Timeline
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January - May 2022 (10 weeks)
My Role
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UX Design in Group Project for User Centered Design (INST362)
PROBLEM
In general, there is consensus that scheduling reliable public transportation for students, faculty, and staff is challenging.
Many different route options and public transportation types exist (e.g., buses, metro) and actual schedules often run differently than what is advertised on timetables. A universal app that includes bus tracking and user alerts may help address these issues.
SOLUTION
A new convenient and accessible transportation app to navigate public shuttle and busses on the College Park campus.
Creating a easy to navigate mobile app with more accurate bus information and implementing better features that are both extensive and intuitive for even first-time users.
CONTEXTUAL INQUIRY
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Conduct interviews with sixteen end users, specifically fifteen UMD/USG students and one USG Faculty Member (Student Coordinator).
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Collected the raw interview data by typing notes on Google Docs and filling in a chart on the Group Miro Board.
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Asked semi-structured questions meant to inquire about both their usage of the UMD Transportation System as well as their opinions about the current system
WORK FLOW DIAGRAM
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Work Roles
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Students who utilize the UMD Shuttles for transport both to/from campus and within the campus itself.
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Faculty who use UMD Transportation or use the website/app for information.
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Developers who update the website and application for the UMD DOTS.
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Sub-Roles
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Any prospective students or visitors who want to decide whether to use UMD Transportation services.
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Machine Roles
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UMD NextBus App
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UMD UMO App
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UMD DOTS Website
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CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS
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Extracted all the individual points from each end user’s interview as separate notes called Work Activity Notes.
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Categorized those notes into broad classifications: Likes, Dislikes, and Suggestions.
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Divided the classification down further into sub-categories such as “Bus Timings” or “Route Info” to better show context and imply future design requirements.
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The diagram helps us to understand the most urgent needs that end-users want to accomplish when improving upon the UMD Transportation System.
PERSONAS
REQUIREMENTS
Name of Major Feature/ Topical Category: Visibility
Second Level Feature or Category: Filter based on location
Requirement Statement: Users want better filtering features to allow them to find buses for UMD
Rationale: On the current app, there are no ways to filter the results. Instead, there is a long list of various bus routes. Allowing users to filter based on location will save the user time and frustration.
Name of Major Feature/ Topical Category: Map Tracking
Second Level Feature or Category: Accurate Bus Tracker
Requirement Statement: Users want to be able to find exactly where their bus is in order to have a better idea of when the bus will be at their stop.
Rationale: There is a map with the various bus routes on the website for UMD Bus routes. However, there is no accurate tracker for where the bus is located. Having a GPS tracker for the bus will allow for a better-estimated arrival time.
Name of Major Feature/ Topical Category: Bus Schedules
Second Level Feature or Category: Precise Bus Schedules
Requirement Statement: Users want to have an accurate bus schedule and have the schedule easily accessible.
Rationale: There is no accurate bus schedule on the app, or often it does not display. Users have to refresh the page multiple times to have the schedule displayed. People often miss their bus or arrive too early after checking the schedule. Users explained that double-checking the schedule before uploading would help save time; they are not late for any events or classes.
Name of Major Feature/ Topical Category: Payment System
Second Level Feature or Category: Accurate payment system
Requirement Statement: Users want to be able to track the balance in their bus fare card and manage their payment account easily through the application.
Rationale: Currently, the app does not do a good job of allowing users to manage their accounts. People are experiencing issues such as money disappearing from the account or not being able to deposit money. Users explained that being able to control their accounts through the app would be more convenient than going to a physical kiosk.
Name of Major Feature/ Topical Category: Home Screen
Second Level Feature or Category: Central location for Important Information
Requirement Statement: Users want to be able to see at a glance the different features available on the bus app/website without having to search.
Rationale: Currently, the app does not do a good job with having a central screen at the opening of the app. A central home page is meant to guide new users towards the various features of an app and the lack of it within the NextBus app prevents students from utilizing it forcing them to use the website which isn’t that convenient. Users are not able to see important information right away; they constantly have to search for the information and it frustrates them.
Name of Major Feature/ Topical Category: Global Navigation Bar
Second Level Feature or Category: Easy to Access Location for all Features Available on App
Requirement Statement: Users want to be able to find all aspects of the bus navigation app quickly and switch between different screens efficiently
Rationale: Currently, the app is somewhat messy in terms of switching between different screens such as the Map, the Route Selection area, Settings, etc. with the transition buttons in disarray making the entire experience more confusing for infrequent users of the app. A feature like a well-designed global navigation bar would help to solve this issue in the app
DESIGN ALTERNATIVES
Designing user scenarios
Advantages:
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Freedom to look up bus routes similar to Google map
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Able to look up currently located within the search bar
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Have the ability to search by entering information in the Starting and Ending, which will automatically return the list of bus routes
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Users can get the estimated time and the stops on routes
Disadvantages:
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Users who aren’t aware of the UMD area might have difficulty determining the correct route.
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Users might get confused if they are not aware of the name of the building or area
Advantages:
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Users are able to enter the location quickly right where they are
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This allows users to have the option of filtering bus schedules based on their mile radius
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Users are aware of their location as this design will use a pinpoint to point out the user's location
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Provide the information on the buses with arrival real-time and give them an accurate time for when they arrive at their destination
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The payment section allows users to see how much bus fare cost is available
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Have the option to pay the bus fee as a Student or another form
Disadvantages:
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Up to the user to pick which bus to use since the app will not provide that to them
Advantages:
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Users have access to saving their favorite route and have access to all the bus schedules
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The favorite button allows the user to save all the bus schedules or routes
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Able to access the bus information they have saved based on their favorite list
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Giving the feature to translate bus route information and bus schedule
Disadvantages:
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If the user is new to the area, might have difficulty time choose the best or the correct route to take
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The translation feature will only work on the bus schedule and not the entire app
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If English is their second language, they might not be able to access the app more freely.
WIREFRAMES & PROTOTYPES
Based on our three design ideas we have decided to combine features from our first design with features from our third design. This allowed us to create a design that covered every feature our users wanted out of a bus schedule app. From the first design, we took the feature of being able to search for buses, specifically bus routes, with the freedom of just looking up locations similar to Google Maps. Additionally, users are able to look up information about their bus either by searching based on their current location or they can search for a different location. This design also features allowing the user to look at the estimated arrival time of their bus. Design three had the favorites feature which allowed the user to save favorite bus routes and stops. This allows the user to quickly search for the bus they regularly take to get the information they need quickly and effortlessly.
DIGITAL PROTOTYPES
EVALUATION
Evaluation Process
Focal Evaluation Task:
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Log in or create an account
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Navigate the
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Examine bus route information
Data Collection:
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Recorded Zoom video to assess test users after
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First set of users: graduate students asked to explore the prototype and provide feedback
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Second set of users: UMD students who regularly use public transportation apps provided by UMD
User Interaction with Prototype:
We asked users to share their screen over Zoom and to think out loud as they navigated through the app. They provided feedback and asked insightful questions to help us get a better understanding of the user's POV.
Findings:
Successes:
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The good color scheme is attractive to the eye and clearly conveys the purpose of the app (it is a bus app).
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Adding a list of favorite bus routes to the Profile page was described as allowing the users to “access information quickly”.
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Showing a recommended bus route based on search rather than just a list is better than the current app.
Failures:
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The lack of a navigation bar/screen makes it hard to shuttle back and forth between different screens.
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The difference between a normal search for bus stops and an advanced search for locations was not clearly shown and was confusing.
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The icons were misused with a hamburger icon used to navigate to the Profile page when it really is meant to denote a menu-type page which misleads the user.
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The filter options for searching for bus info were not labeled clearly so some options were confusing for the users to understand the usage of.