OVERVIEW:
Millions of riders interact with Boston's transport system. After being challenged to enhance the experience of users, I asked the question "What can we do to create better interaction between riders and Boston's public transport?"
TIMELINE:
2 weeks
TOOLS:
Figma
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
01 User Research
02 Design
03 Takeaways
01 CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH
USER ISSUES:
I first approached the question of "what can we do to create better interaction between riders and Boston's public transport?" by conducting research on common issues that general people might have throughout their their whole journey. Some of the ideas included:
-T delays and construction
-schedule isn't displayed clearly
-limited accessibility for those with disabilities
-slow ticket purchasing/reload
-limited payment options above ground
Next, I researched interfaces that currently exist and the functionalities that they offer.
SOLUTION IDEATION:
As improvement of the self-ticketing kiosk has not been recently improved, I decided to focus on its' interface while improving intuitive trip navigation. With audiences in mind, I designed for a common user that has never been to Boston.
COMPETITIVE USABILITY:
Looking at different ticketing kiosks internationally where public transport is highly ranked, I analyzed common functionalities while comparing it to Boston's current interface.
CURRENT DESIGN
Through videos and personal interaction I identified key areas that needed to be improved upon.
-colors and icons
-diversity in page translation
-interface navigation and flow
02 RE-DESIGNING THE MBTA TICKETING INTERFACE
LO-FI WIREFRAMES / SKETCHES:
I began to develop ideas upon two focal points:
-improving trip-planning through an interactive map
-intuitive guidance while decreasing excessive taps
HI-FI WIREFRAMES:
I developed a clear design system based upon the existing color palette of the mbta while also adding simple icons to visually aid passengers as I wanted to decrease the current interface's dependency on written instruction.
03 TAKEAWAYS AND FINAL DESIGN
Upon feedback from classmates and my professor, I updated the interface to have more of an emphasis on the process of trip-planning by adding a feature that gives the user navigation directions based upon their selection on an interactive map. If given extended time I would further develop an efficient user flow for those who just need to add money to their cards and implement interaction over the full map.
This project has taught me the importance of discovering how to work with natural human behavior to optimize a simple yet impactful interaction. There is no single solution yet as designers we can always aim to improve the small parts of everyday life.