EcoMotion
An interactive hub designed to enhance the bus stop experience.
Skills
Product Design
Prototyping
User Interviews
Usability Testing
Role
Designer
Researcher
Timeline
September - December 2024
Team
3 HCDE Students
*This project was a part of the University of Washington's Human Centered Design and Engineering master's program.
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The Challenge
The Question
How might we create a product that prioritizes safety and community, while making eco-friendly transportation more appealing to Seattle commuters?
Despite there being many public transportation resources available in the Seattle metropolitan area, many individuals still rely on their personal vehicles for their commute.
This made our team wonder, how do we get people to use more eco-friendly means of transportation? This can include walking, bus, scooters, bicycles, or even ferries.
Transportation is one of the leading contributors to greenhouse emissions in the U.S., and accounts for 60% of emissions in Seattle.
Solution Preview
All in one
Alternate transportation options
A default screen that displays all the necessary information and access to additional services.
Connected to Lime to provide alternate means of transportation to shorten the commute.
Safety
Community
Crowd-sourced local business recommendations and reviews close to the bus stop to explore Seattle.
On-demand security guards available for both in-person and virtual assistance. 24/7 surveillance installed with every kiosk.
Bus stop kiosk
All integrated into a bus stop kiosk to improve an integral part of a commuter's experience.
User Research
Survey
We focused our research on commuters aged 21-40 living in the Seattle metropolitan area, as this group had the highest number of single-occupancy car drivers.
We started off with a survey to understand the general sentiment around commuting and how people feel about being climate conscious. Through this survey, we learned that the main factors that influence their choice of transportation includes time, convenience, and traveling with others.
Interestingly, being climate-conscious did not come up at all.
User Interviews & Experience Sampling
We triangulated the survey results through user interviews and experience sampling. Through the survey we found that buses were the most preferred mode of commute as an alternative to driving in Seattle’s challenging weather and terrain. So we decided to understand the frustrations and motivations that surround the experience of taking a bus in Seattle.
Through experience sampling, participants sent us captioned photos of their experiences and frustrations while commuting on a bus. This was very insightful to understand why they were making the choices they were making.
Key Insights
Through affinity diagramming on Miro with my team, we identified the following key insights that were major influencers for our design solution.
Faster travel time and reliability of buses
Safety especially when travelling at night
Flexibility to make stops and travel with others
Design Principles
1. Enhance User Engagement
Create interactive and engaging elements at the bus stop to improve the waiting experience and keep users occupied while they wait.
2. Improve Communication and Information:
Ensure real-time updates, schedule information, and important announcements are clearly communicated to users for better planning and awareness.
3. Prioritize Safety and Accessibility
Incorporate features that enhance security and accessibility, while also ensuring seamless connection with safety authorities to foster a safer and more inclusive environment.
The Designs
Ideation
We were encouraged to think of three types of solutions: one that uses existing technology, another that shifts the paradigm, and a third set in a dystopian future. Framing our thinking in this structured way helped us generate more creative solutions and explore unconventional perspectives.
We utilized AI to illustrate our ideas to help us visualize how the end solution would look.
Iterations
Button Placement
In the initial design, we placed our main CTA's on the top of the screen. However, after designing our prototype of the physical kiosk, we quickly realized that the button placement would be inaccessible due to its high height. In our later iteration, we placed our buttons lower on the screen for better accessibility.
Iterations
Navigation
Initially, we added the page count on the bottom of the screen for users to navigate back and forth between screens. But through prototyping and usability testing, we realized that many users did not notice this feature due to its location. In our final solution, we relocated the navigation section and took out the page count to prevent confusion.
Narrowing the Scope
Considering time, infrastructure, and systemic limitations, we ultimately decided to design a new bus stop kiosk, named EcoMotion. There are many systemic factors that influence one’s commuting decisions, and many of our initial solutions would be unrealistic as we could not address all of these issues at hand. Therefore, we decided to narrow down our scope and focus on one key part of the commuting experience: waiting at the bus stop.
Iterations
Visual Hierarchy
The original location of the Lime reservation QR code was at the bottom of the screen. After conducting usability testing, we quickly noticed that users were skipping over that paragraph, which led to confusion on how to reserve a scooter. Therefore, in our redesign, we made the QR code more prominent.
The Final Solution
Reliability & Flexibility
The homescreen displayed the statuses of buses through live tracking, with the ability to change languages. Users can also check alternate modes of transport to find a faster route with other means of eco-friendly transportation. A QR code was made available to send both the new directions and Lime app to the user’s phone for convenience.
Community Engagement
The community section allows users to explore local businesses near the bus stop. The information would be crowd-sourced and serve as an additional activity for users to input their own recommendations for others to view at the kiosk.
Safety
A dedicated safety section allowed the user to request assistance at the bus stop by either requesting a security guard to come or through an on-call system. In addition to this, there is also an added SOS button that users can use in the case of an emergency. Finally, there are security cameras within the kiosk to ensure 24/7 surveillance.
Takeaways
As my first project in my master's program, there were many valuable lessons I learned through this process. It was my first time creating an entire project, from ideation to the final prototyping. This experience sharpened both my design and research skills as I was able to play major roles in both of these aspects. Ultimately, I gained more confidence in my UX design, inquiry, project management, and technical skills.
My team and I created this project in hopes of forming a solution to help address the major environmental impacts of our commuting decisions. Through EcoMotion, we aim to improve the public transportation experience by increasing accessibility of safety services, helping to foster a sense of community, and clearly surfacing important bus information to residents/visitors.