Go Transit
A personal project to imagine a GO Transit app
Overview
GO Transit is a regional transit service based in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton Area. It had bothered me for quite some time that they did not have an official app. Which meant I had to rely on third-party applications or visit the web page on my phone. Furthermore, visiting a website on the phone is often slower compared to a native mobile application. Which is why I decided to design an app for GO Transit, as a personal project.
My Role
User interview, content analysis, low and high-fidelity wireframes, prototype
Tools
Sketch, Figma, Adobe Photoshop
Timeline
2 Weeks
Project Goal
Design an alternative to GO Transit's website while maintaining brand experience and incorporating features to enhance commuter experience.
Research
I decided to investigate the experiences of GO Transit users in my social circle. I reached out to people who have used or are currently using GO Transit services and asked them a set of comprehensive questions to explore their interactions with the system. These questions ranged from their initial interactions with GO Transit's website for route information to the nuances of their daily commute routines.
I carefully documented their responses to gain valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of GO Transit. Through this qualitative research approach, I gained a deep understanding of the diverse perspectives and experiences of GO Transit users within my network.
Research Methods
Research Findings
After gathering a multitude of data from user interviews, I divided them into different parts to better understand the users behaviour. And compiled all the data into a journey map to understand the steps where users were experiencing most of their issues. In this case, some people had problems with finding information on the GO station while most aired their grievances about the lack of a native app and relying on other apps for to get schedules and directions.
The Frequent Traveller
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Has no problem navigating the station and finding information.
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Wants GO transit to release a native app to avoid using the GO website on a mobile phone.
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Thinks that the website is clunky and not easy to use on mobile.
The Occasional Traveller
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Has difficulty reaching the GO station due to their occasional nature of travel.
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Has to scour the station to find platform number and schedule information.
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Has to juggle between multiple apps to get route information and arrival times.
Prototypes
Based on the research findings, I started sketching out a few ideas on paper to visualize the basic functionalities of the app. For instance, during my sketching phase, I tried out different possibilities of search bar placement. Placing it at the top of the screen is a prevalent practice. However, I decided to follow the reachability principles and placed the search bar near the bottom of the screen.
The design of this app is also similar to the website and it also has almost all of the website features integrated, with the addition of navigation functionalities and detailed information about the commute. The former is to help people get directions to the station from within this app and help occasional commuters easily navigate inside a complicated station -such as Union Station in Toronto. Which has so many poorly designed signboards leading to multiple paths (at the time of writing) that could easily confuse non-frequent travellers. The latter will help the same occasional travellers quickly get their schedules and commute information, i.e bus/train number and arrival/departure platform number from the GO mobile app.
Brand Experience
During the research phase, I decided to design the app in a way that emulates the existing website. This meant that the elements and colours used in the app should look and feel similar to the GO website, to make the app instantly familiar to current users.
Detailed Information
From the research I conducted, commuters said that it usually bothers them that they have to check the displays inside the station for the platform number on which the bus will be arriving. Therefore I decided to integrate the feature to display platform numbers for buses and trains, which will also be helpful for people who are in a hurry.
Navigation
The issue about switching between different navigation apps came up frequently during the research phase. Most interviewees stated their disgruntlement about having to switch between google maps and go transit website for directions and transit schedules. Which led me to design a navigation feature where commuters would get all of their navigation information and transit schedules within the app.
