Exploring driver behaviour to shape better road-user experiences

Abstract

What if we could submit designs to behavioural and usability testing to see and understand how the community will interact with a transport corridor? Could we improve end-user experiences and shape better outcomes for our future communities? This paper explores how combining project design data, engineers, behavioural science methodologies, and visualisation technologies helped shape a better experience for end road users on the Bruce Highway Interchange Upgrade – Maroochydore Road and Mons Road project. The user-centred design approach enabled in-depth exploration with 48 different drivers and 244 drives through the interchange, testing various design scenarios to ensure the end look and feel aligned with a more comfortable, safer experience for drivers/road users. Using these tools, we learned how customers respond to design aspects, how we could improve their experience, and how customers’ experiences impact the road’s safe operation and its maintenance. Delivering long-term benefits for the local community was a central focus of the Bruce Highway Upgrade – Maroochydore Road and Mons Road Interchanges project. This meant challenging the design to uncover deeper insights into its impacts on drivers’ experiences. Combining people-focussed design principles including visualisation, behavioural and usability testing, helped us comprehensively understand how the community interacts with the road and what design elements might be more (or less) effective.