transit usability-removing-the-barriers
DESCRIPTION
Usability & User Experience in Transit systems often leaves much to be desired. Passengers encounter difficulties trip planning, ticket purchasing, navigating the system, entry, exits and many others. By using Human Centered Design principles and user focus throughout design and deployment, many transit usability barriers can be removed! This presentation was initially posted on Slideshare in 2011 under a different profile (ilonaposner). Now it is reposted here under ilonap in an attempt to combine the two profiles, which were created accidentally without my knowledge.TRANSCRIPT
TRANSIT USABILITY Removing the Barriers
ILONA POSNER [email protected] Usability & User Experience Consultant
Presented at
Transforming Transporta=on: Economies & Communi=es
Summit
Detroit, MI April 7-‐9, 2011
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Transit Usability Defined
Usability is the extent to which a product or service can be used with effec@veness, efficiency, and sa@sfac@on.
Transit Usability Transit riders are faced with usability challenges at many points in their trips. Transit Usability barriers range from accessibility for wheelchairs and strollers, to planning a trip using operators website or maps, from frustra=ons during payment at =cket machines to entry gates and valida=on systems, from naviga=on within the system using signage to transfers between transit modes. This talk will discuss design tools that may be used by transit authori=es to remove transit usability barriers.
ILONA POSNER, Usability Consultant ©2011 2
Presenter -‐ ILONA POSNER Usability & User Experience Consultant
Consul@ng: Transporta)on, Web, So0ware, Hardware, Mobile, Healthcare, Business Strategy: Los Angeles Metropolitan Transporta=on Authority, Apple, MicrosoU, Yahoo!, Pitney Bowes, Visa, Autodesk, AMD, Bell, Shoppers Drugmart, Human Factors Interna=onal, Na=onal Research Council of Canada, University Health Network, Canada Health Infoway …
Teaching: Canadian Film Centre – Media Lab 2000+ University of Toronto – Computer Science 2004+ OCADU – Exec. Masters Design for Adver=sing, 2009+ Professional Development Courses in Industry & Conferences
Educa@on: M.Sc. Computer Science, University of Toronto 3
CHALLENGES Accessibility
Plan trip
Buy =cket
Enter system
Signage
Schedules
Exit
Maps
Parking
Navigate & transfer
Announcements
Accidents
Maintenance
… etc …
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Points of View
Customers
Operators Technology
A point of view is worth 80 points of IQ. -‐ Alan Kay
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Keyhole Effect
We can only see and perceive a small portion of the available information.
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Retrofigng old systems for accessibility creates costly, complex, and un-‐usable solu=ons: • too high LRT entrances • locked bridge plates • unmanned raise liUs
Accessibility
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Plan Trip
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Telephone trip planning is hard: hearing, language, note taking…
Online trip planning tools are oUen confusing: with awkward interac=ons & layout, & duplicate results
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Ticket Machines -‐ Chicago
This transit sta=on entrance has three =cket machines! Each machine is covered with text, images, and Post-‐its! New riders require human assistance to buy =ckets.
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Ticket Machines – Zurich
Swiss Trains use these three different =cket machines! Buying =ckets requires local exper=se -‐ knowledge of geography, zones, area codes… Errors occur …
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Ticket Design Different =cket designs pose
various challenges to riders:
• Detailed transit info
• Zones or direc=on covered
• Expiry date/=me • Usage instruc=ons
• Branding messages
• Legal no=ces
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Italian family buys a 28€ all-‐day train pass in Munich. Their brief sight seeing trip gets expensive! Inspector requires them to buy 36€ addi@onal @ckets for 15 minute ride back to their hotel because they boarded the wrong train.
Tickets, Signage, Naviga=on
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Passes & Cards Long lineups form each month to load TAP cards and buy passes Machine func=onality either not no=ced or not trusted:
• … Tap TAP to TAP target • Validate TAP • Add Value or pass to TAP • Check TAP status • TAP HERE TAP aqui
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Entry Gates -‐ BOSTON
Two different types of entry gates in one system confuse visitors.
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Entry
New users challenged by
• Unmanned entry
• Honor system
• Valida=on of =ckets • Transfers between modes
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Maps Using maps is difficult due to maps’ loca=on, scale, visibility, availability, quality, legibility.
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Doors Train doors requiring passenger ac=on challenge riders expec=ng automa=c doors.
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User Centered Design Tools
Observa=ons and surveys of current riders
Interviews of all stakeholders – riders, opera=ons, engineering
Personas of representa=ve users to assist design decision making
Usability tes=ng of current & proposed system elements Itera=ve design& prototyping for incremental improvement
Compe==ve analyses of worldwide systems, to iden=fy best prac=ces
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Breakout Discussion Recommenda=ons • Transit Riders Advocacy Needed
– Listen to users, observa=ons, interviews, stories eg: Ongoing Efforts into Customer & Stakeholder Research
• Guidelines Needed – Iden=fying best prac=ces worldwide, create best prac=ces guidelines,
Standards context sensi=ve, eg: like AASHTO , APTA, FTA… expanded?!
– Sugges=on for consor=um of Worldwide Transit Authori=es, …wiki?
– Students involvement in research & problem solving (compe==ons)
• Methods for Improvements – User appropriate design – low tech, high tech, no tech, op=ons…
appropriate for both first =me use and expert daily users
– Use of personas represen=ng different users to aid design decisions – Itera=ng design of transit systems including usability tes=ng of exis=ng
and planned systems 19 ILONA POSNER, Usability Consultant ©2011