Maintain a holistic perspective in the trials

Keeping a holistic approach is essential to understanding the impact of the innovations that are being tested. It allows the team to understand how well each innovation performs in the station context and whether it meets the needs of stakeholders across the technological, commercial and human-centred perspectives. This will help to evaluate the impact of the innovations tested in the Zone.

Feasibility / Technology

A technology perspective assesses feasibility, and gives you insight into the efficiency of the solution.

Two main areas which need to be considered to assess the feasibility of the trial are:

Technology readiness
Station readiness

Technology readiness

Is the technology ready to be trialled, or does it still require extensive development?
It is important to be realistic about the desired outcome for the technology from trialling in the station reflecting how well the technology is developed (pre-trial) and what success looks like (post-trial).

Station readiness

The success of the trial is party down to ensuring that the station is ready for the solution to be introduced, meeting relevant requirements.

Reviewing these points as part of taking a technology-centred perspective will

Increase knowledge of new technologies and how they can feasibly be trialled
Grow your understanding of how stations can adapt to incorporate new innovations

As the technological feasibility is understood, it is important to ascertain whether the innovation is responding to a clear need.

Desirability / human centred

A human-centred perspective assesses desirability, and gives you insight into the effectiveness of the solution.

People are a major factor in the success of innovation. A ‘human-centred’ perspective looks at understanding the impact and experience of the solution in use, including:

The range of potential users
The different contexts of use (use cases)
Use in the ‘here and now’ and over time
Identifying the different needs of those using the solution as end-users, and those running and maintaining the solutions for those end-users

Taking a human-centred perspective will:

The range of potential users
The different contexts of use (use cases)
Use in the ‘here and now’ and over time
Identifying the different needs of those using the solution as end-users, and those running and maintaining the solutions for those end-users

Viability / Commercial

A commercial perspective assesses viability, and gives you insight into the affordability of the solution.

Throughout the trials, not only is it important to test that the solutions will feasibly work in the station context, but it is also an opportunity to explore how the commercial model would align with your own business and procurement routes.

Things to consider

How does the trial plan align with your strategy?
Does the commercial model align with how things usually work, if not, what other options are there?
Are there possible pathways identified that can be integrated that could be integrated with the funding model of the SIZ?
Have procurement routes been made clear and does the supplier meet the requirements?

BTM Learning

It can be difficult for station staff to give time and energy to reflect on the impact of the trialled solutions due to their busy jobs.
Due diligence is key to ensure innovations can be trialled: We learned from the first round that we needed a better understanding of fire, safety and accessibility requirements to ensure we would not experience delays in the second round of trialling.
Make sure to be clear that the participants are taking part in a trial, and that their feedback is very welcome. One of the SMEs received very critical feedback on their solution from a participant. When reflecting on this incident, the SME shared that they felt they could have been better in communicating what the purpose of the trial was..
It is important to consider all those who may benefit from or are impacted in some other way by a trialled solution.Engaging with as many of these stakeholders allows for a full evaluation of the solution. Including understanding the most impactful use cases and the integration of the solution into organisational structures and procedures.
One of the solutions we trialled BTM received good feedback and station staff were engaged. When discussions were turned towards workloads and resources, it became clear that this was a much stronger barrier than the station’s staff willingness to adopt the solution.

Reviewing these points will allow you to assess the viability of the solution beyond the trial