METRIQ
The Smart Way To Ride The Bus
METRiQ was created to serve thousands of commuters in a mid-sized metropolitan area located in the midwest.
METRiQ makes it easier for commuters to find a way to their perspective destinations in a timely manner without having to panic or miss the bus.
MY Role
Research
Wireframing
Prototyping
Thinkful UX Immersion July 2020
iOS Platform / Figma
Problem
Thousands of commuters in a mid-sized metropolitan area located in the midwest are facing frustrations with their new bus transit system. One stop in particular acquires seven bus arrivals at the same time.
aUDIENCE
Bus Riders
Urban Community
USER RESEARCH
For this project I don’t believe emotional empathy will solve this issue but I can see how other cognitive factors like being late, feeling rushed, lost, or just plain confused and missing the bus can make someone emotional.
The plan is to resolve this problem through a mobile app. Something readily available, portable, and capable of delivering my solution.
Questions To Answer
What’s the easiest way to get them there?
How would they remember?
What are the obstacles?
What is important to them?
UX Goals
We need to get our users to their stops on time.
We need a quick way for our users to find information on their prospective stops.
We need to have visual clarity so the users know when they should expect to be at their stop.
Constraints
COVID-19 forced all my user research to be virtual
Survey
24 Respondents
Being on time is very important.
Being organized is very important.
Having options is important.
Most users get anxiety or frustrated when running late.
Traveling in general is not exciting.
Personas
James
The Industrious Worker
" Traveling to work in the city can be a hassle. I use the bus to get there faster and on time."
Tina
The Student
" I need to make it to class on time, living in the dorm is too much of a trek for me to school and dangerous."
Logan
The Average Occupant
" I need to make my art showings on time in different cities so I need to know a direct route, with accurate timing."
Angela
The Business Woman
" I need more time to spend with my children before heading to the bus stop, while also making it to work on time."
Scenario
The Busy Mother
We chose Angela.
So let’s put ourselves in Angela’s shoes. Angela doesn’t have the luxury of adding new things on her to do list. So her solution cannot be time consuming, she needs her answers ASAP.
Angela also needs to know when she should head out to be on time to the bus.
Angela has been to every stop she needs, so she knows where she needs to be to make the connection. So we can allow her to search for a specific stop first. Then produce an array of destinations where she can decide what time and where she wants to go. With this gathered information she can choose to or not to set a notification so she really doesnt need to be bothered with checking her phone.
Empathy Map
Says:
- When will this bus arrive?
- I can’t be late for work
- I don’t feel like driving
Thinks:
- Whats is the bus schedule today?
- I should get there in advance just incase.
Does:
- Shows up early
- Waits longer than needed
- constantly checks the app for the arrival time
Feels:
- Anxiety
- Opptimistic
- Hopes this was a good idea
Journey Map
In this journey map we took Angela to work. Where she expects to make it on time, because she finds the bus more reliable than trying to find parking in the city.
Scenario:
Angela is on her way to work. She takes the bus to work so she won't be late.
Expectations:
- Arrive to bus on time.
- Bus shows up on time.
- Comfortable bus ride.
- Bus stops are on time.
Define:
- I don’t feel like looking for parking today
- What does the bus schedule look like today?
- Will I get there on time?
Travel:
- Gets to bus stop
- Bus shows up on time 5 mins later.
Experience:
- Seats are comfortable.
- All stops go according to plan.
-Angela has time to work on some things before work.
Destination:
- Arrives ahead of schedule.
- Angela still has time to grab a coffee before work.
- Searches for a bus ride home as well.
- Loved her experience!
USER STORIES
"As a user I need to... Make it to my bus stop."
"As a user I need to... Find a quick way to find a bus."
"As a user I need to... Know what time I will be making it to my destination."
"As a user I need to... know my options."
USER FLOW
storyboard
Here's the story (images read left to right)
- Carlos is hanging out at lunch with his friends
- He notices everyone is looking at their phones
- His phone pings a notification & he opens the link to his app. He reads there’s an emergency, a shooter is on campus.
He is asked to acknowledge that he has seen this prompt and if he is ok.
- His peers have also seen and acknowledged this prompt so they are panicking asking themselves what to do?
- Carlos remembers there’s a map on the app to show where he could go.
- He sees on the map the shooter is moving towards him
- He takes off down the hall to find a hiding place
-He then messages in the live feed that the shooter is in the hall.
- The shooter is then apprehended by the authorities and Carlos is now able to come out from his hiding spot.
-Everyone is safe and or tended to by first responders.
Development
Competitive Analysis
Strengths:
Engaging
The ability to get you home as the first option.
Shows the calories you burn from walking or riding a bike.
Shows all transit options
Shows route alerts for issues
Weaknesses:
The Uber or Lyft option time can’t possibly be accurate.
The cute catapult game falls short. I see a failed feature.
They don’t offer their service every city.
Uber’s and lyfts aren’t available yet offered?
Too many features
Visually busy
Threats:
Already a well established app
Detail
Efficiency
Multitude of options
Opportunity to make a better app:
Add games to transit app
Add real time ride-share times and prices.
Offer global service
Add a countdown option till bus shows up
Implement rewards system through tasks.
Add pre saved locations with customized settings.
Offer dark mode
Implement safety buttons
Add a separate section strictly for fitness information like steps or miles n calories.
Option to save a non interactive list of travel instructions in case they have no internet or data.
wireframing
My original wireframes were effective and included a countdown.
The scenario was the user picking up their phone at random to check to see how long till the bus arrives or departs. With the idea that if a bus is late then through geo tracking the countdown time would change accordingly and notify you so you don’t become late. Needless to say that became very complicated to implement.
Final Wireframe
The current wireframe is much more concise with a similar feature. In this version I simply added a notify me button at the bottom of the bus route screens. In theory this could accomplish the same task as my previous wireframe. Instead it will just tell you when to leave from your current location 30 minutes before your bus arrives.
Branding
logo
I went for a sleek, minimal Idea with calming colors for my branding.
Due to the research I found most users are panicked and frustrated when trying to find a bus without being late.
So I took this approach with adding an apple watch interface. User can now be alerted without being near their phones.
The name play has a meaning or slogan of....
" The Smart Way To Ride The Bus " Hence the iQ.
final iteration
Versatility
Easy on the eyes
Alerts
Minimal
Local
Striking
Prototype research
usability testing
5 second Test
4 Usability Tasks
5 Participants
USER TASKS:
Figma Mirror Useability Test
I want you to find out when the next bus is arriving to...
Can you show me on a map where...
Pick a bus route how would you prompt yourself to be reminded when it arrives?
Can you tell me what the name of next bus arrival is to.....
I’ve Run 2 Different Tests With A Time Constraint.
A usability test and a 5 second visual test from remote.
I noted the insights and iterated to fit the users goals.
5 second test
This looks like some type of traveling app
Looks like a simple interface
Is this telling me to go somewhere?
I see a bus
I saw the words Red River
I like the dark look
This test informed me on cognitive load and UI design decisions. Determining if some elements were too much or too little, or whether it be useful or not.
research results
Users are able to find the information they need
The app visually is very clear and urban
Button placement was clear and assumed
The reminder was a great feature
Solution
We Can Get You There
Conclusion
After Testing , ideation & Feedback
