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TRANSIT USABILITY Removing the Barriers ILONA POSNER [email protected] Usability & User Experience Consultant Presented at Transforming Transporta=on: Economies & Communi=es Summit Detroit, MI April 79, 2011 1

Transit usability-removing-the-barriers

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Usability & User Experience in Transit systems often leaves much to be desired. Passengers encounter difficulties trip planning, ticket purchasing, navigating the system, entry, exits and many others. By using Human Centered Design principles and user focus throughout design and deployment, many transit usability barriers can be removed! This presentation was initially posted on Slideshare in 2011 under a different profile (ilonaposner). Now it is reposted here under ilonap in an attempt to combine the two profiles, which were created accidentally without my knowledge.

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Page 1: Transit usability-removing-the-barriers

TRANSIT  USABILITY  Removing  the  Barriers  

ILONA  POSNER    [email protected]  Usability  &  User  Experience  Consultant  

Presented  at  

Transforming  Transporta=on:    Economies  &  Communi=es    

Summit  

Detroit,  MI    April  7-­‐9,  2011  

1  

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Transit  Usability  Defined  

Usability  is  the  extent  to  which  a  product  or  service  can  be  used  with  effec@veness,  efficiency,  and  sa@sfac@on.    

Transit  Usability  Transit  riders  are  faced  with  usability  challenges  at  many  points  in  their  trips.    Transit  Usability  barriers  range  from  accessibility  for  wheelchairs  and  strollers,  to  planning  a  trip  using  operators  website  or  maps,  from  frustra=ons  during  payment  at  =cket  machines  to  entry  gates  and  valida=on  systems,  from  naviga=on  within  the  system  using  signage  to  transfers  between  transit  modes.  This  talk  will  discuss  design  tools  that  may  be  used  by  transit  authori=es  to  remove  transit  usability  barriers.  

ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011   2  

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Presenter  -­‐  ILONA  POSNER    Usability  &  User  Experience  Consultant  

Consul@ng:  Transporta)on,  Web,  So0ware,  Hardware,  Mobile,  Healthcare,  Business  Strategy:  Los  Angeles  Metropolitan  Transporta=on  Authority,  Apple,  MicrosoU,  Yahoo!,  Pitney  Bowes,  Visa,  Autodesk,  AMD,  Bell,  Shoppers  Drugmart,  Human  Factors  Interna=onal,  Na=onal  Research  Council  of  Canada,  University  Health  Network,  Canada  Health  Infoway  …  

Teaching:    Canadian  Film  Centre  –  Media  Lab  2000+  University  of  Toronto  –  Computer  Science  2004+  OCADU  –  Exec.  Masters  Design  for  Adver=sing,  2009+    Professional  Development  Courses  in  Industry  &  Conferences  

Educa@on:  M.Sc.  Computer  Science,  University  of  Toronto  3  

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CHALLENGES  Accessibility  

Plan  trip    

Buy  =cket      

Enter  system    

Signage  

Schedules  

Exit  

Maps  

Parking  

Navigate  &  transfer      

Announcements  

Accidents  

Maintenance  

…  etc  …  

4  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Points  of  View  

Customers  

Operators   Technology  

A  point  of  view  is  worth  80  points  of  IQ.          -­‐  Alan  Kay  

5  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Keyhole  Effect  

We can only see and perceive a small portion of the available information.

6  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Retrofigng  old  systems  for  accessibility  creates  costly,  complex,  and    un-­‐usable  solu=ons:  •   too  high  LRT  entrances  •   locked  bridge  plates  •   unmanned  raise  liUs  

Accessibility  

?  ?   ?  

?  

7  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Plan  Trip  

?  

?  

?  

Telephone  trip  planning  is  hard:  hearing,  language,  note  taking…  

Online  trip  planning  tools  are  oUen  confusing:  with  awkward  interac=ons  &  layout,  &  duplicate  results  

8  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Ticket  Machines  -­‐  Chicago  

This  transit  sta=on  entrance  has  three  =cket  machines!  Each  machine  is  covered  with  text,  images,  and  Post-­‐its!  New  riders  require  human  assistance  to  buy  =ckets.  

?   ?  

9  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Ticket  Machines  –  Zurich  

Swiss  Trains  use  these  three  different  =cket  machines!  Buying  =ckets  requires  local  exper=se  -­‐  knowledge  of  geography,  zones,  area  codes…    Errors  occur  …  

10  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Ticket  Design  Different  =cket  designs  pose  

various  challenges  to  riders:  

•  Detailed  transit  info  

•  Zones  or  direc=on  covered  

•  Expiry  date/=me  •  Usage  instruc=ons  

•  Branding  messages  

•  Legal  no=ces  

11  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Italian  family  buys  a  28€  all-­‐day  train  pass  in  Munich.  Their  brief  sight  seeing  trip  gets  expensive!  Inspector  requires  them  to  buy    36€  addi@onal  @ckets  for  15  minute  ride  back  to  their  hotel  because  they  boarded  the  wrong  train.    

Tickets,  Signage,  Naviga=on  

?   ?  12  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Passes  &  Cards    Long  lineups  form  each  month  to  load  TAP  cards  and  buy  passes    Machine  func=onality  either  not  no=ced  or  not  trusted:  

•  …  Tap  TAP  to  TAP  target  •  Validate  TAP  •  Add  Value  or  pass  to  TAP  •  Check  TAP  status  •  TAP  HERE        TAP  aqui  

?  13  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Entry  Gates  -­‐  BOSTON  

Two  different  types  of  entry  gates  in  one  system  confuse  visitors.  

14  ILONA  POSNER,    Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Entry  

New  users  challenged  by    

•  Unmanned  entry  

•  Honor  system  

•  Valida=on  of  =ckets  •  Transfers  between  modes  

15  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Maps  Using  maps  is  difficult  due  to  maps’  loca=on,  scale,  visibility,  availability,  quality,  legibility.  

16  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Doors  Train  doors  requiring  passenger  ac=on  challenge  riders  expec=ng  automa=c  doors.    

17  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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User  Centered  Design  Tools    

Observa=ons  and  surveys  of  current  riders  

Interviews  of  all  stakeholders  –  riders,  opera=ons,  engineering  

Personas  of  representa=ve  users  to  assist  design  decision  making  

Usability  tes=ng  of  current  &  proposed  system  elements  Itera=ve  design&  prototyping    for  incremental  improvement  

Compe==ve  analyses  of  worldwide  systems,  to  iden=fy  best  prac=ces  

18  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011  

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Breakout  Discussion  Recommenda=ons    •  Transit  Riders  Advocacy  Needed  

–  Listen  to  users,  observa=ons,  interviews,  stories  eg:  Ongoing  Efforts  into  Customer  &  Stakeholder  Research  

•  Guidelines  Needed  –  Iden=fying  best  prac=ces  worldwide,  create  best  prac=ces  guidelines,  

Standards  context  sensi=ve,  eg:  like  AASHTO  ,  APTA,  FTA…  expanded?!  

–  Sugges=on  for  consor=um  of  Worldwide  Transit  Authori=es,  …wiki?  

–  Students  involvement  in  research  &  problem  solving  (compe==ons)  

•  Methods  for  Improvements  –  User  appropriate  design  –  low  tech,  high  tech,  no  tech,  op=ons…  

appropriate  for  both  first  =me  use  and  expert  daily  users  

–  Use  of  personas  represen=ng  different  users  to  aid  design  decisions  –  Itera=ng  design  of  transit  systems  including    usability  tes=ng  of  exis=ng  

and  planned  systems  19  ILONA  POSNER,  Usability  Consultant    ©2011