POINT B
OVERVIEW
Daily public transportation commuters in Indianapolis struggled daily due to the outdated scheduling systems. Bus schedules were rarely accurate and the number of different routes arriving at the same stop was confusing. I was tasked with creating a solution that would enhance the metropolitan bus rider experience by giving them the tools for on time arrivals, seamless transportation options; and arrival and departure alerts.
PROBLEM
STATEMENT
How might we inform commuters about the fastest way to get to their location and ensure they arrive at their desired time?
SOLUTION
Point B is an elevated version of the current bus schedule that allows its users to get from point A to point B. Now users can find out exactly when and where a bus will arrive without having to guess. There should not be any more excuses of “I missed the bus” when arriving at work or school. Users can also schedule their journeys based on when they want to arrive by or when they would like to leave. Planning to get to point B has never been easier.
I led the design for version 1.0 of the Point B application, including everything from user research to delivery of the finished product.
COMMUTER PAIN POINTS
- Inaccuracies of bus schedules
- Not knowing which bus is arriving
- Uncertainty about when to arrive at the necessary stop
ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- User research
- Information architecture
- Visual design
- High fidelity prototypes
- User testing
AUDIENCE
- Client: Indianapolis City Transit
- Sector: Public Transportation
CONSTRAINTS
- Time: 3 Weeks to complete version 1.0
- Budget: $0
SCOPE
Based on the double diamond design thinking method of Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. I was able to deliver a user-centered design for the commuters of Indianapolis.
DISCOVERY & RESEARCH
When beginning the discovery phase of user research, the goal was to understand what users currently use for commuting (competitive research), user pain points (user surveys), and accessibility issues. The overall goals was to find anything that would be worth noting that would cause the user either joy or pain (journey mapping and user personas).
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
- One-stop-shop for anything transportation, even e-scooters
- Gives you an option for a target arrival time or target departure time
WEAKNESSES
- Responsiveness issues, iPhone 11 pro max text is cut off
- Accessibility issues, icons are smaller and difficult to read
STRENGTHS
- It provides the route the bus goes along to show where you can stop if you would like to
- Give you both northbound and southbound on same page via tabs
WEAKNESSES
- Need to refresh to update bus status
- Ads on the page are distracting
- Doesn’t tell you how to get to your stop
USER SURVEYS
SUMMARY - During the collection of data through user surveys, the key findings that stood out more than the rest were as follows:
- 27.8% of users have accidentally ridden the wrong bus in the last month
- 83.3% of users use public transport 4 or more times per week
- 61.1% of users miss the bus at least 1-2 times per week
- Primary Audience - 90% of users are either students or working professionals
How often do you use public transportation in a given week?
How often do you miss the bus in a given week?
Have you accidentally ridden the wrong bus route in the last month?
PAIN POINTS
- Inaccuracies of bus schedules
- Not knowing which bus is arriving
- Uncertainty about when to arrive at the necessary stop
OPPORTUNITIES
- Notifications when choosing an arrival to stop time, i.e. when to leave your location to arrive at the stop on time.
- Modern design for adults
- Larger buttons/icons to make them more accessible for older and people with disabilities.
USER JOURNEY MAP
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PERSONAS
ISABELLA
Bio
- Community manager at coworking space
- Status: taken
- Age: 29
- Location: Indianapolis
Goals
- Reduce stress with the ability to know when and where the bus will arrive
- See options and comparisons of other forms of public transportation based on availability and pricing
- The ability to traffic check my necessary route, that way I can make a more informed decision on how to get where I need to be
Frustrations
- Knows the bus schedule that she uses for work, but is inaccurate most days due to traffic or other delays
- Arriving late causes Isabella stress which could affect her work.
JAMES
Bio
- Post grad student
- Status: single
- Age: 25
- Location: Indianapolis
Goals
- Be able to plan ahead to ensure I catch the right bus
- See how far my bus is to either rush to the stop or take my time
- Ensure the bus that’s coming is the right route for me
Frustrations
- Waiting for the bus to arrive, sometimes can take awhile when the schedule says otherwise
- Just missing the bus in the distance, if I left 2 minutes earlier I could’ve caught the bus
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
USER STORIES
As a commuter, I want to know how long it'll take me to get to work, so that I can arrive on time.
As a commuter, I want to know when the bus will arrive, so I can know when to leave my dorm to catch it.
As a commuter, I want to know the options of current bus schedules along with other modes of transport, so that I know what the best option is for me.
BRAND DEVELOPMENT
MOODBOARD
COLOR PALETTE
Went with the green and yellow to signify go, slow down and never fully stop, which goes with what the solution is attempting to solve. Getting you to point b as quickly as possible even though there may be some slow downs.
TYPOGRAPHY
Inter is a common street sign font which is recognizable as one of the easiest fonts to read, with many options of different font styles if necessary in different or future iterations.
INITIAL PROTOTYPES
WCAG TEST
Before usability testing, I checked the contrast between the tan colors and the green. It did not pass the WCAG test, so to make the application more legible we had to make some changes that resulted in a lighter background color #F6F6F6.
USABILITY TESTING
TASK 1
Sign up to use app
- 100% success rate
- 11% misclick rate
TASK 2
Search for your school and find list of bus routes
- 67% success rate
- 16.8% misclick rate
TASK 3
Set a reminder to ensure you don't miss the bus
- 66.7% users got lost
- 0% misclick rate
TASK 4
Use the favorites shortcut to go to work and start the navigation process
- 66.7% success rate
- 33.5% misclick rate
SECOND ITERATION
Due to issues regarding the favorites functionality and set reminder functionality, we had to make those two features a bit more obvious and easier for the user to use. This resulted in a favorites drop down and a different flow to set reminders
HIGH FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
OUTCOMES & LESSONS LEARNED
Achieved a working product that enhances the experience of everyday commuters
Obtained valuable data that will improve future iterations of Point B
With time constraints for this product, there were more areas where we wanted to do more usability testing
FEEL FREE TO GET IN
TOUCH ANYTIME!
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