In 2013, we were building a public transit application. It’s the only one app users will need to search for public transportation on the go.

My Role
UX Team Lead

Unmet Needs:
Fragmented applications exist for bus, train, and pedestrian routes.

Research Study

Research Objectives:
Gain an understanding on how public transit fits into the user’s day.
Understanding the different point of views from different cultures about public transit.
Users’ goals and intent in using public transit.
How users plan their routes.
What kind of resources do they use to support their trips.

Methodologies:
Phone Interviews will be conducted around the world
Affinity Diagram will be used to analyze the data

Participants:
6 phone interviews, 2 questionnaires
Males and females
Ages 22 - 55
Use mobile phones

Interview Questions &
Affinity Diagram

2 types of riders

1. The Commuter
Frequency of Use:
Everyday, Travel alone

Apps/Tools they use:
websites, apps

Behavior:
Do not plan because the routes and schedules are familiar
Use common sense for directions

Needs:
Status awareness for delay, accidents, closures, snow, strikes
Crowd congestion alert

Time & Convenience:
monthly/yearly pass, less walking if possible

2. The Leisure Rider
Frequency of usage:
Weekends, occasional use
Travel with other people

Apps/Tools they use:
Google Maps, transit websites (mobile), paper maps

Behavior:
Plan when to meet with friends or travel with groups
Have a Plan B to avoid getting lost

Needs:
Simple and straight forward option that includes fares, timetables, status
Orientation: where they are, which exit, which zone, which train
Indoor maps, subway maps, amenities, exits

7 Themes

User Scenarios

A user scenario is the story of a user’s accomplishing an action or goal in a product. It focuses on a user’s motivations, process or flow the user will do. This method help me understand what motivates users when they interact with a design. The scenario themes usually comes either from the research or business use cases.