OVERVIEW
Metro Audio Guide is a museum-style audio service that brings cultural discovery into everyday Metro rides. Designed during a four-week service design course at CIID in collaboration with Copenhagen Metro, it helps tourists and non-Danish speakers connect with the city by listening to location-based stories through a simple earpiece mounted on the train window—no screens, no apps, just curiosity.
RESEARCH
We began with extensive field observations and system mapping to understand who uses the Copenhagen Metro and how. Passenger patterns revealed a significant proportion of tourists and non-Danish-speaking residents, particularly between the airport and city center. Many appeared disengaged or unsure of what they were passing by.
To investigate further, we conducted in-depth interviews with travelers from diverse backgrounds. We learned that many preferred transport experiences that allowed them to remain visually connected to their surroundings. While the Metro was efficient, it lacked this cultural and spatial context, leaving passengers disconnected from the city.
CONCEPT
These insights shaped our design direction: to turn the Metro into more than a transit system—into a cultural experience. We envisioned a museum-style audio guide that would unobtrusively bring the city’s stories into the train.
Rather than adding screens or apps, we focused on a calm, screen-free service that passengers could engage with on their own terms.
The concept paired a single-ear earpiece mounted to the window with a simple brochure, creating a lightweight, scalable service that encourages exploration without disrupting the commute.
DESIGN & PROTOTYPING
We developed and tested three physical prototypes directly on Metro trains:
- Prototype 1 was a suspended speaker box with no signage. Passengers ignored it, unsure of its purpose.
- Prototype 2 introduced visual explanation: a large board with headphones and printed cards. It communicated better but took up too much space and required excessive printing.
- Prototype 3, our final version, focused on minimalism. A single-ear earpiece was mounted to the train window using a wooden bracket, allowing passengers to lean in and listen without isolating themselves. A brochure provided maps, QR codes, and descriptions for later exploration.
This version was simple, low-cost, and effective. During testing, an elderly couple smiled while sharing the earpiece, and one tourist said, “I didn’t know we passed by a beach—I’m definitely going back there.”
PROJECT INFO
— INSTITUTION
Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID)
— CLIENT
COPENHAGEN METRO
— TEAM
Chia-Yu Hsu
Hsiang-Lin Yang
Simon Herzog
Yashodeep Gholap
— ROLE
Design Research
Concept Development
Prototyping
Field Testing
— YEAR
2014
I was involved from research to implementation. I co-led user interviews, field observations, and insight synthesis, and participated in concept development and prototyping. I also helped build and refine physical prototypes, including the wooden earpiece bracket, and assisted with user testing on site.
This was my first experience designing a service ecosystem. I learned to think beyond isolated touchpoints and consider the broader journey—including multiple stakeholders, physical constraints, and social context.
The final prototype was tested on active Metro trains and exhibited at CIID’s Service Design showcase. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive—passengers felt more connected to their surroundings, and the Metro operator saw the potential for tourist engagement, local partnerships, and increased return trips. The project was praised for its simplicity, feasibility, and charm.