Abstract Summary
Many railway companies are experimenting with Automatic Train Operation (ATO) and most of them are aiming at grade of automation (GoA) level 2. This is the automation level whereas the train is driven automatically, and the driver is still fully responsible and also performing other tasks. The field of Human Factors studies the interaction between human beings and technology in order to optimize the performance delivered by this team. Human factors are a significant aspect in designing and improving the ATO implementation. Netherlands Railways (NS) has started experiments with ATO GoA2 in 2019. One of the main questions was how drivers felt in their cooperation with ATO. Our aim was to discover the (possible) interactions between ATO and drivers, to be able to evaluate and improve their cooperation and resulting performance. We know that people tend to forget important details when time evolves (e.g. Ebbinghaus forgetting curve). Our methodological question is how we could log the details of (possible) interactions precisely. Furtheron, we also want to create an anchor point such that drivers can remember the interaction again and is able to elaborate on the details. We came across the customer experience journey and noticed the similarities with the questions we want to be answered. Customer experience involves a constant feedback loop repeated throughout the usage lifecycle including from initial discovery through purchase, out-of-box, usage, maintenance, upgrades, and disposal (Beauregard et al. 2007). The customer experience consists of perceptions that shape emotions, thoughts, and attitudes. The customer journey maps direct and indirect touchpoints between customer and process, and indicates per touchpoint the emotions associated (Schmitt 1999). The customer journey comes from service design.
