Interior design of the new VDL Futura travel coach

Abstract

This report contains the process and relevant outcomes of the graduationproject “Interior design of the new VDL Futura travel coach”. Generally,this report is divided into four phases: an analysis phase, an ideation &concepting phase, an iteration phase and an embodiment phase.During the analysis phase, both a passenger experience and literatureresearch were conducted. The outcomes of both researches supportedeach other on several topics. The main findings were: lighting issues,sound nuisance issues and seat-comfort related issues. Seat-comfortrelated issues were explicitly not in the scope of this project and werefor this reason neglected.By applying an experimental approach - combining elements of the ViPmethodwith the more ‘traditional’ design methods - analysis data wereconstructed using different tools. The key topics from these data were:‘differentiation as a strategy’, ‘design an experience’, ‘taking the coachto a premium level by applying the CARE-vision’ and ‘social relevance ofthe coach’.These data were later merged into one mission, addressing both thecurrent negative aspects of the interior and the future purposes. Thismission is “Design an interior that transforms travelling by coach froman obstacle to the passenger’s experiential activity into a part of thepassenger’s experiential activity”.Next, an advanced concept was defined. This concept is merely anabstract thought about what the intention and goals of the conceptshould become. Deriving this advanced concept into an intermediatedesign has helped the process getting to a final design.The final design - planned for within the next 5 years - has become a‘stepping stone’ towards an appropriate solution for the later future(2030).During the embodiment phase, a modular assembly has been definedto detail, taking experts’ advices into account and optimizations inorder to create a feasible end result. This modular assembly contains allnecessary parts, which are repeated over the length of the coach.A prototype has been made as well in order to verify the concept. Thisprototype is a simplified version of the end product. Eventually, a finaluser test will be done to evaluate and verify the goals of the end product.Unfortunately, the extended user test could not take place before thedeadline of this report.A preliminary test has been done with a few users in order to getpeople’s first thoughts and concerns. This preliminary test was overallvery positive. The results of the extended user test will be presentedduring the final presentation of this graduation project.