User Centered

Of the four designs I think the best is the one with outward-only arrows, which should encourage people on the platform to stand aside. The cross-hatched boxes seem a bad idea since it is not clear that they are aimed at people getting on rather than getting off.

As to whether such things are needed, well it's sadly true that many people do try and get on the tube trains before the people on board have had a chance to get off.

I think the reason is the desparate rush to be first on board so as to grab a recently-vacated seat so you don't have to stand. In rush hour the trains are jammed solid with people, if you're standing there's often not enough room to open a newspaper or even a book to read. The solution then is to have more trains with greater capacity so people who want to sit down can do so.

I like the example shown here in this image. It sets up how the "waiters" should be standing to allow everyone the most efficient exit/entrance.

I like the one shown here as well, but they could make it more explicit by using different colours for out/in arrows. For instance, black outgoing arrows and red waiting arrows to highlight the priority.

I think the one featuring the "box junction road-marking" is bad design as it requires knowledge in the British highway code, i.e. it relies on rote memory. Assuming that everyone in a multi-cultural city such as London knows the British highway code is quite gross misunderstanding of the target audience!

I like the ones with outward arrows better too, as they are simpler than the one displayed above, focusing on the actual message they are trying to convey: let people off the train first.

skooter writes:

Great idea. We should get something like this in Denmark. Even though the trains (in my region of the country) is not very crowded - people get pushed around a lot. Once i nearly got beaten up trying to get out of the train.