A tech design consultant once challenged me with a question at a training seminar: “What do you think is the No. 1 problem in getting new products out to the market?”

Being a political scientist, I shrugged.

“The problem is that instead of engineering new products around things that consumers want, companies instead make things they want to sell, and then use marketing tactics to convince people why they need to buy it,” the consultant explained.

A light went on in my head when he said that.

It made me realize that long-term successes are not about persuading or even tricking people to buy things they don’t want or need, but rather, reaching people at their point of need. Honolulu’s Skyline rail system can learn a lot from this lesson, because if it is to be a long-term, sustainable success, it’s going to need to be more human-focused and rideable for residents.

The Walmart Effect

During the 1990s, Walmart Supercenters started popping up all across America in direct competition with a number of established businesses. What made Walmart different and more competitive than other companies was that its leadership created one-stop stores where individuals and families could shop and get other things done, all at the same location. 

In the past, a Saturday off might have consisted of getting chores done by first shopping at a hardware store, then visiting the optometrist’s office, then picking up some groceries at the supermarket. Walmart combined all of these so the proximity of seemingly unrelated products and services made its stores convenient, even if you didn’t necessarily like everything they offered.

Depending on which Walmart your town has, you can get your taxes done, have an eye appointment, pick up a prescription, buy groceries and get auto parts, all in the same store. And, by the way, if, while you’re in the store you happen to need to use the restroom, well guess what – that’s also available.

Walmart’s shopping experience is human-focused and human-friendly. What is the end result of this? Nearly everyone reading this article likely shops at Walmart. Walmart is designed around your needs.

Why do I mention this?

Have you ever heard Walmart executives say, “You don’t need to come here to get groceries, you just need to buy TVs” or “We’ve done technical studies and determined people don’t need to have their taxes done while shopping”?

Convenience Is Key

Have you ever once heard Walmart’s communications team having to explain why it’s a heavy lift to let customers have a bathroom? Of course not. Walmart wants to remove all barriers to convenience so there is no deterrent to spending time at the stores.

Now contrast that with the State of Hawaii or the City and County of Honolulu. We run almost everything in the exact opposite fashion, telling members of the public why they don’t need the things they want but absolutely must use (and pay for) the things we want to give you, or you’re a bad person for not liking it. That’s not human-focused or human-friendly; that’s paternalistic and toxic.

If we want to make Skyline a long-term success, it needs to be a place where people have access to every possible convenience and creature comfort. To begin, each Skyline station needs large parking lots or parking structures constructed around it so people can get there as quickly as possible and with minimal disruption to their schedule. The easier it is to get to the rail, the more people will use the rail. 

The second thing that needs to happen is that each station needs to become a community hub, especially in light of the fact that Oahu has a large tourist presence. That means permanent bathrooms, places to sit and relax, refreshments, shopping and other attractions to make one’s time there a memorable experience. 

Take a look, for example, at the short tram system inside the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort on the Big Island. Nearly every stop of that tram has bathrooms, shops, restaurants and lovely attractions built around the spine. If the Hilton can do that for its guests, then surely a federally subsidized, multibillion-dollar local transit system like Skyline can do that for people here on Oahu.

If Gov. Josh Green can put showers and bathrooms in the middle of a state parking lot for homeless people, then surely the Skyline can provide bathrooms for taxpayers.

Last but not least, we’re going to have to be aggressive in keeping the Skyline clean and well maintained. Nearly everything else on Oahu under government control has been allowed to go into disrepair, with the excuse that it’s too hard to fix things, or too expensive to keep nice. We have a significant investment in the Skyline, so it needs to look nice and stay clean for the sake of the taxpayers.

I definitely plan to use and ride the Skyline, and I congratulate those who made it operational. But let’s go beyond operational to making it human-focused and user friendly. Public services, especially transit, need to be about the people who use it, not the politicians who campaign on it.

Skyline can be a success, if it adapts for the needs and wants of the people.