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.

1. TRANSIT
USABILITY
Removing
the
Barriers
ILONA
POSNER
ilona@acm.org
Usability
&
User
Experience
Consultant
Presented
at
Transforming
Transporta=on:
Economies
&
Communi=es
Summit
Detroit,
MI
April
7-­‐9,
2011
1

2. 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

3. 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

4. CHALLENGES
Accessibility
Maps
Plan
trip
Parking
Buy
=cket
Navigate
&
transfer
Enter
system
Announcements
Signage
Accidents
Schedules
Maintenance
Exit
…
etc
…
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
4

5. Points
of
View
A
point
of
view
is
worth
80
points
of
IQ.
-­‐
Alan
Kay
Customers
Operators
Technology
5
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011

6. Keyhole
Effect
We can only see and perceive a small portion of the available information.
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
6

7. Accessibility
?
Retrofigng
old
systems
for
accessibility
creates
costly,
complex,
and
un-­‐usable
solu=ons:
•
too
high
LRT
entrances
•
locked
bridge
plates
•
unmanned
raise
liUs
?
?
?
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
7

8. Plan
Trip
Telephone
trip
planning
is
hard:
hearing,
language,
note
taking…
?
?
?
Online
trip
planning
tools
are
oUen
confusing:
with
awkward
interac=ons
&
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
layout,
&
duplicate
results
8

9. 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.
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
?
9

10. 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
…
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
10

11. 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
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
11

12. Tickets,
Signage,
Naviga=on
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.
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
?
?
12

13. 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
?
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
13

14. Entry
Gates
-­‐
BOSTON
Two
different
types
of
entry
gates
in
one
system
confuse
visitors.
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
14

15. Entry
New
users
challenged
by
• Unmanned
entry
• Honor
system
• Valida=on
of
=ckets
• Transfers
between
modes
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
15

16. Maps
Using
maps
is
difficult
due
to
maps’
loca=on,
scale,
visibility,
availability,
quality,
legibility.
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
16
©2011

17. Doors
Train
doors
requiring
passenger
ac=on
challenge
riders
expec=ng
automa=c
doors.
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
17

18. 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
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
18

19. 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
ILONA
POSNER,
Usability
Consultant
©2011
19