Going Underground, Mind the Gap, or Some Other Generic Tube-Related Title

Let me preface by saying I love every part of London. I love the abundance of theatres and museums; I love the conglomeration of cultures and languages; I love the city's history. But the coup de grâce is London’s public transportation system.

The London Underground, which will be henceforth referred to as "The Tube," opened in 1863, making it the world's first underground railway system. Think about it; it opened before the Internet, The Beatles, World War II, even World I and not only is it an icon of the city, it's still in use today. Most impressive of all, in a world of constantly innovating technology, people still love this aged system. Well, at least I love it.

The reasons I love the Tube can be broken up into three aspects: physical, cultural, and community.

Physical

One of the most iconic parts of the Tube is the colorful map. This has also become an icon of London. Go to a souvenir shop and you can get the Tube map on shirts, towels, pens, shower curtains, facial tissues, and even shot glasses. It was revolutionary because the designer, Harry Beck, realized (one could call it a customer insight!) that people do not really need geographical accuracy in an underground transportation map. They are more concerned with getting on and off at the right spot. Because of this insight, in 1931 he created a simple, colorful map, based off his design concepts, which are still in use today. Many cities have since incorporated his ideas into their own subway maps.

I have been to many major cities in Europe and the United States, and I must conclude that London does the best job of making each stop unique. Get off at Baker Street, and you will see many tunnels lined with different aspects of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. Westminster, one of the most tourist-packed stop, is a dramatic futuristic larger-than-life space that gives the impression that one is stuck in an Orwellian novel. You do not get this type of personality in Stockholm, where the underground system feels like an immense cave, or in New York City, where the white bathroom-tiled walls reinforce the emphasis of function over form.

The Beautiful Tottenham Court Road Stop

Despite not having any trashcans (thanks Irish terrorist groups!), the floors of the station are not that dirty. This is because London was clever enough to design a ticket machine that “eats” up your ticket once you exit the station. This eliminates much of the waste that you would see on the floor of the Paris metros (Here, metros mean underground transportation systems. Each city has their own term for their underground system and Paris, like Washington, DC, uses the term metro.). Of course, you can always opt for the more environmentally friendly Oyster card, which leaves no physical trace behind.

Billets! Get off of the floor!

Cultural

London is a city with more museums than Paris and more theatres than New York City. So of course it would be natural to assume that this prevalence of culture permeates throughout the city and what a more natural way to move throughout London than through the Tube? The London Underground makes an effort to promote music, art, and poetry both inside and outside the train carriages. This movement has become hugely successful, as evidenced by the countries around the world that have emulated this idea. It is amazing how a short science poem about the galaxies can brighten up your daily commute.

Approved musicians perform in designated areas that they pre-book for 2-hour intervals. 

Art on the Underground <3

Poems on the Underground educate and entertain you inside of train carriages.

Community

The physical aspects of the Tube made me like it. The cultural aspects made me respect it. The community aspects are what makes me love the Tube system.

One of my favorite advertisements in the Tube features different Londoners making promises to be more conscientious of others such as “I won’t play my music out loud. And I won’t eat smelly food.” The tagline is “A little thought from each of us. A big difference for everyone. Together for London.” That is what I really love about London. It is more collectivist and community-oriented than America. It’s Together for London. The police’s slogan is “Working together for a safer London.” The agency in charge of transportation is known as the Transport for London (TfL). This emphasizes that everyone, even the tourists, should work together to make the city a nicer place to live.

Another display that stood out to me explains why certain stops were temporarily shut down more than a simple “Out of Order” notice. The “Transforming Your Tube” campaign shows life-sized construction workers fixing the Tube system. The tagline was something to the effect of “Thank you for your patience. We are undergoing a massive transformation to rebuild a better transportation system for you.” Again the collectivist “for you” theme shows up again. This is so important because people often forget in the rush of their day that inconveniences happen for a reason and that reason is often that something is being improved for them not because the UK government loves to ruin their day and cause them to be late for their 9 o’clock meeting. You see explanations like this repeatedly in London. The city likes to keep its citizens and its visitors informed.

TfL also shows an immense amount of respect for its employees. There are posters reminding people that TfL employees are people too and as such, do not like to be insulted. This is a helpful check for those with a temper. The Tube also has art showcasing the faces of employees. Each face comes with a name and how long the employee has worked in the Underground. Together this gives the Tube a greater sense of community. It personalizes the workers. If we remember to treat them with respect, they could become our new friend.

The combination of all of these forms of communication makes me feel as if I were a part of the community. As if I were in on what is going on. It makes me feel like a Londoner, and that is perhaps the greatest gift a city can give a visitor.

But not everyone is as fond of the Tube as I am. In fact, the London Underground recently conducted ethnographic research to understand why some people viewed the Underground’s brand unfavorably. Their research took the form of 15 photo diaries and18 accompanied journeys with pre- and post-journey interviews. This study reinforced what I learnt in Customer Insights. Ethnographic research allows researchers to delve deeper into the underlying reasoning and feelings of its participants. On the surface, people claim they hate the Tube because it is always late and the system appears to not work. Emotionally, they feel enclosed, trapped, and claustrophobic. They view the Tube as dark, dusty, dirty, dingy, and depressing. Notice the prevalence of “d” words used to describe the experience. The agency dubbed this set of fears the “D psychology,” with the ultimate “d” word being “death.” Death is the psychological fear underlying people’s dislike of the Tube system claims psychologists. People have a deep fear of being buried alive. This fear manifests itself when people go underground.

The Aforementioned Westminster Station

I find this insight fascinating and I hope to write a paper on how to improve people’s experience and perception of the London Underground by combating their hidden fears. Because of my love for the Tube, I hope my insights and the insights of others will contribute to a better, more appealing design for the London Underground.

Props to “Going underground” by Ian Pring for publishing the London Underground study that will fuel my paper. This article can be found in the International Journal of Market Research, 2007, Vol. 49 Issue 6 on pages 693-705.