Project Background
All three of Chicago's public transit divisions began offering services in the same mobile app, Ventra, in 2015. The app was simple and was mainly used for managing fare-cards and checking travel schedules.
Business Problem
Though it accomplished these tasks, it was infamous for its poor user experience.
At the time of this project, the app's average rating in the iOS app store was 1.8/5. The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) risked decreased ridership as their mobile app compromised their brand reputation.
Goals
Updating the mobile app with features that alleviated some of the most disruptive pain points of using the CTA would renew confidence in the brand, which would increase ridership.
Competitive Analysis
This analysis motivated us to consider a route planning feature.
The off-peak discounts found in Washington DC and Sydney's apps also inspired new avenues of product thinking.
User Survey
The key takeaways from this survey were (1) how subject to change people's modes of transportation were, and (2) most people had to travel during rush hour.
Prototype 1
Our initial concept incorporated a route planner akin to Google Maps. Usability testing and user interviews revealed that most people will continue to use Google Maps because of how used to it they are. For this reason, we decided to return to the fundamental structure the existing app, and make improvements where we could.
Prototype 2
Nearby Stops page
For the Nearby Stops page, we added transit times on the right of each row so users would not have to tap the stop to see that information. To enhance readability, we used a darker blue for the stop labels and incorporated background colors for the transit line names that closely resemble their signage in real life.
Transit Tracker Page
We added a crowd rating system to this page because of the common complaint of trains not being able to accommodate the high volume of riders during rush hour. This is a feature that received unanimous praise in usability testing. We also added wheelchair access information - a simple fix to an issue I found when auditing reviews of the 2020 Ventra app.
My Ventra Cards Page
Having an image of the credit card can make identifying it easier. And the Buy Metra Tickets function is now in its own section.
Next Steps
Develop a feature the allows users to scan a QR code on a bus stop sign to pull up transit times.
Consider a feature that allows users to transfer funds with each other.