Gateline Trainer

ROLE: Design Director / Product Design / Project Manager
TEAM: 1x Technical Designer, 1x Engineer
PROJECT LENGTH: 3 weeks

Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) provides ticketing for most of the Great British rail network. From rural train stations to busy urban London Underground stations, Cubic Gatelines gives millions of passengers daily access to and from trains. The maintenance of these machines is paramount to the smooth running of this system; however, the training of engineers to service and maintain this complicated mechanical hardware is minimal and expensive.

To improve training and overall maintenance of these machines, CTS London approached Cubic Austin, requesting assistance with bringing Gateline training into the 21st Century. Current training involved either going to a specific location in London or having an engineer visit a station to train staff (which was limited to twice a year), something that was inadequate given the usual staffing turnover at rail stations. Cubic Austin proposed a training app that could be used for this purpose, which would also serve as a diagnostic tool and an engineering manual to assist in reporting malfunctions and for general maintenance of the gates.

Building upon Cubic Austin’s experience with gamification and user motivation, this downloadable app could help track a user’s training schedule, alerting them to new updates to the training materials or expiring certifications. The system would also reward participants who frequently refreshed their training or completed mandated training early. The app would also assist engineers in the field by providing extensive, searchable documentation, including tables of errors, part database codes, and wiring information. The App would also allow engineers to chat with other engineers in real-time to get advice, look up the status of parts in CTS warehouses, and reorder if necessary.

The video above is a small prototype created in less than two weeks as a proof of concept.

The 3D model was generated from a CAD diagram provided by the customer and ported to Unreal Engine 4. The app was designed for use on Android devices.

A rudimentary UX/UI experience was created to help demonstrate the look and feel of the training.

CTS was unable to secure funding from its partners in the UK, and as a result, the project did not progress beyond this stage.