This project was designed to improve Bart and Muni user’s commute quality and save passengers time when refilling their card balances or buying new tickets. The map for the platform and exits will help users decrease their confusion when going to a station that they have never been to before.
My role is doing user research, interviews, UX/UI design, prototyping, and consulting. I research how people use transportation apps to fulfill their travel needs and solve problems when traveling.
The goal is to increase the convenience level for commuters by allowing users to understand the map and signs easier, and reducing confusion when using the ticket machine.
This app will help the company to know what commuters need. Based on this information, the business can create specific business goals. By partnering this app with Bart and Muni, they will be able to provide a better service, make commuting more convenient, and attract more people to take public transportation.
Age 18 - 35
College educated
Lives in San Francisco
Commute for school or work
Have no car
• Using their phone a lot
• Listening music when waiting the rides
• Check the destination on google map
• Likes to go to other cities or places with friends
• Takes public transportation 3-5 times a week
• Using clipper card or digital tickets
• Always froget to refill the balance
• Sometimes miss the stop or the rides
• Wants a safer and cleaner evironment
• Don’t want to wait to long during the transfer
• Wants clear signs and map
• Wants digital clipper card and can automatically refill on phone
• More choice of the route plan when setting the destination on map
• Wants real time schedule and can set the notification
• Hope the board cast could be clearer
What’s their ticket purchase behavior?
What’s their commute behavior?
What do they like or hate about the BART/MUNI system and why?
Q1. How do you commute?
Q2. How often do you take BART or MUNI?
Q3. What do you do before the rides depart?
Q4. What is your best/worst experience of taking the BART/ MUNI?
Q5. How do you feel about the sign int the station? Are they clear to you?
Q6. How do you purchase tickets? What kind of way are you prefer or usually use?
Q7. What’s your feeling about the BART/ MUNI ticket purchase system?
Q8. Have you ever experienced any difficulties using the ticket machine?
Q9. Tell me your best/worst experience of using ticket machine.
Q10. Have you ever used clipper card before? How do you think about it?
Q11. How often do you refill your clipper card?
Q12. How do you know your balance in your clipper card?
Most people are using a Clipper Card because they think the ticket machine is hard to understand, and they think Clipper Card is easier to use and refill. However, many people forget to refill their card or forget to bring it, so they always buy a new one. This ends up costing the customer extra unnecessary.
More than half of the interviewees think that the signs in the station are not clear enough for them to find the exits or the lines that they are going to take.
The station and train environments are not clean and not safe. Most of the
interviewees have heard about someone getting robbed at the Muni/Bart from their friends, and some of them have been robbed themselves!
Many people feel confused at the ticket machine when buying their tickets. They need to spend time to realize how to buy the ticket. They not sure about the prices, and the machine has no directions or labels for guidance. Some of machines just accept cash which is pretty annoying when people just have credit cards and no cash.
A lot of people have a hard time seeing and understanding the maps. They don’t know which station they can transfer to. The signs are not clear, so they often go to the wrong platforms. The maps have different colors representing each train, however the platform signs don’t have color. It’s hard to recognize the direction of the trains because there is too much text on each sign. The signs are visually confusing.
The main idea is to create a mobile application which includes the digital ticket card that integrates MUNI, BART and other public transportation. The app allows clipper card users, to upload their clipper card, check the balance and easily add money to the clipper card anytime and anywhere, all at the touch of their finger tips.
Having a map which marks the user’s location clearly and shows the directions for exits and platforms, so the user can understand the directions easier and won’t get lost in the stations.Add a station schedule to the app. The schedule will renew immediately in real time, and the user can also search different station departure times on the schedule.
Having a station schedule on the app. The schedule will renew immediately in real time, and the user can also search different station departure timeson the schedule.
Feel to messy that there is showing to much departure time.
A little confuse that the search icon appeared on the schedule and the trip in the same time.
Curious how will the bus stop schedule show on it because there are a lot of bus stops.
The digital ticket/card on the app would show the balance and would be easy for user to refill.User can turn on/off the auto reload function.
Put auto reload to the account setting, cause don’t want to tap it accidently in the main page.
Maybe don’t need the add money part just keep the quickadd money page simple.
Change detail to history would be easier to understand.
Having map which marks the user’s location clearly and shows the directions for exits and platforms, so the user can understand the directions easier and won’t get lost in the stations.
Like the little notification telling you which exit to go.
Add the color of the route line would be clearer.
Maybe put search icon on left.
Users get confuse when there are add money button and quick add money together. The function for both of them are not having big different, the process are almost same.
For this case, I simplized the add money process and delete the quickadd money.
The button might be click by accident, and some of user don’t want to accidentally click it because it will change the setting, user will need to set the function again if they turn on/off auto reload button.
To solve this problem, I add the lock next to it. User could lock the button after turn on/off the auto reload function, so they won’t worry to click it accidentally.
