Digital ad screens in the NYC subway don't tell you when the next train is coming. So I fixed them
Passengers should not have to go on a treasure hunt to find train arrival info in a sea of digital advertisement screens. There is a better way.
Depending on where a rider enters a New York City Subway station, it might be easier to find a digital advertisement screen than train arrival information.1 This often frustrates passengers, as knowing when the next trains are coming can make all the difference: should I take the local train, or will an express train be coming soon? Should I stick with this line, or switch to another one? And, of course: am I going to be late?2
Not having access to this information not just annoys rookie riders and seasoned straphangers alike but also actively degrades the transit experience.3 Passengers should not have to go on a treasure hunt to find train arrival information in a sea of digital advertisement screens.4
The problem is that digital advertisement boards, which are often more abundant than boards displaying train arrival times, provide no useful transit information for riders.5
Design
My solution proposes displaying train arrival information at the bottom of digital advertisement screens. In this vein, there is enough room on a digital advertisement board to display three details about upcoming arrivals while still providing ample space for advertisers.6
For these mockups, I created my own advertisements for Rudy’s Bar and Grill, a beloved Hell’s Kitchen-based dive bar.7 I modeled the overall look of the sample after the MTA Away advertisements, although the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Advertising Policy prohibits ads that promote “any alcohol product.” This means that no one could mistake my mockup for a real advertisement.
Vertical digital ads in subway stations are sized at 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels, which is the standard for 1080p high definition screens. To accommodate for train arrival information, advertisements would have to be shortened by 21% - which would still allow for a huge amount of space for advertisers.8
Design Principles
First, the location of the train arrival information must be consistent across all digital advertisement screens so that passengers can absorb the information as efficiently as possible. For example, it would not make sense to have arrival information displayed at the top of the advertisement on some screens while displaying it on the bottom of other screens.
Second, the display of train arrival information must be oriented in a manner that allows advertisers to design graphics to fit within rectangular dimensions. This means that arrival information cannot be imposed in a way that would make creating an advertisement needlessly difficult.
Third, train arrival information is intended to be a permanent fixture on virtually all digital advertisement screens in stations. Advertisements should not be permitted to temporarily cover arrival information. Consistency is key to build riders’ trust.9
Methodology
With these stipulations in mind, there are four locations on advertisement screens where train arrival information could be displayed: on the top of the screen, on the bottom, or on the left or right sides.
Research has consistently shown that reading English words that are vertically-oriented is slower than if they were horizontally-oriented, so I immediately discounted displaying train arrival information on the left or right side of the advertisement. Given that riders must often make quick decisions for their trip, efficiency is crucial.
The only two remaining options were to display information at the top or bottom. Displaying train arrival information at the top of a digital advertisement screen could be less likely to be blocked by nearby passengers or luggage. Furthermore, a higher screen location may be less susceptible to vandalism.
On the other hand, news channel chyrons may have primed riders to look to the bottom of screens to read vital information. Additionally, content displayed lower on the screen may be more accessible to riders of all heights when standing closer to the board, including those who use mobility devices.
I ultimately decided that displaying train arrival information at the bottom of the screen was the correct choice. The deciding factor was based on consistency with other MTA digital informational displays. At the time of writing, there are three types of official digital informational displays in subway stations: maps of the NYC subway system, service alerts, and a visual presentation of the subway line - the last of which lists arrival information at the bottom of the screen.
While I chose to emulate the location of train arrival information based on these visual presentations of subway lines, I decided to use the overhead digital screen train arrival information boards for aesthetic inspiration. This was primarily due to the text size being larger, meaning that riders can ascertain arrival information from farther away.
Looking Forward
I briefly considered adding more context to the train arrival information. For example, the visual presentations of subway lines also list the direction of the train (such as “downtown” or “uptown); I rejected this due to size constraints. I also thought about adding a warning symbol (such as ⚠️) in case of service alerts or a crescent moon symbol (🌙) when a line is running on its night-time schedule. I decided against this due to a desire to remain consistent with the overhead digital screen train arrival information boards.
Future redesigns might also address improving how the overhead train arrival information boards look. For example, Adam Fisher-Cox created a wonderful concept that would triple the amount of information featured on arrival information boards without looking cluttered. In my view, taking better advantage of how arrival information boards display data is worth consideration.
Final Thoughts
In 2018, Outfront Media started installing digital advertisement screens in buses, trains, subways, and in stations. Known technically as “Liveboards”, this electronic advertisement space was a part of a 15-year, approximately $1 billion deal made with the MTA. I would guess that many riders support dealing with advertisements in their daily commute if the additional money goes to improve and expand MTA services.10
However, the current configuration wastes potential in subway stations and leads to consternation among riders. Luckily, my design provides value to riders while giving advertisers ample space. Arguably riders are even more likely to spend more time looking at an advertisement if it is attached to information they find useful; I know that I would.
If New Yorkers are going to be inundated by digital advertisement screens, let’s at least make them useful: add train arrival information to digital advertisement screens in subway stations.
For our purposes, we will be considering the Staten Island Railway (SIR) as a part of the New York City Subway. While I am aware that this is technically inaccurate, SIR stations are similar enough in form and function to warrant its inclusion in this narrow context.
Just a reminder that if you are delayed for longer than 10 minutes while riding the subway or bus, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) can verify your delay so your employer will know that your lateness was out of your control.
I have also heard a lot of complaints about the screens on newer subway cars that display non-stop advertisements instead of pertinent station or service alert information. I may consider mocking up a redesign of those at some point in the future.
One may argue that riders can just check the train arrival times on their smartphones. While the vast majority of New Yorkers have smartphones, checking the arrival time in this manner is hardly preferable: underground stations often have spotty wifi and cellular service, and subway cars traveling underground are almost always dead zones. Furthermore, having to download an app or visit a website is simply not as convenient as having the information displayed in front of you.
In my view, the absolute worst offender is 59th Street–Columbus Circle Station.
In fact, digital advertisement screens with train arrival information already exist - but only outside of select subway stations. Their horizontal orientation accommodates for two rows and two columns to display up to four pieces of arrival information at a time.
I highly suggest checking out Rudy’s Bar & Grill the next time you are in the area, as I did not ask for their permission to use in this case study. The prices there are better than in any other bar I’ve seen in New York City - and the hot dogs are actually free with a drink purchase. There’s a reason why Steely Dan mentioned Rudy’s in a song, Anthony Bourdain loved the place, and NYC’s finest politicos regularly meet there. If you do visit, tell the good folks at Rudy’s that Fred sent you!
Eagle-eyed viewers might notice that some of the example images depict situations that might never occur in real life. These mockups are solely intended to give readers a sense of what useful digital boards could look like.
Likewise, it would be even more problematic to create a payment scheme where advertisers could pay more to not have train arrival information alongside their advertisement.
On the internet, “Should public transit have advertisements?” is a discussion piece often rife with strong viewpoints. Those who support public transit ads typically make a simple argument: ads make transit authorities money; money can maintain and improve service; better service with ads is better than inferior service without them.
On the other hand, those opposed to ads in public transit generally raise bigger questions about the type of society in which we want to live. Is there no limit to the number of advertisements that can be shoved in our faces? Would we not be prouder of our communities if there were fewer ads littering them up? Four states actually ban billboards on their highways, and few there seem to be complaining.
For the purpose of this case study, I will be agnostic with regard to this debate. I will assume the perspective that advertisements in the NYC public transit system are a given.