An Evaluation of Train Seats by Observation of Sitting Behaviour

Abstract

To establish a naturalistic basis for the evaluation of train seats, the sitting behaviour of train travellers was recorded by two techniques. First, 5000 observations of sitting postures were made during five-hour journeys using a rapid coding method. Second, time-lapse films were taken of a selected sample of 18 subjects travelling on the same route. By using the same code it was possible to compare the results of the two techniques, and high correlations between them were found. Two types of seat were studied and significant differences in behaviour were found. Frequency of occurrence, duration and sequences of postures were used to arrive at quantitative comparisons.