MTA LIRR TRAIN TIMEI have been commuting from Long Island to Manhattan for years and have been using the MTA LIRR Train Time application for schedules, train times, and other necessities a commuter would need to know.
After using this app, I found some areas that could use improvement and could be fixed with some new designs.
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Programs Used
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PROBLEMMTA LIRR Train Time app design is outdated and the interactions within the app are confusing to users.
For this task I am only going to focus on 3 main problems the app could improve:
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SOLUTIONFrom the data collected, I wanted to offer commuters advice to enhance their experience in real time to help with delays as well as other route options.
Designing with the user in mind, I wanted to update design elements and interactions that will make the app more useful for the intended consumer. |
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I read the MTA LIRR application reviews to see what made it successful and what problems were discussed. After reading through the comments sections of this app, I decided to focus on the three main features that were a main concern. Using the data I collected, I conducted individual interviews to confirm if these were the issues I should be focusing on.
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common problems with application
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USER INTERVIEWSTo learn more, I interviewed people on the train and train platforms to learn about their experiences, challenges, and what was important to them.
The people I interviewed had many different concerns about the app and some suggestions of features they wish the new design could have. This data helped me expand on the existing ideas as well as confirm if the new design solutions would be useful or not. |
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DESIGN EXPLORATIONI started out by doing a full-site audit through the whole application, making note of all the pages. Then I went through the navigation, laying out all of the categories to see what patterns, themes, and insights could be improved upon.
From there, I used their existing content to help in creating wireframes, as well as putting an emphasis on the new design solutions I had in mind. |
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1. PUSH NOTIFACTIONSThe most talked about feature that people wanted on the app was to have push notifications on your phone. The most common issue people faced using the app is arriving at the station to find out there that there has been a cancellation to their line due to unexpected problems.
Having push notifications would allow the user to be informed earlier of the delay and figure out a way to use an alternate route if necessary. |
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The Select Date/Time page confused people since the buttons on the bottom say “select” and “now”.
7 out of 10 clicked the “now” button once they were finished placing their date and time BUT this action resets the time to the current time. Most people had interpreted this as the final step after they put their time in; this is frustrating for the user since they will have to input their time once again, delaying their process. I wanted to design a way to make it easy for people to interpret how to put in the times they desire by making it a simple Complete button at the bottom with the date and time you have selected below. It will be highlighted in blue to show the final date and time selected. |
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After
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One of the main things I wanted to incorporate in the new design application is a better way to distinguish the MTA LIRR information with a cleaner User Interface.
By gathering all the data from the interviews, user personas, wireframes, and sketches these were some of the design solutions I had in mind that could help anyone get through the MTA LIRR system with ease: |
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1. Interactive Map
The new map feature is essentially to help people locate the closest train station that they are near. As soon as you open the app it will indicate where you are and calculate your distance of the closest station. To get specific information on the station you can directly click on the map's station which will create a down drop menu of information that is specific to that station. 2. Alert Buttons
You can easily find alert buttons on the tabs of the Train lines or you can click it on your interactive map! The alerts will create a push notification of that train station and inform you of delays etc. 3. Simpler Interface
I re-arranged the layout of information to make it easier to decipher the specific tracks, time of arrivals as well as the other key information you would need to know in a short amount of time. |
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New MTA E-Tickets
A new feature that the MTA has created in the last year is MTA e-tickets. This is on a separate app that you must download. Since the current MTA LIRR Train Time app is not updated it is very difficult to find this new app unless you already know about it beforehand. I wanted to incorporate a way to connect to that app so that people can directly buy their tickets to the time they want. With the new interface I have highlighted a one-way ticket price with a button to indicate if you want to buy the ticket for that time. People will simply have to swipe on the bottom which would re-direct them to the app and will connect them to where they can buy the tickets via phone |
