Research Fellow, University of California Transportation Center
With mentorship from UC Berkeley professor Karen Frick, I focused on the problem space of public transportation and mobile technology, using design process techniques such as user research, ideation, and wireframing. The following is an abridged version.
. . . . .
Technology has established itself as a staple in everyday living--much of the technology we see is seamlessly integrated in our contexts, and the future is largely motivated by how it can further enable and assist the way people live today. Using mobile technology, user data can be channeled to improve upon the user’s experience. From the daily commuter to the infrequent rider in the Bay Area, mobility can largely be improved through the ease and availability of mobile applications.
Through my research, I sought to define existing concerns with navigating public transportation information and user behavior regarding public transportation. There were repeated concerns of a lack of trust in the public transportation system. From the unreliability of transportation vehicle arrivals to the inconvenient schedules of bus routes, people expressed wariness in the system to provide for their mobility needs. This is an critical issue, especially when public transportation is a key option for travel. Within the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, the AC transit provides for a daily ridership of 178,851 passengers including approximately 13,500 Transbay commuters. There was consistent public feedback regarding the unreliability of public transportation to which many responded by seeking more available and frictionless alternatives. However, many do not have affordable access to these alternatives, leaving them with undesirable options of public transportation.
Current Trends in Mobile App Usage
Some popular transportation mobile applications used today include Google Maps, Transit App, and Waze. NextBus in the Bay Area also maintains a big presence within public transportation. Nextbus specifically provides real-time predictions at transit stops that users can access through its mobile app. Specific to Berkeley, NextBus partners with AC transit district to provide real-time arrival predictions for bus transportation. Currently as it is, NextBus’ data is not available to the public and does not follow the standard GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) format. GTFS is established as the industry standard for transit data information and for development purposes, and the current method that NextBus uses to display its data makes it inaccessible for developers to use this information for further development. This is an issue when it comes to solidifying a public transportation method’s presence and prevalence.
Open data is valuable for allowing the public to contribute to sources that may be cost prohibitive for the public sector. Open data makes third party transit apps possible, which affects the amount of public transportation ridership. Creating developer friendly data is conducive to an influential mobile development environment and the benefits of open transit data has also been noted by the Federal Transit Administration. In addition to optimizing methods of data accessibility, using pre-existing data structures to build upon is ideal for time and cost efficiency. When Apple decided to drop Google Maps in order to advance its own navigational product strategies, Apple was forced to build out its own maps infrastructure and third party apps to provide for the gap of Google Maps at the time. As such, third party apps are made possible through open data.
Concerns Surrounding Open Data
While open data presents itself to create reshape the future of public transportation, there are costs associated with allowing data to be publicly accessible. However, these costs carry significant benefits that may arguably offset its initial costs. Transit apps responded to the lack of funding by creating their own data set, saving the city of Baltimore the financial costs of expanding. Regardless of monetization goals, private companies and projects share the goals of the transit agency to provide better transportation information and to increase ridership, and evidence goes to show that mobile apps can positively influence ridership numbers. In the survey done for the TCRP report, 66% of responding agencies said that providing open data for improved the perception of their agency with regards to transparency and openness. Agencies also reported that the public was more aware of public transit services because of open data -- 78% of agencies responded that this was the case. Not only does the availability of transportation information foster business development, it can also encourage the public to interact with data through projects.
One such example of using data for mobile app development can be seen in the example of Strava tracking app. To date, seventy-six cities and regions use Strava Metro data to help shape and inform transportation policy. For the state of Oregon, this is a stark improvement to their previous methods. Oregon used to collect data through two hour counts done once a year, the efforts being spearheaded by volunteers who desired better bike facilities. In doing so, Strava Metro, which had begun as a private business venture, became a significant contributor to Oregon and other locations urban planning tools. By using the GPS tracking capabilities of a smartphone and other similar devices, Strava allows users to track the distance and pace of their trips, which they can use to compare with other riders and peers. Individual details of the data are anonymized, and data is limited to displaying how many strava-using cyclists ride down any street at any time of the day, which can be filtered by gender and age. Strava App acknowledges the limitations that come with its business model. The user base is a small sample of all cyclists, and the app emphasizes competition amongst users, which may not be representative of the every day commuter. However, authorities began purchasing this data and comparing it to their own databases and results revealed that Strava captured a solid 5 - 10% of all bike movements. In addition, those with the app tended to ride the same routes as everyone else. They found that “when cyclists are in the urban core, they optimize for the same kind of things as everyone else. They’re not trying to race across the city, they’re trying to get there in one piece.” Ultimately, this lies in the interest of companies to exchange this data — with optimized analysis contributing to the eventual improved bike routes, which in turn should mean increased usage of the app.
As such, in order to improve user experiences and make transit more efficient, it is important to understand and optimize the methods in which transit agencies obtain their data. While the full impact of online trip planners still needs further research, it is clear that they make taking transit easier by simplifying access to information, a valuable property in large cities with complex transport systems. Noted by Canales, “if the process of planning a trip by transit is too complex, users will find other options, like private cars.” Especially in the situations of users who are dependent on transit, transit information is key in determining the most cost and time effective travel choices. In order to improve transit information, GTFS must be provided as open data. The General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), also known as GTFS static or static transit to differentiate it from the GTFS realtime extension, defines a common format for public transportation schedules and associated geographic information. GTFS feeds let public transit agencies publish their transit data and developers write applications that consume that data in an interoperable way. Despite its benefits, however, converting to GTFS open feeds for data can raise resistance from transit agencies. For one, transit agencies may be limited by financial constraints and may need to be tending to different priorities-- expending resources to improving the quality of the user experience may not receive the attention that it needs. For another, existing transportation systems may rely on information transit services that integrate poorly with GTFS feeds or require additional resources that transit agencies may not need immediately.
Bay Area Public Transportation
The options for mobile development in obtaining transit data depend on provided transit time tables, using services that collect such data and building out their own data collection methods. Specific to the Alameda-Contra Costa District, the AC Transit agency partnered with NextBus for its data collection and real-time prediction services. Currently as it is, only static schedule data is released — however, this is insufficient information. The most useful new apps collect real-time vehicle location data, and access to that info is not yet available from SFData.
Design Criteria
In designing for a positive mobile application experience, how might a mobile application instill feelings of trust and reliability?
Communication
“ When apps don't communicate with us, they create distrust, undermining the credibility of both the app and the organization behind it.”
Good apps communicate well to their users, even when mistakes occur. When apps don’t do what users expect them to, this betrays trust. Additionally, if users get a first impression that the data is incorrect or unreliable, they're likely to not give the app a second chance. As a result, this can lead to costly ramifications as well as severe user decline. Being able to anticipate the user needs before the user’s expectations, as well as communicating through mistakes, allows for a sophisticated understanding of the deeper demands and issues at hand. In accounting for these design principles, mobile apps can create, foster and redeem user trust.
Simplicity
“The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.”
To gain insight on designing for simplicity, I turned to John Maeda, “The Laws of Simplicity” for product design inspiration. He coins the acronym, “SHE” to indicate the methods of achieving functional design simplicity, where the letters in the acronym stand for “Shrink”, “Hide”, and “Embody”. In addition to communicating accurate information, displaying data in a clear, simple interface that prioritizes readability and relevant content is key to simple, but thoughtful interfaces.
How can good design be applied to transportation applications?
As described previously, transit agencies need to be willing to provide data open for the public. Not only does this allow third party apps to use this information and create platforms for transportation that are easier to use for users, but this creates a bed of data that developers and transit agencies can then build upon to improve the transportation experience. At the same time, in order to bridge the gap between creators and consumers, this data needs to be communicated in simple and accessible methods.
Commuters on public transit want to know two fundamental things:
When can I expect the bus or train to pick me up?
When will it drop me off at my destination?
Through design, apps can distill this information so that people can understand what they need to know and become aware of what they don’t know. Visual design allows for creating a clear and intuitive information architecture, and holds the potential to instill feelings of trust. By harnessing the accessibility of visual design and written communication, transportation apps can capitalize on forging trust with their users through good design.
Research Methods
Framework for Understanding Users
Due to the scope of the project, my focus was place driven - I chose to focus on university students because that was the largest sample of population available. In addition, this group has an active choice in using public transportation. These users are not necessarily limited to public transportation but have the choice to explore other transportation options.
User Interview Questions:
How often do you use public transportation? Which services?
Where do you get your transportation information?
Do you use mobile applications? If so, which ones?
How do you feel about the current public transportation systems in place today?
What are your thoughts on crowdsourcing?
Feel free to contact me for the entire report!