Visual thinking in designing a future mobility research and education strategy

Abstract

This paper discusses visual thinking in academic strategy design in the domain of human mobility. The strategic objective is to evoke cross-fertilisation in research and education between all stakeholders. We consider this holistic approach crucial in the education of future mobility designers, because the mobility industry is undergoing a similar transformation. The holistic approach is driven by the growing demand for human mobility in the (near) future, which dictates that we must rebalance individual wants and collective means. In that, mobility design is becoming a mere rational system exercise, which wrongly surpasses human experience as a design objective, while that is crucial in eliciting the necessary behavioural change. Despite the automotive industry’s declining reason of being (in its current manifestation), its unrivalled expertise to synthesise the rational with the emotional is instrumental in designing for behavioural change. Cross fertilisation between transport modalities is how the automotive industry may reframe itself while mobility design as a whole will benefit from its specific expertise. Strategy framing, design and implementation by means of a virtual laboratory, were facilitated by consecutive visuals. The first visual established common understanding of the strategic process, its scope and commitment. A second visual, based on context driven design, actively involved stakeholders to embrace the holistic framework and identify their respective positions therein. In a third, which is also the starting point for the HMI design of the digital platform, all elements are rearranged around a customer journey, so that design for behavioural change becomes the focal point.