Generating customer-focused ideas with Arriva Rail London

Training teams for internal innovation 

Arriva Rail London (ARL), operator of London Overground train services, wanted to build momentum for their internal innovation programme, Launchpad. They wanted to quickly generate fresh ideas, increase engagement among their colleagues and develop customer-centred innovation skills in their organisation.

Creating concepts from user-centred research

We began with rapid research to identify a suitable strategic business issue to tackle. With internal stakeholders, we agreed to focus on a challenge that had been uncovered in passenger surveys: customers’ frustration when not receiving the travel information they need from staff.

We devised a two-day Design Sprint with two goals: to teach design thinking skills and simultaneously come up with some real solutions. We invited ARL colleagues from the frontline, as well as back office to collaborate, bringing their specific area knowledge. We also brought in real customers to share their personal needs and challenges when travelling on the network. With these insights and under our training, teams generated a range of concepts, from training solutions to tech-led innovations.