Mobility Design Lab
A uniquely situated group of design researchers working across the mobility landscape.
From personal to public transport, bikes to buses, family cars to autonomous vehicles, Mobility Design Lab (MDL) researchers are experts at designing to better understand how and why we get from place to place. Affiliated with the Monash Institute of Transport Studies, the Mobility Design Lab is focused on how design might improve the physical, environmental and experiential aspects of mobility.
The Mobility Design Lab combines evidence-based research methods and real world solutions with design-led innovations that challenge prevailing orthodoxy. Our research mediates connections between science, government, engineering and user experiences of mobility systems. We engage with user-centred and participatory research techniques to reveal new insights into passenger experiences. We are passionate problem solvers with a strong track record of realising our work made real in the world.
Our research is at the forefront of design-driven, industry-relevant solutions, from the everyday to the complex.
Augmented on-road driving simulator for autonomous vehicles using virtual reality (VRAV)
The most authentic experience yet of being a passenger in a fully autonomous vehicle using a combination of real world driving and augmented reality visualisation.
More accessible railway stations
Examining how design can help public transport companies address disability access compliance for a more equitable and accessible rail network.
Parked bicycles in Australia
Understanding the bikes people park, and how they park them.
Rail passenger boarding, alighting and dispersal experiments
Investigating how rail carriage interior design influences passenger boarding and alighting times using agent-based modelling techniques.
Urban Mobility Design Book
A comprehensive review of cutting-edge design work addressing key contemporary themes in mobility.
Volgren EV roof design
A new look for Australia’s transition to electric route buses.
The Wheelie
Easier bike parking means easier bike transport.
Candidates undertaking Monash University’s Graduate research degrees are challenged to apply new thinking to interpret – and solve – complex questions. Here are some of the projects they’re currently investigating.
Lisa Fu
Designing future train experiences for micromobility.
Mitali Kedia
Introducing urban design qualities to improve the physical and functional dimension of cycling infrastructure.
Jiyoon Lee
Enhancing user experience of mobility as a service ecosystem.
Julian O’Shea
Adventures with sustainable vehicles for positive social change.
Jennifer Rivera-Gonzalez
Designing cities where safety is the centre of road transport.
Luke Valenza
Research into the causes of sudden jolts on trams.
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Recent news
Forget your fixie, we’re more likely to ride bikes if we can carry more on them
Under COVID-19 lockdowns, bike sales have been booming. Quiet streets and more time at home have opened a new opportunity for bicycles in our otherwise car-dominated culture. In our recent analysis, my colleagues and I looked at the bikes people ride for transport, and we found more than half of them aren’t well equipped for this purpose.
15 Oct 2020
Returning confidence in public transport in a post-COVID-19 world
Public transport is essential because it's by far the most spatially efficient way to move large numbers of people about the city. However, the notion of sharing confined public spaces for potentially extended periods of time will play heavily on the minds of a public learning to maintain physical distance.
3 Jun 2020
Past events
Equity and accessibility: lessons from the housing, health and transport nexus
4 Sep 2019, 6–8pm
Caulfield campus
Banner artwork: Ilya Fridman, Battery-Electric Route Bus: A Platform for Vehicle Design, 2016