Go Transit App
Completed as part of Thinkful’s UX/UI Design Certificate Program
Overview
A transportation agency for a midsize metropolitan area in the Midwest has a network of public buses. They currently list the expected bus schedule on their website and post it at each bus stop. However, bus times are often changing in real time.
I served as UX Researcher and UI/UX Designer and was tasked with helping to create a mobile application operated by the city transit system that serves thousands of commuters.
PROBLEM
Transit officials identified that due to expansion, numerous bus routes stop at the same bus stop. This is a problem for bus riders because rushing to the bus stop when they see a bus coming no longer works. The bus that’s arriving might not be the bus that they need so running to the bus stop is now inconvenient.
AUDIENCE
The target audience for this bus transportation app includes commuters who use buses to travel in their city—that could include someone who uses the bus often, like daily, or someone who may take the bus less often and wants to plan their trip ahead of time.
SOLUTION
The goals for this bus transportation app are to provide a solution that helps commuters know when their next bus is arriving and how much time they have to get to their bus stop. The solution should also show schedules for each bus route.
Process
DISCOVERY & RESEARCH
I started research by conducting competitive analysis to learn more about how current competitors position themselves and consider any key features or differentiators. I used the SWOT framework to look at strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats across two products, moovit and Transit Stop.
That analysis helped inform the user survey. The themes for the questions were around bus ridership, app usage, as well as current commuter pain points and expectations. The audience for the survey was anyone who used public transportation in the last year.
I also completed a user interview to hear directly from a commuter on their transit app usage, various apps they use for this purpose, challenges they encounter, and what their ideal experience includes.
All of these research methods informed my user persona.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
To address user problems, these user stories were drafted as I thought through the user’s experience with using a transit app:
As a user, I need to locate the closest bus stop so that I know where to get on my bus.
As a user, I want to see the bus schedule so that I know when my bus is expected to arrive.
As a user, I want to see how much time I have to get to my bus stop so that I don’t miss my bus before it departs.
As a user, I want to know which bus is currently arriving and/or departing from my bus stop so that I don’t rush for the wrong bus.
Additionally, I created various user flows to address these user problems. I sketched multiple user flows for each user story before combing into one digital user flow.
This helped in creating initial sketches on paper and wireframes.
CONTENT STRATEGY
Content played an important role in guiding the user through the flow and allowing for quick and easy navigation. The voice is a personality that is simple, human, and conversational. The tone changes based on context but in this case, the experience is neutral throughout.
PROTOTYPING
Using these initial wireframes, I created a low-fidelity, clickable prototype. Here, I realized I had to make changes to better meet user needs. For example, I had essentially hidden important actions behind several clicks, making it harder for the user to get to important information.
I made changes to the prototype to address these needs.
My next step was to create a high fidelity prototype and conduct usability testing.
After refining my high fidelity prototype, I prepared for usability testing. I created a test plan for a usability test that would check clarity in layout and measure success rate of finding the schedule for specific route and stop.
I conducted three usability tests. There was a 100% success rate for the overall task.
Key findings from the usability test helped conclude:
Problem #1 - Users want to search by their destination station but it’s last in the form and the form includes other less important fields.
Problem #2 - User expect to see their bus routes available in a map.
Problem #3 - There is an accessibility issue with the white text overtop green background.
I updated the high fidelity designs to address each of these issues.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The MVP for the GO transit app was created to provide clear, real time schedules for commuters. Future enhancements could include save routes and frequently visited stops.
It was so valuable to leverage the research and iterate throughout the design process. I went back to review user flows, update the site map, and refine the wireframes often.
I can be reached at yanissa.perezdeleon@gmail.com
Thank you for your time!