THESIS INTRODUCTION
When I moved to Shanghai in 1998, there was one single metro line that ran North-South through downtown Shanghai. Now, fifteen years later, there are eleven, with eleven more currently under construction and projected for completion in 2020. Without a doubt, the Shanghai metro system is the longest growing urban transit network in the world, having to accomodate a record-breaking number of over 7.5 million passengers daily - the fourth busiest in the world. However, in spite of the growth of the systems and infrastructure, little attention is paid to passenger information systems and wayfinding systems for the Shanghai metro - a system that plays, and will increasingly play with the metro’s expansion plans, a critical, educational role in familiarizing users with the metro pathways. There is both an opportunity and a need to redesign and improve upon the existing maps and wayfinding systems of the Shanghai metro, at which in its present state, adheres to no standardized or cohesive design sensibility, is too complex to decipher, and is not conducive to the needs to tourists and foreign residents of Shanghai that are not familiar to the language and landscape of Shanghai.
OFFICIAL SHANGHAI METRO MAP
ALTERNATE SHANGHAI METRO MAPS
SHANGHAI METRO SIGNAGE
IN-STATION MAPS & SIGNAGE No standardized map Inconsistency in visual language Different information from station to station Outdated
ON-PLATFORM MAPS & SIGNAGE No standardized system - older lines have systems that differ from the newer lines Difficult to read Outdated
SHANGHAI METRO MOBILE APPS
THESIS COMPONENTS PHYSICAL
Map Signage (In-station, street-level)
DIGITAL
Interactive in-station interface Mobile Application Ticketing Kiosks Website
METRO MAP COMPONENTS All lines and routes of Shanghai Bilingual Cross-platform Easy-to-use More Legibility Station Index
BEST PRACTICES - METRO MAPS
PROTOTYPES #1
EXISTING METRO MAP
PROTOTYPE METRO MAP Here, I am working on a small section on the map to try to make it more geographically accurate. I am trying to do so by drawing the metro routes on top of an existing map of the city. Also, I am playing with including major landmarks and spaces, i.e. Yuyuan Garden, as seen in the figure on the left.
PROTOTYPES #2
FEEDBACK SHOULD maps reflect actual distance and travel time? Does it need to? Add a component where the map is an analytical tool for transportation planning. Will the redesign of the transit map really improve the quality of transportation planning for users? Further develop the concept of filtering features, i.e. local, Shanghainese can turn off the landmarks / geographical accuracy / parks. Tourists and foreigners can turn on landmarks / English / etc.