Capital Metro:
Austin Public Transit App
Overview
This was a team-oriented project provided by General Assembly's User Experience Design Immersive program. Our three-person team was given the task of hypothetically working with Capital Metro – Austin’s public transportation provider. We were given two weeks to research, design, and present a mobile prototype. Objective Redesign a mobile service that would increase public transportation ridership |
My Role
User-Researcher & Co-presenter Services Project Management, Survey design, Contextual inquiry, Personae Forming, User research, Usability testing, Debrief presentation Instruments Paper & Sketching supplies, InVision, Trello, Emaze, Omnigraffle, Survey Monkey |
Process
Framing the scope of challenges in public transportation was key in completing this project within two weeks. Our team had to define our solution’s limits, which was to make bus traveling a less stressful experience. To prepare, I constructed a project timeline and led daily, scrum meetings. It was essential to delegate which team member’s skills were conducive to finishing by the two-week deadline. |
Our team had to define "the problem" (the social and the technological) to realize a viable solution. |
As a team, we conducted a competitive analysis of navigation mobile apps. We also sketched user flows to brainstorm what were essential ways navigation apps accomplish specific tasks (i.e., finding a bus or destination and purchasing a ticket).
Leading the user-research of the project, I performed semi-structured interviews and surveys with consenting bus riders to better understand their attitudes with the bus system as well as the Capital Metro mobile app. Participants informed us how iconology, live updates, and app-navigation conventions were crucial in trying to find a desired mode of transportation. These findings shaped user-personae that accounted for new Capital Metro riders and frequent riders. |
We had to validate if designs reflect the desires of our participants with the aid of three personas. Participants informed us different ways iconology, live updates, and app-navigation were crucial. |
When our team designed a prototype, I took the lead in conducting usability tests among downtown Austin participants. Our findings suggested different uses of words and placements of particular features to make the prototype's flow more comprehendible and effortless. This was then integrated into our second wireframe design.
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Translating our findings so anyone can understand the synthesis of design and research |
Reflections
This was our first team project and our first client with real challenges. This was training for a later project with an actual stakeholder. However, my main takeaway was the value of team dynamics, iterative design through research, and framing the challenge at hand. Our team had a Most Viable Product (MVP) mentality from the beginning. User research provided us with the foundation of progressing and strengthening our product’s design. Also, having permission, I would encourage you to check out my team member's LinkedIn accounts: Skye Griffin & Ritchie Soberanes |
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