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Overview. Key features of the MyStop app include live bus tracking, schedule information, service alerts, and trip planning through Google Maps integration. Despite its utility, users have reported challenges with navigation, real-time accuracy, and the trip planning feature, which redirects to external sites. Addressing these concerns is crucial to improving the overall user experience and ensuring the app effectively serves the State College community.
Pavithra
🔍Problem Statement
The MyStop app, intended to facilitate seamless public transit experiences in State College, presents usability issues such as complex navigation, inaccurate real-time data, and disruptions due to external site redirections. These challenges diminish user satisfaction and trust, necessitating a comprehensive redesign.
✏️Research Focus
- How do users currently interact with the MyStop app?
- What are the most significant pain points in the user experience?
- How can we redesign the app to improve navigation and trip planning?
🧭Research Methods
- Online surveys of current app users
- In-depth interviews with regular commuters
- Usability testing of the current app
- Competitive analysis of other transit apps
👥Key Findings
- 62% of users reported difficulties navigating the app
- 55.6% rarely check real-time updates due to accuracy concerns
- 61% expressed dissatisfaction with the trip planning feature
- Users frequently abandon the app when redirected to external sites
💬User Insights
Navigation Issues
- "The direction feature is confusing, it's a struggle to find which is the destination and which is the start point."
- "Every time I use the 'current location' feature, it directs me to a bus stop that's way farther than the one I usually use."
External Redirects
- "When planning a trip, mystop sends you to google maps and google maps doesn't have the right bus routes."
- "I wanted directions for the bus, but it gave me walking directions instead! Completely useless."
👤User Persona
Alex, 21 - Penn State Student
- Final-year undergraduate student with no car
- Depends entirely on public transportation for daily commutes
- Uses MyStop app to get to classes, grocery stores, and meet friends
Pain Points
- Inconsistent bus information on Sundays and off-peak hours
- Issues with NV routes information being inaccurate or unclear
- App redirects to Google Maps, which doesn't provide bus-specific information
- App suggests stops far from his actual location
💡Solution
1. Integrated Trip Planning
Built in-app trip planning that keeps users within the app, eliminating external redirects and ensuring bus-specific information is always available.
2. Enhanced Real-Time Tracking
Improved data accuracy with focus on weekend and off-peak hours when service is often less predictable and reliable.
3. Simplified Navigation
Redesigned information architecture with clear visual hierarchy and intuitive user flow to reduce cognitive load.
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🧱User Flow Redesign
Map Homescreen
Shows real-time bus locations and nearby stops, with a clean interface that prioritizes the most relevant information for the user's current context.
Trip Planner
Simple form for entering start and destination points, with smart location detection and suggestions based on commonly used stops.
Route Selection
Displays options with travel times, walking distances to stops, and expected arrival times, allowing users to choose based on their preferences.
Interactive Map View
Shows real-time updates and turn-by-turn directions within the app, with clear visual indications of bus routes and stops.
🎨Design Process
Research & Analysis
- Conducted surveys and interviews to understand user needs
- Created journey maps to identify pain points
- Analyzed competitor transit apps for best practices
Information Architecture
- Reorganized app structure for intuitive navigation
- Created simplified user flows
- Developed clear visual hierarchy
Wireframing & Prototyping
- Created low-fidelity sketches to test concepts
- Developed interactive prototypes
- Conducted usability testing with target users
High-Fidelity Design
- Designed UI with focus on accessibility
- Created consistent design system
- Optimized for both new and returning users
📊Results & Impact
User Experience Improvements
- Integrated trip planning keeps users within the app
- More accurate real-time data, especially during off-peak hours
- Clear visual representation of bus routes and stops
- Streamlined navigation with fewer steps to complete key tasks
Testing Results
- 87% of test users preferred the new design over the original app
- Task completion time reduced by 40%
- Error rate decreased by 65%
- User satisfaction scores increased from 2.3 to 4.6 on a 5-point scale
🏁Conclusion
Key Achievements
The primary intent of the MyStop app redesign was to simplify the user experience and resolve the significant usability challenges identified through user research. The redesign focuses on creating a more intuitive and seamless experience for State College commuters, making it easier to find accurate bus routes without external distractions.
Design Principles
Every design decision was made with the users in mind, offering a clear and consistent structure, reliable real-time updates, and an overall reduction in cognitive load. The intent was to create an app that feels intuitive for both first-time and regular users, ultimately transforming MyStop into a more dependable and user-friendly transit tool for the State College community.
