; they transform the way we experience spaces, making vertical travel seamless for everyone.
But…
Few things are more frustrating than getting stuck in a crowd near the elevators when you’re racing against time. Imagine this — you’re already running late, your professor expects you in class in two minutes, but your lecture hall is up on the 10th floor. You glance at the elevator panel, but there’s no way to tell when the next lift will arrive.
Do you wait and hope for the best, or take the stairs and risk arriving breathless? It’s a split-second decision and one that countless students face every day. As a student myself, I’ve been in this exact situation, and it’s a problem that makes university life unnecessarily stressful. The uncertainty of choosing between the stairs and the elevator isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s a daily dilemma that needs a smarter solution.
Here’s some context of how much people waste time waiting for elevators…
Waiting for an elevator might seem like a small inconvenience, but over time, it adds up in ways you wouldn’t expect.
According to an article by Network World, the average office worker spends around 16 minutes per day just waiting for elevators. That’s over 4 entire days per year — wasted. Stretch that across a lifetime, and the numbers get even crazier: an office worker could spend a staggering 16 years simply waiting for a lift to arrive.
Imagine what could be accomplished in that time! Whether it’s in an office, a university, or a high-rise apartment, inefficient elevator systems aren’t just an annoyance — they silently steal years of productivity and convenience from our lives.
Research Phase
To understand the root causes of this problem, I broke the research phase into 2 stages;
- Surveys: A great way to gather quantitative data, helping to break down and analyze different factors that contribute to the problem. With structured questions, surveys reveal trends, patterns, and statistical insights that shape the bigger picture.
- User Interviews: These provide qualitative data, offering deeper psychological insights into how students think and feel while using the elevators. By understanding their mental models, frustrations, and decision-making processes, we can design solutions that truly align with their needs and behaviours.
Surveys — Quantitative Data
The first step was to identify the key users in this elevator flow. While it’s easy to assume that students and professors make up the majority, I wanted to validate this with data.
The survey results confirmed this assumption, revealing that students account for 69% of elevator users, while professors make up the remaining 31%. Understanding this breakdown is crucial, as each group has different needs, behaviours, and priorities when it comes to elevator usage.
Limited Space Issues
A staggering 81.5% of respondents reported facing situations where elevators arrived already packed during peak hours, leaving them with little to no space to get in. This highlights a major pain point — students and professors aren’t just waiting for elevators; they’re often forced to wait multiple times, adding to delays and frustration.
Long Waiting Times & Overcrowding
Every single respondent — 100% of them — identified long waiting times and overcrowded lift cabins as the biggest challenges they face. This isn’t just a minor inconvenience.
it’s a universal issue affecting everyone who relies on elevators, proving that the problem is both widespread and urgent.
Need for Real-Time information
A significant 51.9% of respondents stated that having real-time information on elevator status and wait times is crucial. This highlights a clear need for better transparency, as many users struggle with uncertainty when deciding whether to wait for the lift or take the stairs.
Rush Hour
An overwhelming 85.7% of respondents admitted to being in a rush often or very frequently. This reinforces the need for a more efficient elevator system, as delays during peak hours directly impact their schedules and daily routines.
All this data provided a solid overview of the situation, allowing me to dive deeper into qualitative analysis. By engaging directly with real users involved in the flow, I was able to uncover the personal experiences, frustrations, and decision-making processes that numbers alone couldn’t fully capture.
User Interviews — Qualitative Data
The PES Ground Floor Lobby is equipped with six elevators, arranged in two sets of three facing each other. Each lift has a maximum capacity of 20 people at a time. The dots above illustrate crowd movement, highlighting congestion patterns near the elevators during peak hours.
Peak Hour Challenges
Users reported a significant surge in elevator usage during peak hours, especially during breaks. As lifts became overcrowded, long wait times became a common frustration, adding to the overall congestion and inconvenience for students and professors alike.
People from the Lower Floors
Interviews revealed that around 35–40% of elevator users take the lift for floors below the 5th floor. This is a major concern, as such short trips significantly contribute to overcrowding, making it even more frustrating for those travelling to higher floors.
Frustration was evident in users due to all these reasons contributing to long wait times and overcrowding.
Mapping a user’s journey
Key Takeaways from the User Journey
Peak hour congestion significantly impacts user experience, causing multiple delays, frustrations, and unpredictability in their journey.
• Lack of information about lift wait times and capacity worsens decision-making, leading to wasted time and unnecessary stress.
• Users experience fluctuating emotions throughout the process, showing that small improvements — like better organization, clearer wait-time displays, or incentive-based solutions — could make a huge difference in enhancing lift efficiency.
This journey highlights the pressing need for a smarter, more efficient system to regulate elevator traffic and improve user satisfaction in high-density environments.
Proposed Solution: ELEVAC.
Elevac is an intelligent system that integrates real-time information panels and a mobile app to enhance lift usage efficiency. By displaying live occupancy status, estimated wait times, and incentivizing stair usage, Elevac tackles the overcrowding issue without requiring any costly infrastructure changes.
Instead of physically modifying the lifts, the system takes an indirect yet effective approach — encouraging users to opt for stairs by offering relevant rewards.
This strategy not only reduces congestion but also promotes a healthier lifestyle, making it a win-win solution for both users and the system.
Information Panels
• Indecision wastes valuable time — Users often struggle with the dilemma of whether to wait for a lift or take the stairs.
• Lack of visibility — With six lifts arriving at different times and carrying varying levels of occupancy, users have no real-time information to make an informed choice.
• Uncertainty leads to delays — The absence of occupancy data inside the lifts forces users to guess, often resulting in prolonged wait times and inefficient decision-making.
- Increased congestion — This hesitation further slows down the flow of people, worsening lift overcrowding and making the entire process more frustrating.
ELEVAC ensures that users have access to all the crucial information they need to make quick and informed decisions.
Instead of aimlessly waiting in front of lifts with no clear idea of what to do, users can instantly assess lift occupancy, estimated arrival times, and alternative options, allowing for a smoother and more efficient experience.
ELEVAC Mobile App
The mobile app functions just like the information panels but is designed for users who are not physically present in the lift lobby.
It allows them to check real-time lift status from a distance, ensuring they stay informed even before reaching the lobby.
This way, users can plan their movements more efficiently, eliminating unnecessary waiting and frustration.
Homepage
A straightforward homepage that displays the selected floor, along with available lift options for that specific floor. It also provides real-time updates on crowd levels, ensuring users have all the essential information at a glance.
Lift Controls
Users can set an alert for when a lift arrives at a specific floor, allowing them to plan their movement and reach the lobby just in time. ELEVAC sends a notification as soon as the selected lift reaches the floor.
This screen also mirrors the information displayed on the panels, including Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) and lift occupancy, ensuring users stay informed no matter where they are.
Incentive-Based Rewards for Students
Nearly every student at the university visits the canteen or cafeteria to grab lunch or snacks with their friends. What if ELEVAC could encourage these students to take the stairs by offering canteen coupons as a reward?
This way, students get an incentive for making a healthier choice while also helping to reduce lift congestion during peak hours.
Design Insight: Incentive-based rewards have been proven to be highly effective in influencing people’s choices. When individuals see a tangible benefit, it provides them with a strong reason to take action, making decisions feel more justified and rewarding.
According to this research paper, financial incentives led to an 89% increase in physical activity levels among participants, demonstrating the powerful impact of rewards in motivating behavior.
ELEVAC rewards individuals who actively participate in this initiative by offering canteen coupons, making it a highly beneficial and relevant incentive for college students.
Efficient mobility within a campus is more than just a logistical challenge — it directly impacts productivity, time management, and overall student experience.
ELEVAC reimagines campus movement by combining real-time information, intuitive decision-making, and incentive-driven behavior change to create a seamless, congestion-free environment. By empowering users with the right data at the right time and encouraging healthier habits through meaningful rewards, ELEVAC not only optimizes lift usage but also fosters a smarter, more dynamic campus culture.
ELEVAC is not just about solving congestion; it’s about redefining the way students and faculty navigate their surroundings, making movement effortless, informed, and rewarding.
Designed & Documented by Akash Mounabhargav.
