Crowds are such an integral part of our everyday lives, yet research considering how the user experience of crowds can be enhanced, remains relatively underdeveloped. As with any other user interaction, the key human factors considerations of user safety, performance, comfort and satisfaction apply. A review of literature highlighted that important factors influencing the operation of crowds have been studied relatively independently, tending to focus on specific crowd situations, but rarely accounting for the interaction of factors and similarities and differences between crowd types. Focus groups exploring individual experiences of crowds revealed differences and priorities varying with age and expectations. This initial study contributes towards modeling contributory factors to the crowd experience, moving towards a more holistic understanding.

. (2016) Probing deeper into the risks of slips, trips and falls for an ageing rail passenger population: applying a systems approach. IET Intelligent Transport Systems, 10 (1). pp. 25-31. ISSN 1751-9578Access from the University of Nottingham repository: http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/32480/1/ITS-SI-2015-0047.pdf Copyright and reuse:The Nottingham ePrints service makes this work by researchers of the University of Nottingham available open access under the following conditions. This article is made available under the University of Nottingham End User licence and may be reused according to the conditions of the licence. For more details see: http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/end_user_agreement.pdf A note on versions:The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. Abstract: In this study, the authors report the findings from a study of the contributory factors leading to slips, trips and falls (STFs) amongst elderly passengers at train stations and how these are likely to change in the future over the medium to long term (the period 2035-2050). Their data draws on: stakeholder interviews with rail personnel and elderly passengers; a set of station observations carried out across the UK; and, a survey of the views of station managers. The findings point to a set of 22 contributory factors covering aspects of organisational, station environment and passenger (individual) influence on STFs. Amongst the factors which most concern station managers at the present and over the next few decades are: rushing behaviour on train platforms; the consumption of alcohol by passengers; aspects of station design (e.g. flooring); and, training for station staff as regard the risks of STFs. The authors summarise their findings in the form of a systems model which highlights priorities with regard to STFs in terms of all of the stakeholders taking part in the study. A final section discusses a set of issues which might form the basis for a future agenda for research and practice in this area.

A case study investigation within a large UK university involving semi-structured stakeholder interviews, examined the organisation, coordination, and security within crowd events of various descriptions. Similarities in approaches and priorities emerged with crowd event organisation, primarily attention to safety requirements, in protecting crowd members, venue reputation, and legal obligations. Conversely, attention to and attitudes and beliefs surrounding user experience, crowd comfort and satisfaction, were often based on personal judgment, and appeared to be influenced by budget considerations. The findings suggest a lack of knowledge and usable evidence based guidance for planning crowd events in relation to important aspects affecting participant satisfaction.

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