Hi there,
I am a transport designer studying at Coventry University and am currently involved in a project concerning overnight trains. A team of six transport and product designers, including myself, are researching the possibility of redesigning the interior of sleeper carriages to offer a higher level of comfort for users, along with greater efficiency and durability for rail operators.
As rail enthusiasts, we hope that you will be able to give us expert advice and opinions on carriage design. We are currently in the research phase of the project with conceptual sketching beginning by the end of November. What we are looking for are thoughts on the following range of topics:
- What annoys you and what do you love about current sleeper carriage design?
- Are there particular designs/ layouts that you think work best?
- Have you ever travelled on an overnight train? If so, where, when and what was the experience like?
- Do have any ideas for general carriage and more specifically sleeper carriage design that you are eager to see implemented?
Thoughts and comments on any of the above would be greatly appreciated by myself and my team. We value the input of enthusiasts as you know and love your subject, yet are often overlooked when it comes to new product planning.
Just to give you a quick reassurance of the validity of this project: we are all students in our third year of study at Coventry University in the UK, studying for an MDes in Transport Design. The course has an international reputation for producing world-class designers; most of the cars you see everyday have had some Coventry graduates working on their design, many boats are designed by Coventry graduates (Sunseeker and Fairline are big Coventry employers) and hundreds of products are designed every year by our graduates, many of which you will own. We are seeking industry collaboration for our project and are also preparing to contact Virgin Trains here in the UK. So who knows? Some of your feedback may directly influence our designs and be seen in a carriage near you in the future!
Thank you very much for your time- every comment helps, especially if it is negative!
Ian Kettle
MDes Transport Designer
Coventry UK
PS. If anyone is interested in taking this further and helping us with a 1-on-1 interview either by email or phone (UK only) or in person (UK only) it would be very much appreciated. I can be reached at:
i_kettle@hotmail.com
kettlei@coventry.ac.uk
+44 7903 324236 (UK)