EnerIA, innovation and user-centered design to rebuild trust in Renfe.

Towards a More Efficient, Human, and Accessible Transport — Case Study.

*Lee este caso de estudio en español*

The Context

Due to market liberalization driven by the European Union, passenger rail transport in Spain has undergone significant transformations in recent years.

The entry of new players such as Ouigo and IrYo has brought a greater variety of options for users, both in terms of pricing and service quality, making Renfe’s weaknesses more evident than ever.

Despite remaining the leading company in terms of coverage, holding a monopoly in most areas, the number of travelers using its services declines each year.

Frequent delays, cancellations, and ongoing technical issues, along with an inadequate customer service experience, have plunged the Spanish company into a major reputational crisis.

There is no doubt that Renfe needs to optimize its services and operations to regain the trust of deeply dissatisfied users, but how can this be achieved?

How can Renfe regain its place in users’ #TopOfMind through Design Thinking and user-centered design?

Four UX/UI designers, one methodology, and a great challenge ahead. In just 20 days, we embarked on a mission to address this issue and lay the foundation for an innovative and effective solution.

Roadmap

We started by establishing the roadmap to break down the project into phases and organize timelines and tasks among team members.

Phase 01 | Research 🔍

We conducted exploratory research using a combination of techniques to gather both qualitative and quantitative data, helping us empathize with our users.

We needed to deeply understand the problem, identify the expectations and needs we must address, and uncover new business opportunities related to our service and competitors.

Desk Research & Netnography

We conducted desk research to analyze the current market context and understand the general sentiment of our users, paying special attention to opinions in forums and social media.

It didn’t take much digging to find low ratings and numerous negative comments about Renfe’s service.

Regarding social media, we found that the main communication channel between Renfe and its customers is currently Twitter. The interaction takes place through two accounts with distinct functions:

• @Renfe: General customer service
• @InfoRenfe: Real-time information and responses to inquiries about incidents such as delays, breakdowns, last-minute changes, etc.

This decision, which might seem appropriate for a brand with a different type of service and a younger target audience, is poorly considered for a company like Renfe for several reasons:

• It is not accessible: Renfe serves a broad audience, and this approach excludes a significant number of users who do not have a Twitter account.
• It is confusing and frustrating for users: Communication is not managed through a single account but rather two. In the same conversation, users are redirected from one account to another depending on the stage of their claim.
• It damages the brand image: Social media, which should showcase the benefits of Renfe’s service, is instead filled with negative comments, creating a snowball effect that further harms the company’s reputation.

Survey

At this stage, we launched a survey that was answered by over 100 users who had used Renfe’s medium and long-distance services in the past year. From the responses, we can highlight the following key findings:

To the question “What do you value most when traveling by train?”

• 55% of users responded that having accurate and up-to-date information about their journey is crucial.
• 73% of respondents mentioned punctuality as the essential factor for their satisfaction.

Regarding the worst-rated aspects of Renfe, the following responses stood out with very similar percentages:

• 55% believe that Renfe’s app and website need significant improvement.
• 54% consider incident management to be very poor or nonexistent.
• 51% have experienced difficulties communicating with onboard staff.
• 44% have felt frustrated due to a lack of information during their trips.

Ethnography

To experience firsthand the problems and emotions described by our users when traveling with Renfe, we conducted a field study on the Barcelona-Madrid route with AVLO and then a Madrid-Barcelona journey with its competitor, IrYo.

Interviews

To gain deeper insights into our users’ needs and uncover specific problems they face during their journeys, we conducted in-depth interviews with seven frequent Renfe travelers who use medium- and long-distance services for both leisure and work across different regions of Spain.

After thoroughly analyzing the interviews, cross-referencing data, and identifying patterns, we can highlight the following key findings:

• 6/7 have felt frustrated due to a lack of communication during delays or technical issues.
• 5/7 expressed that they would like to receive real-time travel information in a fast and simple way.
• 5/7 mentioned that they found it very difficult or even impossible to contact onboard staff during their journey to ask for information or assistance.
• Regarding the lack of information, several users pointed out that they check Google Maps to track their train’s location and use Twitter to inquire about incidents during their trip.

They also highlighted that it is common to see passengers struggling to lift their luggage onto the train or the overhead racks, and due to the lack of staff, they have had to step in and help themselves.

Benchmark

With all the gathered information, we conducted a benchmark analysis to evaluate Renfe’s strengths and weaknesses compared to its competitors, Ouigo and IrYo.

The graph shows that Renfe remains the undisputed leader in terms of coverage and connections and is on par with IrYo in comfort. However, it ranks below its competitors in all other evaluated aspects.

Final Research Insights

After completing the research phase and analyzing the collected data, we identified three key insights:

01 — Renfe users feel frustrated because the information they receive is insufficient and unclear.

02 — Incident management is poor, and the claims process is slow and complicated.

03 — The price does not match the poor customer service and has become uncompetitive compared to rivals.

Phase 2 | Synthesis 🎯

After gathering and analyzing extensive data from our research, we moved on to the synthesis phase. This step allowed us to identify patterns, define key pain points, and establish a clear problem statement that would guide our solution.

By structuring the insights from user feedback, interviews, and benchmarking, we aimed to translate raw data into actionable insights that would inform our design decisions.

User Persona

After the research phase, we synthesized the collected data to clearly define key user problems, identify needs, and uncover opportunities for improvement.

We categorized our users into two main groups: those who travel for work and those who travel for leisure.

Based on this distinction, we created two user personas to help us empathize with their specific needs and challenges:

User Persona 1

Laura Marín, 29 years old, residing in Madrid. She is a clinical trial monitor and travels for work several times a week.

User Persona 2

Manuel Rodríguez, 55 years old, nurse, and resident of Barcelona. He travels several times a month to Zaragoza to visit his mother.

User Journey Map

Next, we created a User Journey Map for each persona, dividing the process into the different stages of the journey: preparation, station, train, and post-trip.

Mapping out the user’s journey helps us identify opportunities for improvement that address the pain points detected during the research phase.

The Challenge

At this point, we defined the key challenge that will guide our ideation phase:

How can we provide travelers with accurate, real-time information about every aspect of their journey and facilitate communication with Renfe staff, thereby reducing frustration during incidents and enhancing their travel experience?

Phase 3 | Ideation 💡

After identifying the main pain points of our user personas, defining opportunities for improvement, and narrowing down the problem we aim to solve, we kicked off the ideation phase.

How do we solve the identified problem?

We applied two ideation methodologies — Point of View (POV) and Brainstorming — to generate as many solutions as possible. Through a process of clustering and synthesis, we selected the most relevant ideas.

Finally, we organized the chosen proposals into a prioritization matrix, considering user impact and development complexity to determine which solutions should be included in our MVP.

The Solution

EnerIA: A virtual assistant powered by artificial intelligence that addresses the communication gap between Renfe and its users, providing real-time updates, support, and facilitating incident reporting to enhance the passenger experience.

Phase 4 | Design 🎨

In its initial phase, EnerIA will be integrated into the Renfe app and introduced to users through an onboarding process, highlighting its key functionalities:

• Travel assistance
• Customer support and FAQ responses
• Personalized commercial offers
• Onboarding guidance

Onboarding

01 / Travel Assistant 🚊

The primary role of EnerIA is to provide assistance throughout all stages of the journey by sending push notifications with reminders and relevant real-time information during the trip.

For example: departure date and time reminders, track number notifications, alerts for platform changes or departure delays, updates on malfunctions, stops, or any other journey disruptions.

Ticket Activation

To benefit from EnerIA’s travel assistance, users must have an active ticket within the Renfe app. Therefore, our first goal is to encourage users to download the app and then activate their ticket.

We identified three possible scenarios:

1️⃣ Users who purchase their tickets via the Renfe app or website: Upon completing the purchase, they will automatically receive a notification prompting them to activate their ticket in the app to access the assistant.

2️⃣ Users who buy tickets through external platforms (e.g., Trainline): They will be informed via email and the PDF ticket, which will include a QR code to scan and download the Renfe app.

3️⃣ Users who purchase tickets in person (at ticket offices or vending machines): They will be informed either verbally or through an on-screen alert at the time of purchase, and the printed ticket will include a QR code to download the app.

This approach significantly increases the number of app downloads as well as the number of active users.

Reminders & Alerts

Once the ticket is activated, users will receive push notifications from EnerIA with all relevant travel information, such as departure date and time reminders, track number alerts, and more.

Incident Notification

EnerIA will communicate any incidents prior to the trip — such as track changes, delays, cancellations, etc. — so that users can adjust their arrival at the station and avoid queues and crowds while waiting.

During the journey, EnerIA will continue providing real-time updates on any issues, helping to reduce passenger anxiety and frustration. This minimizes the need to contact onboard staff or resort to external channels, like Twitter, to seek answers or make inquiries.

Incident Protocol

EnerIA will notify users of any onboard incidents, even if complete information about the issue is not yet available. In situations such as breakdowns, unexpected stops, or delays, it will activate an incident protocol that sends a sequence of clear, spaced-out messages to keep users informed about the situation.

Even when the exact cause of the issue is unknown, this proactive communication significantly reduces the frustration caused by a lack of information.

Additionally, in such cases, EnerIA will offer the possibility to contact onboard staff directly to request assistance if needed.

02 / Customer Service and FAQs

EnerIA will be able to answer general questions and provide information about service conditions — without requiring an active ticket. Examples: “Can I travel with a scooter?” or “What are the current rules for traveling with pets?”

03 / Personalized Commercial Information

EnerIA will send users notifications with personalized offers and discounts based on their age, frequent destinations, special conditions, etc.

For example, it could notify users about the launch of the Youth Pass or a special discount for seniors.

Future Possibilities

The design and implementation of EnerIA are not static — its continuous evolution will ensure it adapts to users’ changing expectations and continues to deliver long-term value.

Here are some features that were not included in the MVP but that EnerIA will integrate in the short term:

• It will be integrated into WhatsApp to make it accessible to a larger number of users.
• It will be able to answer real-time questions about travel times and distances while on board.
• It will notify users about the segments of the journey where network coverage is available, allowing them to plan work time and calls.
• It will display the café menu and enable users to place orders, which they will receive at their seat.

Conclusions

The launch of EnerIA, Renfe’s AI-powered virtual assistant, marks a turning point in the company’s relationship with its users.

It represents a significant shift toward a service model centered on customer needs — one that will drive key business metrics.

By improving the user experience, Renfe achieves major gains in acquisition, retention, sales, and brand reputation:

• Increased app downloads and usage, resulting in a higher user retention rate.
• Reduced user frustration by eliminating barriers to accessing key information and services.
• Enhanced brand image by channeling and resolving complaints through an efficient system like EnerIA.
• Reduced operational costs due to less reliance on traditional customer service channels.
• Increased sales through personalized recommendations that connect users with relevant services and tailored offers.
• Optimized incident management, significantly lowering the volume of complaints.

In short, EnerIA is much more than just technology — it’s the bridge that connects Renfe with a forward-looking vision of smarter, more human, and more accessible transportation.