User research
User research
User research

Seattle Bus Transit System Waiting Experience Study

Seattle Bus Transit System Waiting Experience Study

Seattle Bus Transit System Waiting Experience Study

ORGANIZATION
ORGANIZATION
ORGANIZATION

Sound Transit

Sound Transit

Sound Transit

ROLE
ROLE
ROLE

UX Researcher

UX Researcher

UX Researcher

TIMELINE
TIMELINE
TIMELINE

Mar - June 2023

Mar - June 2023

Mar - June 2023

Tools
Tools
Tools

Docs, Otter.ai, Forms

Docs, Otter.ai, Forms

Docs, Otter.ai, Forms

Project description

Project description

Project description

The focus of my research is to investigate the pain points associated with the waiting experience for individuals who use the public transit system in Seattle, specifically commuters in the vicinity of the UW Seattle campus. By identifying the existing shortcomings and their underlying causes, I aim to gain a deeper understanding of the user’s needs and generate relevant recommendations to improve their overall experience.

Goal Statement

Goal Statement

Goal Statement

The goal of my research and survey is to collect quantitative data that can support my previous findings from interviews regarding what could be done to improve the waiting experience. I am looking to gain data on users current attitudes toward the experience. Having a wider range of responses allows me to examine and analyze how certain factors may correlate with different priorities. The larger sample size allows me to refine my design recommendations with a better understanding of what the broader audience believes to be the most vital in improving their bus waiting experience.

Design Question

Design Question

Design Question

What can we implement to create a better, more reliable, and comfortable bus waiting experience for bus riders who use public transportation in the UW Seattle area?

Survey Purpose

Survey Purpose

Survey Purpose

I decided to use surveys as my research method to gather both qualitative and quantitative data about my targeted audience for the following reasons:

  • Validate previous findings

  • Collect quantitative data

  • Wider range of responses to analyze correlations

  • Refine my design recommendations

Field study and interview findings

Field study and interview findings

Field study and interview findings

The findings from the field study indicate two significant issues:

  1. inadequate seating for the number of bus riders waiting and

  2. unpredictable waiting times for bus arrivals.

    While the field study revealed the apparent problems of public transit, it fell short of providing actionable solutions or identifying the reasons behind these outcomes. Therefore, the interviews were conducted to gain insights from the users’ perspective.

The findings from my interviews revealed three primary audience desires and recommendations:

  1. Reduce the unpredictability and instead increase the reliability of public transit.

    This could be done in two ways. The first way was to improve the technology of the bus tracking app by implementing more accurate real-time tracking technology to inform potential early arrivals, delays, or cancellations. The second way was to simply increase the bus frequencies to reduce the waiting time problem.

  2. Add more seating at bus stops and to provide overhead shelters.

    This would increase comfort during the waiting experience from the tiredness of standing for long periods of time and from weather conditions.

  3. Implement lights, security cameras, and a standard of cleanliness at the bus stops to increase safety, security, and comfort during the waiting experience, especially at night.

Survey Participant Profile

Survey Participant Profile

Survey Participant Profile

The survey population consisted of 42 participants, 39 students, 1 faculty member, and 2 non-students.

I conducted my survey through Google Forms because it is free, widely used, and intuitive to use.

I recruited my participants through an Instagram story post on my personal account and requesting peers to fill out the Google form. I also posted my survey to the HCDE community r/studyrecruitment channel.

The inclusion criteria is that the participants ride the bus regularly and are bus commuters that are familiar with the public transportation system. This is because the participants would be able to answer questions based on their personal experience and provide good recommendations.

The exclusion criteria is that they have never rode the bus before or have only ridden the bus a few times, have not ridden the bus recently, This is because users of these characteristics do not fit the criteria for the research topic and would not be able to provide any relevant information due to their experience being outside the scope of this study.

Research Questions

Research Questions

Research Questions

  1. What are the bus riders’ primary wants and needs?

  2. How great of an effect does the bus trip planning resource used have on the outcome of the waiting experience?

  3. If bus schedules were more accurate, how many present pain points would be eliminated?

  4. Between seating, overhead shelter, lighting, security cameras, and clean bus stop spaces, how would bus riders rank the importance of each?

Important notes

Important notes

Important notes

A strength of this study lies in the consistent responses from the selected participants, which provided supported data and recommendations. However, it is important to acknowledge a weakness in the research, namely the limited scope and lack of diversity among the participants due to only having three participants, when in reality tens or hundreds of thousands of people use public transit.

  • Survey was released for 24 hours
  • Demographic was not very diverse
  • Limitations that come with a survey
  • Response bias
  • Small sample size relative to population
  • Lack of context and personal experience

Personas

Personas

Personas

To help understand the users that I am designing for, I went about creating two personas meant to represent the targeted user base of the product.

Jared is a first year student who recently moved to Seattle as a freshman. Not locally from Seattle, wants to know about the resources that will help him navigate school and the big city.

Jared wants to be:
Fostered in a community with friends
Able to navigate his way through college and have the resources/knowledge to achieve that.

However, at 19 years old, Jared lacks the information to be independent:
Cost & location of required goods/supplies
Geographic knowledge and safety.

In his time here, Jared would like:
Stable housing & reliable landlords
To save money
To know where to obtain appropriate materials and necessities conveniently

Michelle is a first-year graduate student who just moved to Seattle for school. Wanting to get out and make new friends, it’s been difficult to adjust to the local weather in the PNW.

Michelle wants to:
Make new friends
Explore Seattle & the outdoors
Obtain the appropriate seasonal clothing

Being new to the state, Michelle struggles with:
The weather
Housing
Cost of activities

Immersing herself in a new area, Michelle would like:
To know all events occurring around her
Dress appropriately for the weather
Be informed of the necessities in Seattle

User Journey Map

User Journey Map

User Journey Map

I crafted a comprehensive student user journey map tailored for individuals who have recently arrived in Seattle, with a timeline spanning from their arrival to the start of school.

The goal was to illuminate the potential actions the users might undertake as they navigate and prepare for school and life in Seattle. Each identified action is paired with an emotion, serving as a nuanced guide for the design focus.

This approach revealed areas where the designs can inspire and excite students. By acknowledging and addressing the diverse emotions associated with each step, aiming to create a user experience that not only meets functional needs but also nurtures a positive and empowering emotional journey for the users.

Storyboards

Storyboards

Storyboards

In association with the user journey map, I created storyboards in which the potential solution would apply in distinctive scenarios. A scenario represents a different environment where the users would encounter an issue, utilizing the product to help guide them through their troubles.

The scenario depicts a user packing all their necessitates as they prepare to move to Seattle. The problem starts where there is too much to pack and the student doesn’t know what to bring/leave behind. The student recalls the UW Student Guide and utilizes their resources to find items they should pack versus should purchase after moving to reduce their luggage and stress.

Design Requirements and Goals

Design Requirements and Goals

Design Requirements and Goals

After the user research phase, I began the compile a list of design requirements and goals that would address the user's needs and pain points.

Design Requirements:

  1. Provide resources related to “adulting” e.g. banking & finances, medical centers.

  2. Inform students of organizations they can get involved in to cultivate a sense of community.

  3. Provide students with information of local grocery stores near the school/dorm. 

  4. Inform students about housing options (dorms, apartments).

  5. Suggest local outdoor activities and tourist locations for students. 

  6. Suggest items to pack vs buy.

  7. Provide information about Seattle local transportation and the weather/climate.

Design Goals:

  1. Reduce the anxiety and concerns for incoming students as they move and get situated.

  2. Provide guides, information, and resources specifically tailored for UW students

  3. Offer a concise space/directory for students to find relevant information.

Design Iterations & Decisions

Design Iterations & Decisions

Design Iterations & Decisions

After creating the design requirements, I entered into the ideation and sketching phase. Throughout the iterations, each version of the initial design encountered road blocks that limited the ability to address the design goals effectively.

Jared is a first year student who recently moved to Seattle as a freshman. Not locally from Seattle, wants to know about the resources that will help him navigate school and the big city.

1.0 Physical Design:

  • Limited reachability.

  • Difficult to easily update information.

  • Unsustainable and potentially wasteful.

2.0 Email Newsletter:

  • Fewer interactions with users.

  • Require user to be led to an external source.

  • Can annoy or frustrate the user with spam.

  • Can be easily ignored by the user.

  • Can be difficult to find and access when needed.

3.0 Website:

  • Enables the user to easily access from their device.

  • Highly interact-able.

  • Can easily be updated with the latest information.

  • Content can be easily copied and pasted into the user's personal document or list.

The first 2 ideations proposed the idea to have the ability to update information, while allowing users to interact with the design without restriction. After adapting the initial designs strengths into the third and final design proposition.

The finalized design in a website emphasizes the power to update information while focusing on meaningful interaction that can personify and tailor the experience to user needs.

Low fidelity Wireframes

Low fidelity Wireframes

Low fidelity Wireframes

After weighing all the options pros and cons, I decided to create a website. I began by design process by creating lo-fi wire frames to help me visualize the content and structure the information architecture.

The user can click on one of the topics that interest them. In this case, let's use Groceries as an example. The user selects Groceries, then selects the side of campus they live in to see relevant options to them..

For the home page, I listed topics in rows of 4, alike a grid, so that users could easily view all of their options at ta high-level glance and click into what they want to learn more about.

I then decided to add more specific sections so that users could choose the section they find most useful to them and not be overwhelmed with irrelevant information and only need to look through options that are useful to them.

User Testing

User Testing

User Testing

Once I completed the lo-fi wireframes, I conducted usability testing with relevant participants who attend the University of Washington. I compiled a list of pre and post-interview questions to best discover pain points with the design and receive user feedback.

Pre-Interview Questions

How long ago did you move to Seattle?

How do you currently find information related to being in a new city?

What did you wish you knew when moving that you now know?


Task Completion and Observation

I had each person interact with the design using the figma prototype. I gave them no help unless they really couldn’t figure it out so I could figure out what components didn’t make sense and were confusing to them.


Post-Observation Interview

What did you find most confusing/troubling about this process?

The question was designed to look for parts of the process where there was a lack of clarity in the process. Additional sections or guidance can be added later in the improvement process to help users better understand and use it.

What do you like least about the product?

The question was designed to help us find areas for improvement. Through the user's perspective, I can find shortcomings that I as designers could not. It can help us with follow-up updates and improvements.

Do you think this product would be useful to you?

The question was designed to determine the usability and usefulness of the product.

Test Findings

Test Findings

Test Findings

Based on the findings and feedback from the participants in the usability study, I discovered key findings that helped me improve the design and prototype.

Pain points
  • Challenges returning back to the homepage

Two participants disliked having to click on the back button multiple times to return back to the homepage.

  • Confusing descriptions/Wording choices

Users had different expectations for what pages would like compared to what was on the next page due to wording choices

Design Suggestions
  • Improve navigation by adding a menu bar at the top 

Add a menu bar that lets users click back to the homepage or click a new topic from a drop-down menu,

  • Revise wording and provide more specific information in the descriptions

I will be revising the text to ensure it conveys accurate and detailed information, eliminating any confusion that may come up from vague descriptions or awkward phrasing. A suggested technique is to read aloud the text to proofread for naturalness in the wording.

The Final Product

The Final Product

The Final Product

After weighing all the options pros and cons, I decided to create a website. I began by design process by creating lo-fi wire frames to help me visualize the content and structure the information architecture.

Base on the findings from the usability test, I took into consideration the feedback to iterate upon the initial design to create the final product.

Changes made from usability test:

  • Users can now find out where they are currently browsing by looking at the menu bar at the top of the page. In addition to this, the user can quickly return to the homepage by clicking on the "home" button.

  • On the specifics page of each topic I explain the topic in more detail. In terms of typography I strive for uniformity, a paragraph of text with a picture. So that when users browse the page will not be too much text and give up browsing will not be too many pictures and ignore the important text information.

Reflection, Limitations, and Next Steps

Reflection, Limitations, and Next Steps

Reflection, Limitations, and Next Steps

This project was both challenging and rewarding, with valuable lessons learned along the way. After two format revisions, I settled on the final webpage design. Despite the highs and lows, I are satisfied with the outcome and eager to implement the design into the University of Washington’s new student guides.

The initial goal was to address the needs of incoming students. As I delved into the challenges faced by this target group, the diverse nature of these issues exceeded the project scope. This led to adjustments, consolidating similar topics and focusing on broader issues that resonated with a larger audience.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, not all individual pages for the 11 topics were completed. Given more time, I would have finalized designs for all topics. This experience underscored the importance of effective time planning and task allocation. Recognizing the distinction between short-term and long-term project planning is crucial. While meeting the needs of the audience is key, maintaining overall product integrity is equally vital. At times, there may be a trade-off between depth and breadth, requiring ongoing consideration for the right balance.

For next steps, I would:

  • Conduct more usability studies

  • Make design iterations

  • Expand upon the project and its content

  • Contact the office of student life or other first-year programs to see how my product can be useful

Thanks for reading 👩🏻‍💻
Check out my other case studies ⬇️
Let's get in touch 📩

Thanks for reading 👩🏻‍💻
Check out my other case studies ⬇️
Let's get in touch 📩

Thanks for reading 👩🏻‍💻
Check out my other case studies ⬇️
Let's get in touch 📩

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