The experiential design of Taiwan’s high-speed rail melts your and my heart

Taiwan’s high-speed rail won first place in the “World Magazine” Gold Medal Service Award when it was in operation for five years. The title of the report is “High-speed rail desktop technology melts the hearts of Europeans”. The content of the report mainly focuses on the opinions of companies and experts, and rarely touches on customer experience. I mentioned some of it during the interview, but it was just a reminder that we should approach it from this perspective. In the early years, I wrote a lot of high-speed rail articles, all focusing on experience.

Eleven years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Taiwan’s high-speed rail services have become more detailed and mature. It can be called a model of experience design. So I borrowed the title of the report from “World Magazine” that year, but changed the perspective. Nowadays we don’t need outsiders’ affirmation to affirm ourselves.

1. Stable

The service quality of Taiwan’s high-speed rail is stable, which is rare in competition with other industries. Not just on time. Over the past sixteen years, you can expect what kind of service and experience you can get when and where (outside the paid area, waiting room, platform, on board).

2. Take responsibility

When asking for help with a problem, high-speed rail employees will often go one step further. For refunds and exchanges at the counter, the counter will proactively arrange a solution with the lowest handling fee. In the past, when bentos were only sold in cars, one cart passed by and the bento I wanted to buy was sold out, leaving only another one that I didn’t like that much. I said it doesn’t matter, that’s it. She thought for a moment and said that she would contact her colleagues in the car to see if there was anything else I wanted, and if so, they would deliver it to me. Then there happened to be one left.

3. Dedication

Taking the bus from the terminal station, the must-see sight before every ride is the cleaning staff taking the time to clean the carriages. I’m especially looking forward to the scene where they complete the task and get off the car at the same time. The uniform movements are something you never tire of. The small details in these ceremonies of the high-speed rail are indeed amazing. It creates a sense of professionalism and dedication among workers from the outside in, and also leaves a deep impression on passengers.

4. Neat

I don’t need to say more about this. A very high level of cleanliness is maintained from the station to the carriages. Especially the toilet. For a period of time, I often took the early train and left home too early. Sometimes I didn’t get on the bus until I got to the station or even on the bus. The clean toilets and sit-down toilets made me feel at home. If you can solve this big thing easily, the whole day will go smoothly.

5. Comfort

The spatial and functional configuration of the station and carriages, as well as the cleanliness of the environment, make people feel comfortable and comfortable. As soon as I entered the station, I felt like I was home. When I entered the carriage and sat by the window (I only took the window seat), I felt completely relaxed. Not metaphorically, it’s literally homecoming.

6. Window view

Almost the entire line of Taiwan’s high-speed rail is elevated, and the window seats have good views and unrivaled views. Moreover, the time is different, the light is different, and the same place feels different. The change of seasons can also be seen from the window view. As time goes by, more changes can be seen. For example, the Wuyang Elevated Highway, I almost watched it being completed and opened to traffic bit by bit. This is one of the best experiences of taking the high-speed rail.

7. Be alone

The carriage is clean and bright, with tables in front of the seats. Next to it is an unparalleled window view, and the windowsill can also be used to put things. This kind of environment is actually no less than a cafe or bistro in the city. Car ride time is the best time to spend time with yourself. Eat some snacks and read a book. Anyway, enjoy this time.

8. Balance

The trend during the two hundred years of the Industrial Revolution has been to concentrate people into large companies and big cities. The Internet began to reverse this trend, allowing jobs (and even companies) to be geographically dispersed. Taiwan’s high-speed rail makes it easy for these scattered people to come together when necessary. High-speed rail makes people’s life and work more balanced.

9. Co-create

Taiwan’s high-speed rail is also a model of value co-creation. It allows you to quickly reach most corners of Taiwan (combined with various public transportation transfers). The greatest value that high-speed rail creates for you is not the transportation process, but the opportunity to arrive at a place early enough to do what you want to do. Compared with these values, the fare is not expensive. You’ll also be more willing to ride.

10. Go home

It is no exaggeration to say that Taiwan High Speed ​​Rail is the best accommodation solution for international travelers. With the high-speed rail, a one-day living circle has been formed, and there is less need to stay overnight elsewhere. Some people used to say that transportation costs are very expensive. But with a round-trip ticket price of about 3,000 yuan to Beigao, you won’t find a hotel that’s more comfortable than home. Staying out overnight is expensive and you won’t sleep well, and eating in an unfamiliar place is expensive and easy to make mistakes. It’s best to go home.

11. Affordable

When it was first opened to traffic 16 years ago, the ticket price of 1,490 yuan for Beigao was considered very expensive. Ten years ago, it rose to 1,630 yuan for a short period of time, and then fell back to 1,490 yuan. Compared with the Taiwan Railway’s North High Speed ​​Rail ticket price of 843 yuan, which takes three times the time, rising prices, and uneven service quality in other industries, Taiwan’s high-speed rail service quality is very high, and it can be said to be quite affordable now. The products sold at stations and carts are also very affordable. For example, a lunch box costs 100 yuan, and members can get a 50% discount.

12. Benchmark

Taiwan’s high-speed rail operation enters its seventeenth year this year. Young people under the age of 20, especially those who live in urban areas, mainly relied on high-speed rail to move north and south when they were growing up. They may have never taken the Taiwan Railway or rarely taken the Taiwan Railway. Not only has the railway experience been transformed across generations, but the high-speed rail has also set a high standard for rail transportation services across the country.

Further reading