This project aimed at proposing a new interaction model of text-based trip planning tool and interactive map for the public transit website of Vancouver, BC, Canada (TransLink.bc.ca).
Design Area:
Website Interface, Web Usability, Web-based Assistant Tool, Interactive Map
Methodology:
Scenario-based Design, Participatory Design Workshop, Paper Prototyping
DESIGN PROCESS
Employing a user-centered design approach and web usability engineering lifecycle, the design research includes following methods.
1. Context Research: Review on the related projects
2. Defining Problems: Scenario-based design
3. Finding User’s Needs: Participatory design workshop
4. Evaluation: Paper prototyping & user test
5. Final Design Proposal: Static & dynamic prototype
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN WORKSHOP
In the pre-meeting workshop, in order to find general experience and patterns of using public transit, we gave the participants questionnaires and let them keep diaries for three days. Then, we designed generative toolkits for the main workshop. Before the main workshop which is composed of three parts.
The 2nd part of the workshop, users collected keywords for the text-based trip-planning tool and put them on the big boards representing search and result web pages.
In the last part, we asked users to write down necessary information for the situation of departure, midway and arrival.
PAPER PROTOTYPING
Analyzing and integrating all the results and insights from the previous research, a paper prototype of the text-based trip planning pages was developed. At the test, users interacted with the main interface, where cutout screen shot slips can be added to it.
FINAL DESIGN PROPOSAL
We improved the website by the aesthetics of the interface, the more user-centered contents and the advanced functionality. Here are several screenshots of our final design proposal.
