M1 Fundamentals of User Experience Design
TFI Live app
According to the NTA (National Transport Authority), the forecasted number of passengers that will be using public transport in Dublin is expected to reach 121 million in 2022 (1). This increase in demand for public services is due to the increase in population (2).
The TFI Live App is the only app available for users to access real-time departure and journey planning information across the Transport for Ireland (TFI) network.
Our collaborative effort, undertaken by the Neptune Group, consisting of Anna Agliardi, Jodie McGrane, and Leonardo Dos Santos, is dedicated to improving the functionality of the app.
Design Thinking method
Our research was conducted using the design thinking method. In this iterative technique, the users occupy a central role in the processes, serving as the foundation for identifying problems and testing potential solutions. (3)
Empathise
Heuristic Evaluations
In our pursuit of identifying usability challenges early in the design process and optimising time and resources, we conducted a heuristic evaluation. This method uses ten principal design guidelines developed by Nielsen and Molich in the 1990s to understand how users feel, think, and interact with a product (5).
To categorise and prioritise usability challenges based on their impact on users, the NNG Severity Ratings scale was used as a rating scale system (6). It is important to note that this is not a scientific process but rather based on personal judgements and intuition.
Read more: Departure page Heuristic Evaluation
Desk Research — Online Reviews
Due to time constraints, we could not conduct user interviews to acquire genuine user feedback. Alternatively, we analysed the TFI Live reviews on platforms including Google Play and the App Store. This approach enabled us to acquire real-world impressions and foster empathy with our target audience.
Competitor analysis
In order to identify and understand how other competitors address the similar challenges in public transport navigation (5), we compare the TFI Live app with three mobile apps: the Jelbi app for public transport in Berlin, Wien Mobil for public transportation in Vienna, and Google Maps.
Proto-persona & Scenario
Personas are imaginary characters designed to understand the target market and establish what users expect from the product. In order to reflect the diverse expectations of our various targets, we have developed three distinct user proto-personas, grounded in different backgrounds, ages, and abilities.
Once we identify their goals and needs, we can establish a scenario to describe a detailed situation about their interaction with the product, with a specific focus on their pain points. (9)
Empathy map, User need statement & User Journey Map
To increase empathy with our users, we applied three design thinking methods to our research:
- Empathy maps are used to understand the user’s needs through their “words and thinking”.
- Journey map: used to understand how users interact with the product by categorising their actions into different phases.
- Users need statements and a storyboard journey to focus on specific uncovered needs and problem-solving aspects.
Read more: Colette Moreau, empathy journey
Define and Ideate
After completing the empathy study, we moved on to the ideation phase, where we sketched various designs on multiple devices.
User flow diagrams
Using a user flow diagram, a visual representation illustrating the path a user follows when interacting with an application’s onboarding and journey planner, enabled the identification of potential points of confusion and bottlenecks (10) in the TFI Live app.
Prototype
Prototype is the phase of design thinking where we can begin to test our ideas and implement possible concrete solutions.
1st Paper prototype
We sketched a paper prototype of our mobile app to conceptualise our solution with low fidelity and determine the appearance of our final product. (11)
Read more: 1st paper prototype
2nd Paper prototype
Inspired by a thread on X (formerly Twitter), we gained fresh insights that led to the redesign of the onboarding process into an active walkthrough. This method was implemented to guide users through the applications (apps) and familiarise them with the functionality of the user journey planner.
Read more: 2nd paper prototype
Test
Usability test
To validate the efficacy of our design solutions, usability tests were conducted. After the creation of a digital paper prototype in Figma, we prepared a script divided into three phases:
1. Background questions aim to identify our target audience and understand their habits
2. Task scripts designed to test our design and identify usability errors
Five participants were interviewed to identify the most common usability challenges. The data collected was analysed, and the NNG Severity Rating for Usability Problem scale metrics were used to rate the severity of usability challenges.
Read more: Test script — Figma prototype — Figma project
Data analysis and problem-solving
The data were summarised in a spreadsheet and categorised by task into four distinct categories. The NNG Severity Rating for Usability Problems, served as a reference scale for rating severity and prioritising identified usability challenges.
Read more: Usability Test Evaluation
Results
From the data analysis, the main design issues were observed in the iconography. Several participants needed help in identifying bus stops and anticipating the arrival of the next bus. Feedback must be included in communicating the actual status of the bus journey. To address this, users can monitor the status of the bus through a different-coloured chip.
Read More: Final iteration
Next Steps
The following phase of the iteration will be:
- Conducting another usability test with the new prototype.
- Analysing the data and designing a mid-fidelity prototype and redo the test.
Conclusion
The TFI Live app has several technical challenges, making it challenging to determine which app pages need to be worked on. I realised that empathising with users is a crucial step in starting the project, and referring to personas proved valuable when making some design decisions, particularly those related to accessibility. In future endeavours, a higher emphasis will be placed on accessibility, as we lost this principle during the ideation phase.
Our group demonstrated effective collaboration by combining our diverse backgrounds, managing our time and tasks, and collaborating on all project components through biweekly meetings.
Read more: PM Time tracker.
Bibliography
References:
(1) Proinsias Collins. 2023. Bus Passenger Numbers return to pre-pandemic levels- NTA. National Transport. Retrieved November 9, 2023 from https://www.nationaltransport.ie/news/bus-passenger-numbers-return-to-pre-pandemic-levels-nla/
(2) Author. 2022. Population of Dublin increases by over 100,000 according to Census. Dublin Live. Retrieved November 9, 2023 from https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/census-2022-population-dublin-increases-24308521
(3) Interaction Design Foundation — IxDF. (2016, May 25). What is Design Thinking? Interaction Design Foundation — IxDF. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/design-thinking
(4) Euphemia Wong. 2022. Heuristic Evaluation: How to Conduct a Heuristic Evaluation Retrieved November 9, 2023 from https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/heuristic-evaluation-how-to-conduct-a-heuristic-evaluation
(5) World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience. Severity Ratings for Usability Problems: Article by Jakob Nielsen. Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved November 7, 2023 from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-to-rate-the-severity-of-usability-problems/
(6) World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience. 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design. Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved November 7, 2023 from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/
(7) Andreas Komninos. 2019. Why You Should Analyze Your Competition to Design Better Solutions and How to Do It Retrieved November 7, 2023 from https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/why-you-should-analyze-your-competition-to-design-better-solutions-and-how-to-do-it
(8) World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience. Proto Personas (Video). Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved November 7, 2023 from https://www.nngroup.com/videos/proto-personas/
(9) 2023. What are User Scenarios? — updated 2023. The Interaction Design Foundation. Retrieved November 7, 2023 from https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/user-scenarios
(10) Retrieved from https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/how-to-make-a-user-flow-diagram
(11) Design Thinking Stage 4: Your Complete Guide to Prototyping. CareerFoundry. Retrieved November 8, 2023 from https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ux-design/design-thinking-stage-four-prototyping/
(12) World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience. Usability Testing 101. Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved November 8, 2023 from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-testing-101/
(13) World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience. Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users. Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved November 8, 2023 from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/
Video:
https://www.nngroup.com/videos/creating-personas-sorting-rocks/
