Schedules & Maps

Deliverables — Design an interactive high-fidelity prototype and develop a functioning tool with the following features:

• Multi service modal tool with a particular emphasis on travel schedule planning
• Promote a shift to mobile device/phone usage
• Better promote fares information and purchase options

Distinguishing modes of transportation for Schedule data (Denver).

Users are allowed the option to download a PDF map of their selected route.

Users are given the option to select a map by area (London).

• What were users happy with?
• What frustrated the users the most?
• What did users just want to change?

I felt is was important for me to figure out the essential features the tool would need to make it useful to the user based on the needs uncovered. I created a crude user flow diagram and made quick sketches to map out these features and see what kind of changes would be necessary as I started to think about and move into the design phase of the project.

Heuristics Evaluation – what heuristics have been violated?

• Visibility of system status
• Efficiency of use

Problem/Implications:

• Users may not initially realize the default map shown is Route 1- Metric/South Congress.

Recommendations:

• Maps need to be more interactive.
• Introduce the page in a way that represents the routes available
• De-emphasize the reliance of full schedules

Most participants expressed that the schedules were difficult to read. Further, the use of tabs to seperate modes types was too much to keep track of.

Solution After Modifications:

By stepping back and looking at the project and thinking about the users needs based on their feedback that their interaction with the tool was very confusing due to an unorganized presentation of content on the page.

To simplify things, I did the following:

• I quickly begin to reimagine the tool - I first started by working with my UX writers to distill copy in ways so as to describe elements in their proper context using the least amount of text.
• To better contextualize the user interaction, I thought of ways to simplify the layout through the use of component an then deply them in ways that would make sense in terms of the user-flow.

I updated this initial screen for the Schedules and Maps tool focused on insights and analysis gained from earlier user research sessions.

Solution Before Modifications:

Heuristics Evaluation – what heuristics have been violated?

• Aesthetic and minimalist design

Problem/Implications:

• Drop-down menu under ‘Select a Route’ introduces too many options to the user.
• In addition, users unfamiliar with the routes will not be able to differentiate between options.

Recommendations:

• Introduce the page in a way that represents the routes available, and organize routes so that users are less overwhelmed by options

Most participants expressed that the text size was too small, and the schedules were difficult to read. Further, using a map to orient themselves to the city and the route was desirable to many.

Solution After Modifications:

It is also good to note that the previous solution embodied multiple pages which required the user to have to navigate a very un intuitive user-flow.

To streamline things, I did the following:

• Users expressed the need for an easy to understand and intuitive navigation experience.
• The outcome was a one page solution for the tool. Now users are able to access each mode-variant of the tool, and were able to access any route using a drop-down menu or typing in an input field, all without ever having to refresh the page.

Result, an intuative and rcognizable dropdown with an autocomplete fuctionality with universal route and mode accessibility