In summer 2021, passengers took part in a real-world experiment with safety signage at Sausset-les-Pins station, near Marseille. The new signs were larger and had fewer words, creating a link between pictograms and safety guidelines. They also had more of a “family resemblance” with the station’s existing wayfinding panels. Success! Analysis of participants’ behaviour and eye movements showed that the new signage attracted more attention and was easier to understand. It will be deployed gradually throughout the network.

Our Experience & Cognition programme—a unit of the Technology, Innovation and Group Projects Division—analyses the life experience of SNCF customers and employees to anticipate their needs, assesses the impact of new services, products and technology, and more.

The Experience & Cognition team includes 5 researchers and around 10 other specialists in an array of disciplines with insights into human behaviour—cognitive psychology, neuroscience, semiotics, anthropology, sociology, psychoacoustics, design and more. “Our work ranges from cognitive processes to behaviour, from the individual to the collective, and from emerging practices to habits acquired over years,” says Simone Morgagni, head of the research team.

As in the case of Sausset-les-Pins, the team often carries out experiments in the real world, or by reproducing essential characteristics of it that let them generalize from their results.

Between 2020 and 2021, the team assessed new warning systems for pedestrian level crossings at very small rail stops with no underground or overhead walkways. Carrying out experiments in a real station was too dangerous, so the team created a 3D model in a very large room. Participants donned virtual reality headsets and roamed freely around the space, completing tasks as if they were in a real station.

In this experiment, the team showed that the existing system of flashing red pictograms was less effective than the enhanced, multisensory security system they were testing. We’re now deploying this enhanced system at select stations, to be followed by a new generation of safety systems that are now in the design phase.

Sometimes a simulation is necessary—as when the Experience & Cognition team studied how best to communicate with passengers when a train is delayed on departure, but can still arrive on time. We know that when a train departs late but arrives on time, passenger satisfaction is 10% lower than if the train left on schedule. So what should the train manager say—nothing? That the train will surely arrive on time? That the train has a X% chance of catching up the delay? Researchers got answers by having volunteers play a video game that simulated this situation but kept them unaware of the purpose of the experiment to avoid bias.

The Experience and Cognition team works closely with colleagues in Tech4Rail¹ and Tech4Mobility² to design the light and very light trains that are set to revitalize local mobility.

As they study acoustic comfort, onboard amenities, services and more, they apply their knowledge of human feelings to invent tomorrow’s transport.

Yes. We can support the design process by studying needs in advance, but we can also help our colleagues understand why an existing product hasn’t caught on, and how to fine-tune it. What we offer is a second pair of eyes. Our team analyses behaviour patterns to identify what improvements need to be made, or which technologies would be a better match for the need we’re meeting. We also develop a more sophisticated understanding of customer and employee needs, so SNCF can make more nuanced adjustments to its processes and offer.

Acoustic comfort on trains. Instead of defining a physical noise threshold upfront, we chose to study whether it was bothersome or not based on what people were doing, such as reading a book, watching a video, working at a computer, or holding a business meeting. Based on our results, we designed tools that zero in on future procurements—to include the possibility of rethinking tomorrow’s trains around the new activities we’d like to offer our passengers.

Because we can build indicators from human behaviours and processes, we can also help improve working conditions and the employee experience. We’ve already supported various SNCF business lines in a wide range of areas—from better, safer driving to the impact workspaces can have on employee comfort, effectiveness and creativity.