Design Prompt

Design a native mobile app for transit fare management and trip planning with consideration for COVID-19 health regulations and best practices.

Jump to

Solution

Discover OneStop

Designing a more accessible, efficient, and COVID-conscious public commuting experience in a post-pandemic landscape with OneStop.

In the wake of the pandemic, public commuters face new challenges. They need a transit experience that not only prioritizes efficiency and accessibility but also ensures peace of mind regarding health and safety.

OneStop

Project overview

Role

UI/UX Designer + Researcher

Duration

4 weeks

Location

Vancouver

Tools

Figma

Exploring

Exploring

Driven by personal curiosity, I wanted to understand how people are redefining ‘normal’ in a post-lockdown world. My goal was to explore the various ways individuals are adjusting to new routines and realities.

I began by visually mapping my own experience on a whiteboard, creating a diagram that helped anchor and guide the direction of my research moving forward.

Verifying

13 questions for 35 participants: validating my own perspective to use as the foundation of my research

To explore travel anxiety following the lockdown (specifically around using public transit) I created a survey consisting of 13 questions and gathered responses from 35 public commuters.
‍
Here's what I found:

cardholders

80%

commuters that physically uses notes

pre-planners

37.5%

plans their trip before starting their journey

covid implications

52%

Are affected due to changes transpiring from COVID regulations

unease

70%

Commuters feel unease to public transit amid pandemic restrictions

Peter Nguyen | User Interview

I just text the bus station to find what time
the next bus will come before I leave the house.

...

I get so confused at some stations,
especially when I need to change into a different line.

...

I've seen so many tourists get lost because
they've missed their stop or they got on the wrong train.

Home

Vancouver
Canada

Age

27
Yrs. old

Work

Paralegal
Assistant

Salary

$52K
per Year

Verifying

After collecting substantial quantitative data from my user research, I connected with TransLink and their bus drivers to gather qualitative insights and understand the experience from multiple perspectives.

Home

Vancouver
Canada

Age

38
Yrs. Old

Work

Translink
Driver

Tenure

4 years
in service

Wilson Connor | Stakeholder Interview

Sometimes, when the bus is already full, I still pick up people from my stops. Who knows how long they have been waiting there for and maybe the bus driver before me also skipped them.

...

When we opened up, I didn't want to go to work because of COVID. But now, everything is pretty much back to normal.

...

Compass card has a very slow system. It lags all the time and that's why passengers are always running into problems with their fares.

...

If I could change the compass card system, I would just say to add more ways people can pay for their fares.

User Journey Map

Uncovering the challenges faced by public commuting through journey mapping

Wrapping up user and stakeholder interviews, I created a journey map which visualizes the commuter's perspective as well as embodies their experiences when using public transportation. This validates four key insights and observations discovered during the quantitative research phase.

Insights + Discoveries

Commuting should be practical, hassle-free & convenient for a stress-free and efficient travel experience.

Commuters depend on the public transit on their daily mobility - for most, it's the only available option that caters to their needs.

In an effort to minimize the spread of the virus during lockdown, many establishments encouraged cashless payments and preferred.

Only few users are able to plan their trip before embarking on their journey due to minor roadblocks in the process.

Problem Statement

How can we make post-pandemic public commuting more efficient, accessible, and aware of COVID-19 restrictions and concerns?

A mobile application which generates a unique verification QR code - allowing the user to easily manage, reload and update transit fares

Onestop is both an account management system for updating transit fares for multiple accounts as well as a navigational tool providing real-time status updates of public transit vehicles.

Single-handedly streamlining and providing peace of mind throughout the profile management process as well as ensuring commuters are able to plan their journey efficiently.

Developing an intuitive and smoother user experience by streamlining the information architecture.

Designing the information architecture

Information Architecture

Creating a straightforward userflow when registering and managing multiple accounts.

Designing the information architecture

Information Architecture

Updating the userflow with vehicle status and live statistics for users when planning a journey.

Building prototypes

Translating ideas from low-fidelity sketches into medium-fidelity prototypes in preparation for usability testing

Evaluating intuitiveness and efficiency by tracking user interactions through heatmaps and conducting usability testing.

tools

Useberry

testers

participants

1.41 min

90%

successful

task 1

Add existing account

difficulty

60%

found it easy to do

9/10

78%

Completed

testers

participants

tools

Useberry

task 2

Find vehicle's status

9/10

90%

misclick rate

1.42 min

29%

successful

difficulty

30%

found it hard to do

Iteration

Design + user feedback = better product

User interaction with OneStop revealed the need for a high-fidelity prototype that showcases essential features and ensures ease of access for users.

Next step

Moving into the second phase of OneStop, I’ll be refining the UI design based on the feedback and findings from the initial usability tests.

Food-for-thought and key takeaways moving forward

The limited duration of the project made it challenging to finish the simplest of task. The social restriction due to lockdown hindered the scheduling of interviews and communication which delayed every step of the process.

i've learned that:

Momentum matters more than perfection. don't sweat over small stuff and focus on the bigger picture.

Acknowledging different opinions coming in and learn how to manage input and feedbacks that align with your design ethos and goals.

You formulate a stronger solution by asking strategic questions. Keep an open dialogue with everybody around you and your work.

Thank you

Merci

谢谢

Gracias

감사합니다

ありがとう

Salamat

ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਧੰਨਵਾਦ

ขอบคุณ

Thank you

Merci

谢谢

Gracias

감사합니다

ありがとう

Salamat

ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਧੰਨਵਾਦ

ขอบคุณ

Thank you

Merci

谢谢

Gracias

감사합니다

ありがとう

Salamat

ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਧੰਨਵਾਦ

ขอบคุณ

Thank you

Merci

谢谢

Gracias

감사합니다

ありがとう

Salamat

ਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਧੰਨਵਾਦ

ขอบคุณ