Transit
Transit
A UX case study on redesigning the Transit app experience.
Overview
When’s the Next Train?
This UX case study focuses on redesigning the Transit app to make checking subway times faster and more intuitive for daily commuters.
The goal of this project was to identify usability issues in the current subway time lookup experience and design a streamlined solution that prioritizes clarity, speed, and ease of use.
Problem
Finding a specific train takes too many steps.
Most users use Google Maps for navigation, but since its timing isn’t accurate, they need to search for a specific train on Transit to check its schedule or arrival time before going to the station because they don’t want to waste time waiting on the platform. However, it's hard to search for a specific train on Transit, especially for trains that are only distinguished by color rather than letters.
Searching for a Specific Train
For example, if you want to find the green PATH train:
- Since the green PATH does not have a specific name, users can only search for "PATH" to find relevant results.
- The search must be performed in the "Where to?" search bar.
HOW MIGHT WE
How might we make searching for a specific route on Transit easier?
Hypothesis
- We believe that making train search easier in Transit for users will help them know how early they need to go to the station and reduce the time wasted waiting on the platform.
- We will know this to be true when we see a decrease in the time users spend searching for train schedules.
Research
Understanding how commuters find their next train.
User Interviews
5 Interviews
Four on Zoom and one face-to-face.
15–20 Minutes
Each interview explored the train lookup experience.
Key Findings
Cross-Checking Apps
Most users use Google Maps to navigate, but sometimes the information isn’t accurate, so they double-check with other apps.
Accurate Arrival Times
All users said accurate timing is very important. They want to know if trains are late or cancelled.
Late-Night Uncertainty
Users said Google Maps shows wrong times at night, so they need other apps (like Transit app, MTA app, RidePATH app) to check train times.
Empathy Map
Personas
I created three personas based on the interviews:
I focused on solving the problem of the first persona.
Task Analysis
I conducted task analysis with four people. Each task analysis took about 5-10 minutes.
Scenario
"Users want to go from 5 MetroTech (in Brooklyn) to Newport Centre (in New Jersey)."
- According to the user interview, this is a complete step-by-step diagram of how a user travels from point A to point B.
- The sections highlighted in orange indicate the parts where Transit is involved. Scenario 1 will be the focus of the task analysis for the user.
For scenarios 2 and 3, since users are already inside the station, the Transit interface will display the trains near the current location. There is no need for a search step, allowing users to see the coming time of trains without any obstacles.
However, in scenario 1, since users are not yet at the station, the interface only shows trains from nearby stations rather than the one they plan to take. As a result, they need to manually search for their intended train.
Task
"Use Transit to check the coming time and schedule of the green PATH train you are about to take."
Users attempt three different approaches:
Approach 1
Replicating the steps in Google Maps – They enter their destination in the "Where to?" search bar, review the suggested routes, and then select the desired route to view the detailed train schedule.
Approach 2
Searching for "PATH" in the search bar – Since PATH trains are identified by color rather than unique names, users try searching for "PATH." However, not all PATH lines appear in the results, and the specific line they are looking for is missing.
Approach 3
Searching for the terminal station of the desired PATH line – Since the train cannot be searched by color, users enter the terminal station of the green PATH. This method successfully retrieves the train and its schedule.
User Journey Map
Looking at the user journey map, I focused on two key steps:
Searching for the train before leaving.
Checking the arrival time at the station.
Competitive Analysis
Making train lines visible instead of searchable.
I looked into MTA, Subway Time, and Google Maps. MTA focuses on general navigation, and Subway Time allows users to check subway schedules but does not include PATH.
Transit
Current experience
The Official MTA App
Indirect competitor
Subway Time
Direct competitor
Google Maps
Indirect competitor
Feature Comparison
Key Insights
Navigation First
The MTA mainly focuses on navigation.
A Gap for PATH
Subway Time helps users search for specific trains, but it doesn’t include PATH.
Visible Train Lines
One key insight I got from Subway Time is that it’s better to show all train lines as buttons, instead of asking users to type and search, since there aren’t that many lines.
Search by Recognition
PATH lines don’t have clear names or numbers, which makes typing to search more difficult.
Design Strategy
Feature Prioritization
After prioritizing features, I plan to develop all Must-Have features and two Should-Have features because they improve visual clarity.
User Stories
Choose the Fastest Train
As Cathy, I want to know which train arrives first so that I can choose the fastest one.
Understand Disruptions
As Cathy, I want to know if my station is affected by incidents so that I can know whether I should transfer.
Plan an Alternative
As Cathy, I want to know if my train is delay as early as possible so that I can find and plan with alternative transportation.
Early Sketches
Exploring clearer routes, directions, and delays.
- Use subway icons to indicate train movement
- Use a small exclamation mark to indicate delays, with affected stations clearly marked
- Display delay information directly on the page to reduce extra steps
- Add 'Uptown' and 'Downtown' labels alongside the train’s destination for clearer direction
Design Iteration
Refining the experience through user feedback.
For each iteration, I conducted user testing and improved the design based on feedback.
Red highlights show problems from users.
Green highlights show improvements.
Iteration 1
Iteration 2
Iteration 3
Iteration 4
Final Wireframe
Final Design
A faster way to find your next train.
A streamlined train lookup experience with visible train lines, clearer directions, and delay information at a glance.
Interface Screens
Impact
Less time searching, more confidence before leaving.
I conducted usability testing with 5 participants to evaluate how easily they could find the train they wanted.
The average time to find the arrival time of their desired train dropped from 10 seconds to 2 seconds, showing a clear improvement in efficiency.
Before Redesign
10seconds
After Redesign
2seconds
Takeaway
Break down big problems into manageable ones
After conducting user interviews, I found that users had a wide range of complaints and frustrations. It was overwhelming at first, so I learned to break down the large, complex problem into smaller, more focused issues. By addressing each smaller issue individually and then combining the solutions, I was able to approach the design in a more structured and effective way.
Feature prioritization is key
There were many potential features to solve the identified problems, but it wasn’t realistic to implement everything at once. I prioritized features based on user needs and feasibility, focusing on must-have functions first. Other nice-to-have features were saved for future iterations.
Test early, iterate quickly
Instead of spending too much time on polished UI early on, I used wireframes for quick user testing. Testing at each iteration helped me gather feedback early, adjust layouts and flows, and refine the overall direction. Only after validating the structure and functionality did I move forward with UI design.