Clients (unsolicited)

• Ruter operates the public transport in the greater Oslo area. They offer many modes of transportation such as bus, boat, metro, train and tram.

• SiO is the student organisation in Oslo. Most international students and many Norwegian students live in SiO student villages.

Challenges and opportunities

• Catching the morning commute can be a stressful experience for those who live in areas with low frequency of public transport.

• Checking the time and the time table on the phone while hurrying to get ready in the morning, is not a pleasant experience.

Context

Kringsjå student village is located on the edge of Oslo and the only convenient way to get to the centre is a metro train, which leaves once, every 15 minutes.

If someone misses the train by one minute, they must wait 14 minutes for the next one, which could be inconvenient or even painful in the winters.

User Insights

Residents of Kringsjå student village were selected as primary target users as many consider the commute stressful and the meandering walk through the student village causes many to run or to miss the train.

“I run when I see others running. I never trust my watch.” “My breakfast is always very stressful, that is, when I have it.” - Students living in Kringsjå

Material - Ruter API

Ruter has a wonderful open API, free for public use. This API powers their website as well as all the timetable displays in their stations.

Medium - IOT / Smart Product

Ruter has an app to check real time departures. So this project was the perfect opportunity to build an IOT device to compare the experience against the app.

Prototyping

The device was intended to hold a permanent place in a house, never drawing attention to it. Therefore the form needed to disappear into the environment.

The quality and rhythm of the glow was calibrated precisely to match with the breathing rhythm of a human being.

Feedback from user tests

• “I love it. I can just look at it instead of trying to find my phone in panic while drooling toothpaste all over.” - Student, UIO

• Another user had difficulty trusting the device and she felt the need to double check the information on her phone. (Student, BI)

Results

MetroLight is a tiny glanceable display, which stays on the wall and gently informs when to leave home, to be able to catch the commute comfortably.

It does just one thing and does it reliably and delightfully, and in doing so, makes the morning routine, a bit more calm.

Reflection

Bringing information and interaction out of screens, into the real world may create delight and can make computing almost dissolve in the surroundings.

It was pointed out that the colour palette could be confusing to colour blind people. Moreover, the red flash might cause people to run and slip on ice.