Otto Bus is a guided information and route-planning terminal to empower passengers' public transit journeys in Montreal. With a simple route planning feature and real-time alerts, anyone taking public transportation, especially elder adults with mobility issues, can easily find ways to their destination.
OVERVIEW
My role
As a UX researcher and UX designer, I collaborated with my team during the stages of user research, paper wireframe and usability test. After that, I was fully responsible for digital prototyping and iterations.
The problem
Many elder adults have trouble taking public transportation in Montreal due to the frequent route changes or malfunctioning escalators/elevators. Most of the time, they also don't feel confident and comfortable using smartphones to plan their trip.
The goal
The project primarily aims to design an interactive touchscreen at transit stations to improve access to public transit information through a lens of universal access for users with mobility issues.
USER RESEARCH
Summary
We started our user research by reading news and journal articles discussing different aspects of accessibility and safety on public transit for different user groups, and talking with our users/collecting observations about accessibility and safety along transit routes, including the bus, metro, and EXO lines. Based on the research findings, my team collectively identified common obstacles elder adults often encounter and brainstormed corresponding solutions.
In the end, we decided to focus primarily on solving the difficulties in "trip planning" that occur most often.
Challenges
Frequent changing routes cause confusion to passengers all the time.
Elder adults easily forget the way to their destination.
Elder adults do not prefer using smartphones or do not have smartphones.
Accessibility types vary from station to station.
Solutions
The touchscreen shows real-time updated route-changing notifications at the top.
Passengers can search for their destination and get recommended routes on the large screen.
The terminal allows passengers to choose the printing option to print their route details on paper.
Accessibility options are provided for passengers to select and thus get personalized trip planning.
Persona: Charlene
Charlene is a retired lady with mobility issues who needs trip-planning assistance at the transit station because she feels confused and unconfident when she has no idea how to choose the right bus.
START THE DESIGN
User flow
Paper wireframes
In this stage, my team drafted both rough and detailed wireframes.
Digital wireframes
The Otto News at the top shows real-time notifications on any route changes.
The search bar at the center of the screen allows passengers to enter their destination and find optimized routes.
On the search result page, passengers are allowed to select the accessibility options before getting the route recommendation.
The terminal automatically sends alerts to the coming bus to remind the driver someone is waiting at the station.
USABILITY TEST
Research goals
Determine if users can complete core tasks within the prototype of Otto Bus.
Determine if Otto Bus can make any changes to serve the users better.
Research questions
The research result should make my team able to answer these questions:
How long does it take a user to search for a destination, select accessibility options and confirm a route using the screen?
What can we learn from the user flow, or the steps users take, to find a route?
Are there parts of the user flow where users get stuck?
Are there more features that users would like to see included on the screen?
Do users think the screen is easy or difficult to use overall?
KPIs
Time on task
User error rates
System Usability Scale (SUS)
Methodology
Moderated usability study
Location: The usability tests were conducted in the university environment in Montreal.
Length: Each usability test consisted of 4 sessions. Each session had 5 participants and lasted 5 to 10 minutes.
Participants were peers who were working on similar topics to my team.
Findings
Two rounds of the usability study of Otto Bus were conducted with 20 participants each to gain insights based on our observation of their behaviours as well as their critiques and feedback.
Round 1 findings
Users hope it could be more usable on the large screen
Users want to have a way to call STM in special cases
Users hope real-time info about coming buses could be displayed
Round 2 findings
Users wish it could print routes on paper
Users wish they could zoom in and zoom out the map
REFINE THE DESIGN
1st round changes
1. Some participants felt they might have trouble using it at the transit station's terminal because all these components turn out to be too large when the prototype is put on a much larger screen. Therefore, I reduced the size of all the components so that it would be more applicable on the giant terminal.
2. Some participants expect they can have someone to reach when they need assistance when they encounter problems or emergencies. Therefore, I added a calling function on the home page so that users can easily call the service provider, STM.
3. Some participants thought they would feel more confident waiting if they could see what buses were coming and the estimated time. Therefore, I added the coming bus info at the bottom of the screen.
2nd round changes
1. Some participants point out that many elder adults don't usually use smartphones so they cannot use the QR code to download the app and receive live updates. Therefore, I added a printing option so that passengers who need it can choose to print their confirmed route on paper.
2. Some participants suggested a zoom-in and zoom-out function would help them navigate the map more comfortably. Therefore, I added the zooming button at the right bottom corner of the map.
Final mockups
Starting from the home page, users can use the search bar to find their destination and select any necessary accessibility options. Once they have completed this step, Otto Bus will automatically generate recommended route information based on real-time updates from the STM system. Users can then either switch to an alternative route or confirm their selected route. Upon confirmation, the terminal sends alerts to approaching buses, notifying drivers that a passenger is waiting at the station and users are free to choose the printing option which will print their confirmed route on paper.
Accessibility
The interface uses black and white as neutral colours to create a high contrast.
Both text and audio interactions are allowed on the screen. Voice prompts are included in the screen to inform passengers that they can get route planning by talking to the virtual assistant, Otto.
The interaction panel is free to be dragged on the screen to adapt to passengers' height.
Lights flash on the edge of the screen to alert passengers when their buses are approaching.
Considering that Montreal is a diverse city, we designed six languages for passengers to choose from.
CONCLUSION
Takeaways
“This is a great idea for people who may not carry smartphones or perhaps have had their phones die on them (something that has happened to me and left me lost in Montreal). I also really like the option of being able to move the screen to a height that suits you as someone who is short and often times if something isn’t within eye line height, it doesn’t exist to me.”
— Study participant
"I appreciate that the solution is more physically interactive and less reliant on the personal digital/mobile devices with network services as users may download the app in advance and only use the QR code to record or save the route on their own device."
— Study participant
"I didn't know that the application could send an alert to the bus driver, which I think is a great design. It was interesting that there exist many options and had considered for example for the people to drag the windows up and down to be able to reach the options they want to modify."
— Study participant
"It is thoughtful that the strategic focus is on the billboard interface rather than the app itself, and the smart integration of a QR code to bridge the two platforms seamlessly. I am very interested in understanding how the application communicates with buses and sends alerts to them. I'd like to learn more about this functionality."
— Study participant
Next steps
According to suggestions from some of the study participants, there are a few updates that can be made in future iterations to enhance the accessibility and usability further.
A portable device similar to a wristband could be developed. The wristband, when connected to the STM system, would emit a sound or vibration to alert the user to get on or off the bus, especially for people with visual impairments.
To establish the connection to 911, a button could be designed on a screen or on the side of a billboard that would allow passengers or anyone passing by to call 911 in an emergency. A webcam could also be installed so that 911 can check on the situation.