The project funded by the Railway Design Centre (RDC), had a fundamental aim: to enhance the overall user experience within the toilets of Indian Railways, catering to the needs of both passengers and travellers. The journey commenced with an exploration of societal behaviours related to toilet usage in India, delving deep into the intricacies of toilet practices within the vast Indian railway ecosystem.
Extensive research unraveled a multitude of insights by studying the functions and workings of various railway services. The primary design objective that emerged was to enhance the passenger experience when using toilets in the LHB coach, while also proposing broader interventions and benefits for all Indian Railway passengers.
My role as a designer, involved a multifaceted approach. I conducted in-depth interviews with diverse stakeholders, surveys of passengers, offering valuable data that would help shape the project's direction, visualising the complex railway ecosystem, as it allowed for the identification of strategic intervention points within the system. Further insights were gained about challenges and issues during their rail journeys through a participatory workshop with female passengers.
Leveraging my product design skills, I adopted a divergent thinking approach, generating various innovative concepts designed to enhance the experience and interactions for the various stakeholders within and around the lavatory module. The resulting outcome of the project was a multicultural lavatory module integrated with smart technology. This module is designed to provide real-time information, thereby indicating different toilet conditions throughout the entire journey. My outcome also includes a design recommendation document suggesting interventions at different levels in the system for RDC.
