Ironhack’s Prework: Paula Gómez_Challenge 1
What is Citymapper?
Planning a trip to a foreign city? Looking for the fastest way to get to work? With Citymapper, crossing the city efficiently and smoothly is possible.
Citymapper (for Android and iPhone) is an application that allows you to travel without frustration, showing you the best shortcuts to get from one point to another in the city. In addition, it provides different route and service options: you can choose to walk or bike (and it will also link to your health data), cab (the application synchronizes with specific applications), and public transportation (providing specific schedules and arrival timings), having this factor as a competitive advantage over Google Maps.
- Install and open the app (Android, iPhone)
- Give the app permission to access your location.
3. Check the status of public transportation in your city.
4. Mark your destination on the map and indicate the exact date according to the time of arrival or departure. Analyze the possible routes available.
6. Then choose your means of transport.
7. Enjoy the city and take advantage of the best routes!
But what is the main problem user’s are facing?
To analyze the problem, it is first necessary to get the user’s demands on the service. To do this, it is essential to understand the different user profiles through a qualitative ethnographic study. Five people are interviewed and from this we define the main problem.
Young people from 18 to 26 years old, non-independent students, with low incomes and assiduous to public transport. Interviews that lead to the first conclusions.
We find two different profiles:
1) Resident users who frequent this type of transport by force majeure (not consisting of private vehicle or others) to go home, work or others.
2) Non-resident users who use the service for tourism and other leisure activities
But the same insights are extracted from them:
Whether they are residents or not, they agree that the main tool to use to move around is direct competition: google maps. A tool that informs about the possible routes of transport, informing about arrival times and the fastest routes. Unlike Citymapper, it does not offer so much information in terms of travel optimization. Only 10% know the application and the services it offers.
In the interview, they are asked generic questions (age, gender and location), frequency of use, knowledge of transport information applications and details about the ‘journey’ they make once in their usual transport. Once the journeys and details of use are understood, questions are asked about the application and its operation (and frequent errors) and about their method of purchase for the corresponding service.
Conclusions and pain points by type of user
Group (1) Frequent transport users
They always make the same journey and at the same time, therefore they do not need applications for information. Exceptions are used in case they start their journey from a different point than usual, or in situations such as delays, breakdowns or untimeliness. It is good for them to detour and take another route or to know the exact times of departure and arrival.
80% of those interviewed (when they have used it) say that they use it only for train or subway routes within the same city, and sometimes for walking to unknown places.
In the section of the purchase of tickets, 90% of the users use temporary passes to save the daily purchase of the ticket (besides for economic reasons), and the other 10% prefer to go to the day, in case they decide to move walking unexpectedly.
It is in this section when the first inconveniences arise on the part of the users. Loss, misplacement or wear and tear of personal passes is one of the main problems. Having to depend on operating machines to buy the ticket is a factor that can generate stress. In addition, many of the transports do not have machines to make the purchase and must be made with the driver and only in cash (not everybody has cash nowadays). Or many of these points of sale are in situations of great concurrence of people, generating long queues and producing long delays or losses of trains that can cause frustration and stress.
Group (2) Non-resident users doing tourism
This group of users has quickly detectable pain points.
Lack of a common international ‘language’ in all cities around public transport. The younger population (and thanks to the mastery of second and third languages) tends to be proactive in asking and investigating about travel options and fares. But others may be stressed or overwhelmed by decision making and lack of information when traveling between new cities. Common concerns that arise are: decision on which pass is most cost-effective for the days of travel, information related to the origin and destination stop, travel time, total misinformation on transfer options, and complete ignorance of the points of purchase (and their methods of payment).
From the detection of the pain points in the two groups of users, a common pattern is identified, formulating and defining a generic problem to be solved later.
How are we going to solve this problem?
Why do we need to get a printed ticket every time we make a trip? Why do we have to stand in long queues to buy tickets from rudimentary and outdated machines? Why not have the peace of mind of being able to buy the ticket wherever and however you want?
The system is obsolete and the public is dissatisfied. Nowadays everything can be managed through a mobile device (pay by card, buy clothes, book in a restaurant…), so why not include a fast, easy and intuitive service through a mobile?
Analyzing the problems detected, a quick conclusion is reached: if the market already has a mobile/web application that informs of the different possibilities in routes and ‘timings’ in the displacements, why not include the option to acquire the different tickets (of each service) in this same platform?
This would have a very positive impact on the experience of different users, reducing the stress involved in travelling to make the purchase in person, eliminating the possibility of loss or wear and tear of the personal subscription and also impacting positively on the environment by stopping spending paper on printing.
If the user has an application that informs him/her about the routes he/she wants to take and also simplifies the purchase process from wherever and whenever he/she wants, the user’s experience will improve up to 80%, reducing most of the frustrations detected.
In addition, the service can include options such as ultra-personalization and route suggestions adapted to the usual movements that are detected. Shortcuts, less crowded means of transport, more economical journeys and recommendations on the most optimal tickets for the routes consulted.
To further detail the proposal raised, we have used the tool of the low-fidelity prototype to create a prototype that shows the experience and usability through the sketch of a mockup. In the following images the step-by-step process is explained, from the beginning of the app to the purchase of a specific ticket.
This whole process has been possible thanks to the application of the tool of Design thinking and its different stages, and also, concrete tools focused on User Centered Design, such as interviews and creation of user profiles.
Finally, the sketching tool has been used to create rapid prototypes and to be able to show a first idea of the functionality and usability of the application.
