Plants, Biophilic Design and Technology…

You’re very apt to see potted plants, real or artificial, in any transit hub because research has shown that when plants are present in public spaces, people are friendlier, which can help diffuse potentially difficult situations before they begin.  For roughly the same reason you’re apt to see mirrors/reflective surfaces in hubs; when we can see ourselves, we’re more likely to follow social norms—to pick up our trash, not slug other people, etc. As a traveller, you’re not willing to pay much for this greenness, however.  Research has shown that although green spaces in transit hubs are popular, people in those spaces would prefer space enhancements such as additional seats and comfortable waiting areas. Studies specifically at airports has shown that people do want greenery where they’re waiting and shopping, and also curving ceilings and corridors, warm lighting, and lighter coloured surfaces—all of which are calming, as discussed in this article—which make sense because many people are tense when they fly, just because or as a result of delays, etc.

Technology, Light and …Scents!

You’ll likely see lots of CCTV cameras in any sort of station you frequent, and doing so makes people think about potentially nearby threats—the bright side is whatever harm befalls you will at least be recorded (hopefully the camera is turned on) after it occurs.

Lights are often used in train stations and similar spaces to encourage people to spend time in one area or another or to move in certain ways through the facility.  For example, you’re more likely to wait in more brightly lit spaces, so lights can be used to array people along a track. You’re also more likely to travel in areas that are more brightly lit, so brightening up (literally) a preferred route makes it more likely that people will use it, when getting off a train to travel into a train station, for example.  You’ll also walk at a speed consistent with lights that turn on and off, so to get you walking faster towards and exit, chasing lights will turn on and off more quickly.

As it turns out, lots of people over the years have tried to kill themselves at transit hubs, particularly train stations.  Cooler, more blue-ish light seems to reduce suicide attempts, so it’s often used on train/subway platforms.

Not everyone travelling is paying much attention to where they’re going—they’re texting someone to let they know they’ve landed, their eating on the run on the way to a train, etc.—which is why you often notice changes in texture on the floor as you move through a station, particularly close to something like a set of stairs.  Originally (and still, actually) installed for visually impaired people, as a clue that a station edge, staircase, etc., was close, bumps and other raised textures on floors have kept many a texter, etc., from falling down a staircase and breaking a leg (and suing a transport company).

Places where you’ll catch a plane, train, or bus, often use powerfully scented cleaning products, ones with predictable odours.  They’ll do this because when a space smells clean to us, we’re fairer and more generous—and, as a bonus, we’re also less likely to litter.

 Many people need to work as they travel but being in a transport hub or a vehicle (unless it’s your own private chauffeured limo, etc.) is a just plane terrible place to work; and there’s not much that designers can do about it. Wherever you are, unless you can find a deserted section of an airport or train station to hole up in, there will be audio and visual distractions of all sorts.  Designers need to keep lots of public spaces pretty open, so that what’s happening in them can be kept track of by as few employees as possible, but it is nice to people waiting when there are a few taller plants, kiosks, etc., to break up a sea of seats and people milling around into smaller, more psychologically comfortable pool of seats and people milling around.  There are also likely to be all sorts of ergonomic issues (for example, no good place to put your laptop as you type), leading to all sorts of strains and stresses, aches and pains, that end up being their own special subset of distractions.  Working while flying is particularly problematic as many airplane interiors are only pressurized to a point that’s consistent with elevations about sea level where research has shown our cognitive performance begins to decline, so the very best use of your time as you fly might be to take a nap.