Overview of Design Thinking Approach
Design thinking methods developed at CoERS provide a framework for problem-solving from a human factors perspective. Several tools are developed to simplify the processes and upskill people with suitable capability – building programs. Fact-based framing of hypotheses based on detailed observation from the field forms the core of our approach. The observations are from the perspective of 3M&E (Man, Machine, Method, and Environment), which provides the root causes to solve problems from a human-centric point of view. The design thinking course for road engineers is curated to include various business excellence models and tools for observations, structured planning, and tracking. The pedagogy revolves around case studies, field exercises, and assignments. It also comprehensively integrates the road safety officer’s role and responsibilities.
Certified Training Program on Design-Thinking Based Problem Solving Approaches for Safe Roads (August 2023)
CoERS, in collaboration with the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), conducted a 10-day Certified Training Program on Design-Thinking Based Problem-Solving Approaches for Safe Roads following the most recent standards and recommendations offered by MoRTH and Indian Roads Congress (IRC). From August 16 to 25, 2023, the training program for eight Road Safety Officers (RSOs) of NHAI hailing from seven States, i.e., Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh, was organised at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
Course Purpose
- Inculcate design thinking approach to Road Safety Audit (RSA).
- Simplifying the process of road audit and upskilling people.
- Improve observation skills and recognise the key components that can improve road safety and put them into practice.
- Learning tools to perform RSA on the field.
- Provide participants with the information, skills, and resources to organise, conduct, and document road audits and inspections.
Course Outline
- The course was initiated with an introduction to the Design Thinking Approach followed by data-driven tools to identify high-frequency accident zones.
- The inculcating 5E model course had sessions on Road Engineering and Safety Interventions, Scientific Enforcement, Structured Crash Investigation, Emergency Care and Education.
- The course imparted hands-on training to evaluate road safety from a human factors perspective and adopted a data-driven systems approach to identify problems and solutions.
- The RSOs team performed a Road Safety Audit (RSA) on the Chennai-Trichy Highway, identified issues/ challenges on the engineering and enforcement aspects of road safety at the black spots, and came up with short-term and long-term suggestions for rectification.
- Field implementation of learnings was planned at the black spots identified on the Chengalpattu – Tindivanam – Ulundurpet stretch on the Chennai-Trichy Highway.
- The training program concluded with a valedictory session and certificates provided to the RSOs by Shri Vinit Dev Wankhede, IPS, Additional Director General of Police, Tamil Nadu
Course Outcomes
- Improve managerial capabilities to aid in the efficient planning of RSA processes.
- Enhance observational abilities from the perspective of the user’s journey.
- Overcome the cognitive fixation and incorporate novel and creative road safety intervention concepts.
- Adopt an iterative process in which lessons learned from testing and research are continuously incorporated into the solution.
- Understand the road accident statistics in India, traffic legislations, rights and duties of road users, road safety audit methodology, and factors contributing to a road crash.
- Identify the risk elements in the road network, collect accurate data for road safety audits, and proficiently present the information.
