Design Thinking Challenge

The Client

UrbanGo is a public transit and mapping startup based in Silicon Valley, its aim is to provide users a method of getting from A to B either as quickly or as cost effectively as possible via public transport. UrbanGo works as a mobile app which is convenient for users as they will most likely be ‘on the go’ when using the app, however there is still some aspects UrbanGo could improve to make the user experience more simplified.

The Problem

For many using public transport at home or overseas, the process of purchasing the tickets themselves can prove to be a massive headache. Busy stations, queues for ticket offices, ticket machines not working as well as in some cases language barriers and currency conversion issues make the travel experience a lot more stressful than it needs to be. If UrbanGo could provide a feature that means the user spends as little time purchasing tickets as possible then this is something that would almost certainly improve the overall quality of their product.

I interviewed five different people of various different demographics and in all of the interviews the pain points remained roughly the same, they all agreed that when travelling they could would benefit from spending less time purchasing tickets and more time doing things they want to be doing. Another interesting point raised was that the final ticket purchase should be available to access offline as well, this would be beneficial for those using the product on a holiday overseas who may not have access to mobile data outside of their accommodation.

The Solution

The solution to the problem would be first to allow the user to search for the itinerary that they would like to take, where they are travelling from, where they want to go as well as what date and time of day they would like to travel. Once the results of the search are available, the user can filter the results to their preference, removing means of transport they don’t want to travel by and arrange the results in order of price or journey time. The search results will also notify the user of the quickest journey as well as the cheapest journey available to them. Once they have selected a journey and paid, the user will receive two options as to how they would like to receive their tickets although they will also be able to choose both if they wish. The user will be able to select a QR Code that contains their journey information, this can be scanned at train/bus stations to allow the user through barriers or by a ticket inspector to show that they have paid. This completely eliminates any issues the user may have encountered if they needed to purchase the tickets at the station before travelling. As well as the option of a QR Code, the user may also choose to receive a reference number that they can use later on at the station to print off the tickets they have purchased. Although this means they would still have to use the facilities at the station they would still save time as all they have to do is print the tickets off. This option is primarily designed in mind for those who may be on holiday and don’t have mobile data. Internet connectivity is also an issue at many subway/underground transport networks so may also come in handy if the user has to use this means of transport.

Prototype Sketches

What I Have Learned

The main thing I have learned from this process is that it is always important to interview the users or potential users of a product. As a designer you may have an idea or something in mind for a product but once you speak to the users of the product it might turn out that you were approaching things in a way that doesn’t meet the users needs, this also helps to bring to light other issues that you may have overlooked that are important to users. Another important factor I took away from this exercise is how effective sketching is in regards to presenting ideas in the early stages of design. I found sketching to be a very effective way to come up with ideas quickly as going straight to wireframes (as I would have done previously) would have been much more time consuming and possibly hindered the flow of ideas due to the amount of time spent on each wireframe. Overall, I feel that exercise has been a good way to get us thinking about design and prototyping and has changed some perspectives I had about the UX design process.

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