LingoMaps

DILEMMA

• Using public transportation in a new city can be a stressful experience. It can also be a major factor people consider when contemplating moving to a new city and/or visiting a destination. 

• Most of the world’s population (68%) is projected to move to urban cities by 2050 (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2018).

• Journey planning is more than just getting from point A to point B.

RESEARCH GOAL

Understand the need for a technology-based service targeted at assisting users with public transportation in a new city.

MY ROLE

• UX Researcher (with contributions to all methods)

METHODS

We selected methods that allowed us to gather desired insight after establishing the goal of our research. The methods we used are as follows:

• Observational Study

• Spectrums and Personas

• Inquiry Interview

• Journey Maps

• Online Survey

Observational Study

Purpose: To develop a basic understanding of how users purchase public transit tickets as well as some common pain points.

Screening Criteria: Participants had to have been at least 18 years of age, utilized public transportation within the last two weeks from the observational study, and utilized public transportation in city that they travelled to.

Number of Participants: 7

Recruitment Method: Snowball Method with family and friends

Task Scenario: The participants were presented with the task of finding a route from Glasgow to Edinburgh by using public transit.

What we Discovered:

• Our participants purchased tickets in three distinct steps.

1. Search — The process of identifying public transit routes

2. Compare — Search findings are reviewed and evaluated. 

3. Selection — One route option is selected for ticket purchases. 

•  Google Search and Maps were the top tools that were used to search and discover routes

• Google Maps and city specific metro websites were the top comparison route tools used

• All participants ended up on ScatRails.com to purchase their transit tickets

• Top Pain Points: Confusing UI on Purchasing Site, Concerns about safety of using public transit in unfamiliar place, and a desire to avoid crowds on public transit

Spectrum and Personas

Four dichotic themes were discovered for the data after completing the observational study.

These four themes were developed into spectrums to analyze the natural coalescing of our participants into groups. These groups were based on participants’ route preparation habits, use of technology and consciousness of public transit etiquette in a new city. 

The following 4 spectrums were created:

• Concern with following etiquette or norms of public transit while traveling to a new city - Very Concerned to Not Concerned

• Use of mobile devices when planning a new route - Never to Always

• Preparation or pre-planning of routes - Limited to Extensive

• Concern about crowding in transit terminals: Not Concerned at all to Very Concerned  

The participant groupings and characterizations informed the development of two personas: Pamela, the Planner and Robbie Technology. 

Inquiry Interview

Purpose: To understand the motivations and methods of users when purchasing transit tickets in a new city while traveling.

Screening Criteria: Participants had to have been at least 18 years of age, utilized public transportation in a city during vacation within the last 6 months of within the last two weeks from the inquiry interview.

Number of Participants: 8

Recruitment Method: Snowball Method with family and friends

What we Discovered:

Concern with following etiquette or norms: Four out of eight participants voiced concerns about following the norms and using the proper lingo when traveling to a new city. 

Use of mobile devices: Three out of eight participants mentioned concerns with using their mobile devices while on vacation citing concerns ranging from the unreliability of mobile networks to roaming charges.  

Pre-Planning Routes: Three out of eight participants mentioned extensive planning of routes and itineraries when going to a new city on vacation. 

Crowding: Three out of eight participants mentioned crowds as a concern when using public transportation.

User Journey Maps

Purpose: We created two journey maps to show how our personas might go about learning to use public transportation in a new city.

Pamela is preparing for a trip to Toyko, Japan with her husband. Robbie is visiting a friend in Copenhagen and wants to explore the city.

Online Survey

Purpose:

• Gather user sentiments and pain points

• Validate insights gathered up until that point

• Identify factors that can make using public transportation a comfortable or uncomfortable experience

Survey Platform: Qualtrics

Number of Participants: 45

Screening Criteria:

• Be at least 18 years old.  

• Have traveled to cities that have public transportation and have used that public transport.

• Have used public transportation anywhere in the last three months.

Recruitment Method: We recruited respondents through the DePaul University CDM/COMM Participant Pool and shared the survey link with personal connections.

What we Discovered

Types of Public Transit: We found, in the last 5 year years, trains were still the most commonly used form of public transit while vising a new city. Thirty participants identified trains and/or subways

Unfamiliar signage made navigating public transportation challenging : 18 participants (41%) said unfamiliar signage was a very influential factor when asked what factors made public transportation challenging in a new city.

Crime and disruptive passengers contributed to feeling unsafe while using public transit either at home or while traveling : Thirty-one participants (70%) said they felt uncomfortable using public transit in a new city. When asked about using public transit in their hometown, 23 participants (53%) reported safety as one of the most important factors.

Figure 4: Factors that made public transportation challenging in a new city): Safety concerns were one of the themes we identified in our interview findings: seven out of eight participants mentioned factors such as time of day and other passengers’ behavior contributing to feeling unsafe while using a public transit service. 

RECOMENDATIONS

As a result of the findings - we strategized and developed a list of potential features for the travel solution. We identified the following themes with implications in design:

• Search, compare and selection

• Purchasing ease, crowd size and safety

• Type of transit, unfamiliar signage and safety features