GRTC Bus app
Re-imagining the mobile app for Richmond’s transit system.
Winner at The 2019 Richmond Show: Student App Design
role: visual design, audit, ux/ui, animation, user research and testing
The ASK
Audit and update an inefficient or poorly designed mobile experience. The app for the Richmond bus system was confusing, with unneeded features and poor organization. There were multiple apps needed to check bus times and pay for a trip.
Opportunity
Create a digital extension of the GRTC that aligned expectations and reality.
Solution
Give users accurate arrival times and navigation so they can plan their lives accordingly without toggling through multiple apps.
A better GRTC for all
Access directions, route information, arrival times by route or stop, and your bus pass all from the same app.
Plan your trip
Search for your destination, or head to some of your most frequented places.
Check Directions and ETA
Select your route and preview directions and bus wait times.
Arrival times by stops
Stops are listed in order of proximity to you. You can add a stop to your favorites, check any travel alerts for that stop, and check the map.
Add an alert
Sometimes bus stops are not well lit or generally don’t feel safe - Create notifications for when the bus is on the way to minimize your wait time at the stop.
Future features
There are a lot of features that could make the GRTC a better transit system for a growing Richmond.
Mobile bus pass loaded into the app
A better interactive map
Bike rack availability on the bus
Allow riders to report light outages, defaced or damaged bus stops, etc.
Process
First, I conducted an audit and looked at how people were using the existing app and what they found frustrating or confusing. I looked at GRTC’s ridership trends and their rider survey data.
GRTC’s biggest growth opportunity is in improving reliability and increasing on-time arrivals. Without making any physical improvements, creating a usable app will help set expectations and reduce perceived wait times.
Current state
Brand Principles
After examining the current state of the GRTC, I extracted a set of brand principles from the resources that were available on their website. I then used these principles to make design choices.
Clean - Our stations are clean and easy to navigate, and so is our technology. There are no seats that you avoid because you aren't sure what that dark spot is - there are no features on the app that you avoid because you don't know what they do.
Safe - Our transit system is safe and we know that your journey doesn't necessarily begin or end on the bus.
Reliable - Our products and services are reliable, they are predictable and they work when you need them to.
Access - Our services are able to be used by everyone who needs them
Responsive - We are responsive to the needs of the communities we serve
Impact
Richmond is once again a growing city and as more people move to the area, there is a need for a more reliable and efficient way to get around. Aligning expectations and reality will enable people to choose public transportation more often and not be frustrated with unforeseen high wait times.
Where to now?
Check out some more digital product design work
