The effect of pre trip information on user's stress level and satisfaction in Public Transport Information Systems

Abstract

This thesis investigates how disruption notifications in Dutch public transport can be designed to reduce passengers’ state anxiety and perceived disruption impact. Although real-time passenger information systems are widely used, prior research has focused mainly on operational outcomes, such as travel behavior and waiting times, rather than on passengers’ psychological responses. Moreover, most systems rely on a standardized, one-size-fits-all approach. Limited attention has been paid to how personalization, particularly of communication tone and level of informational detail influence passengers’ disruption experiences. This research addresses that gap by examining whether personalized notification design improves passenger experience during disruptions.

A two-phase approach was used. First, semi-structured interviews explored passengers’ behaviors and notification preferences during disruptions. Participants reported frustration, stress, and anxiety, especially in high-stakes situations, and emphasized the need for early, accurate, clearly structured, and actionable information. Preferences for tone and level of detail varied considerably, underscoring the relevance of personalization. Second, a vignette-based within-subjects experiment explored the effects of personalizing tone and level of detail on state anxiety and experienced disruption impact. Personalized notifications significantly reduced both outcomes compared to non-personalized messages. Although higher perceived trust was associated with lower anxiety and disruption impact, personalization did not increase trust, suggesting that trust depends primarily on source reliability. Trait neuroticism predicted higher baseline state anxiety but did not moderate personalization effects, showing that the benefits of personalization were consistent across individuals, regardless of their neuroticism levels.

Overall, the findings demonstrate that communication design of notifications could shape passenger's transport disruption experiences. The study contributes to Human–Computer Interaction and transport research by offering practical recommendations for user-controlled personalized notification systems.