Working with NS and ProRail to improve services for traintravellers

STBY has recently completed a large scale live test with two major service improvements on the Dutch railway system. NS and Prorail (the main train operator and rail infrastructure company in The Netherlands) have developed an app and a new led screen that provide train travellers with live information about the availability of seats in the train they are waiting for, and the actual composition of the train (length, doors, 1st/2nd class, bicycle and wheelchair access, etc). With this information train travellers can make a better informed decision on where to get in from the platform. During the 3 months test period many people have used these new services, and about 700 train travellers have regularly provided their feedback to STBY through online questionnaires and in-depth interviews. This feedback offers valuable input for the decision on a potential national roll out of the new services.

Geke van Dijk

Geke, along with Bas Raijmakers, is a co-founder of STBY, and currently serves as our strategy director. An expert in the field of Consumer Behaviour Research and Human-Computer Interaction, Geke also specialises in more general marketing issues and business strategy. A key theme of her work is that the changing expectancies and demands of contemporary consumers put pressure on suppliers to offer their services seamlessly through multiple channels. Consumers appreciate being able to pick and mix from these multichannel service offerings as they like, thereby co-producing the actual service experience. This perspective is often incoporated into the projects Geke leads at STBY as one of our most experience design researchers.

Geke’s approach has been shaped by nearly two decades working on studies that focus upon emerging technologies. She has worked as a consultant and researcher in the internet industry since the early nineties, and in 2007 completed a PhD in Computer Sciences with the Open University (in close collaboration with their Business School). She currently splits her time between the offices of STBY in Amsterdam and London, and serves as project lead for both corporate and public sector clients.