This project was created in response to the RSA 2019 Student Design Awards brief, titled; 'A Platform for Joy'. The brief posed the question, 'how might we unlock joy for people at train stations?'. Students were encouraged to develop unique solutions which spark joy, alleviating the strain of commuting and creating serendipitous moments of happiness for the general public.
Trains of Thought is an interactive campaign aimed at commuters, and run in conjunction with Irish Rail. The aim of the campaign is to disrupt the monotony of the commute using a series of interactive information boards located across train stations. Colourful dotted lines draw commuters attention to the boards, which display a series of interconnected tracks feeding colour into the title; Trains of Thought. Over time, small snippets of text, from jokes and quotes to fun facts and words of the day will appear on the screen. These pieces of information are centred around unlocking joy, and aim to promote a positive frame of mind. Commuters can also interact with the boards, activating them with a tap. From here, the user can choose a theme or topic, and scroll through information in the same vein. They are also be encouraged to submit their own pieces of information and add to the discussion via the Irish Rail app. This creates a conversation between thousands of people, and promote education and enlightenment. By providing commuters with these joyfully presented playful snippets of information, the monotony of the daily commute is disrupted, sending their train of thought down the right track.
