Virgin Texas Bullet Train Concept
Virgin Trains and Texas Central Partners are working to bring a high speed bullet train to Texas. The train will connect from Dallas to Houston, shortening a painful four-hour drive into a pleasant, 90 minute commute.
Our goal was to understand the needs, motivations, and behaviors of the Texas traveler in order to craft a compelling transport experience. Our research informed things like ticketing, passenger information, train interiors, on-board service, entertainment, station design and ingress/egress patterns.
The end product being a promotional video that informs voters, politicians, citizens and potential travelers of the bullet train benefits.
The Ask
Conduct Texas commuter research to inform the experience and service design of the U.S.’s first bullet train ecosystem. Use a promotional video to illustrate the concept with the aim of garnering support from local political stakeholders.
TIMELINE: 12 WEEKS
The Process
Empathize & Define
Conduct “day in the life” ethnographic research with prospective Texas riders and users who have experienced high speed trains in other markets. This informed not only a Texan’s approach to travel, but train travelers specifically. We used the resulting synthesized insights to create user archetypes, map the current state journey, and identify our 5 areas of opportunity; flexible booking, seamless interchange, frictionless security, seat delight, and food and beverage service.
Activities:
Ethnographic research
Solution co-creation with card sorting
Journey and opportunity mapping
Persona creation
Concept & Design
An audit of future state technologies, due to hit the market within 5-10 years, and cultural trends set the stage for group ideation and a co-creative approach. Armed with our research, we worked with TCP to define and articulate the signature moments that would deliver a superlative customer experience.
Activities:
Future-state journey mapping
Ideation workshop
Feature prioritization
Storyboarding
Develop & Iterate
A cross-functional team of experience designers, illustrators, and motion graphics designers collaborated to map the promotional video storyline. Preliminary sketches were created to determine each features story arch and timing within the video.
Activities:
Art direction
Copywriting
Motion graphics
Deploy & Test
We took a rough cut back to prospective riders for final feedback, then launched the video through Virgin’s marketing team who used it as a sales and persuasion took when lobbying for the experience.
Activities:
User testing
The Video
The Texas High-Speed Train travel experience will be unrivaled in safety, comfort and ease. Whether traveling for leisure, business, or just for fun, the Texas Bullet Train will provide passengers a world-class option with a genuine Texas touch.
Learn More
As a result of our work with Virgin and Texas Central Partners, we were able to identify the four most compelling value propositions messages for the average Texas rider.
Comfort & Convenience
“Texas High-Speed Train passengers will enjoy Texas-sized seats with more legroom than a flight and no middle seats. Blazing fast 5G WIFI will be at your fingertips but there’s no such thing as ‘train mode’ so you can always stay connected.”
Access
“Our extra-wide aisles allow for strollers to easily navigate the station and train cars. Travelers with disabilities will have the option to stay in their wheelchairs for the entirety of the ride, while still being able to move freely around the train.”
Flexible Booking
“Ultra-fast booking options allow for dependable, efficient and flexible booking. If you’re running late, the passenger app will detect your projected arrival and automatically send alternative departure times straight to your device.”
Safety
“With the Texas train, you won’t have to endure another dangerous, unpredictable slog on that highway ever again. Say goodbye to cumbersome security checks and delays. Our state of the art digital security system has your back.”