Ironhack: Challenge I: Design Thinking
What If you only needed one App for Urban Travel?
Reimagining Citymapper to solve Ticketing and Public Transport Challenges through Design Thinking
UrbanGo, the startup behind Citymapper, designed the app for real-time route planning and cost estimates for various transport modes, making it a go-to tool for over 50 million users worldwide [1]. However, a crucial feature is still missing: in-app ticket purchasing. According to Kumar and Mohanty (2023) integrated ticketing systems improve user satisfaction significantly and promote higher usage of public transport [2].
In 2019, UrbanGo took steps toward ticket integration by launching the Citymapper Pass in London, allowing users to access public and private transport via a contactless subscription model [3]. Despite its success, it was discontinued in 2023 due to scalability issues [4]. More recently, UrbanGo partnered with Masabi and National Express West Midlands to offer in-app ticketing, but most cities and networks are still not covered [5].
These initiatives show promise, but it’s time to reimagine ticketing in Citymapper to enhance the user experience for urban travelers. This case study, applies a user-centered design approach using the Design Thinking methodology to explore potential solutions.
Empathize: Understanding Users’ Pain Points
To find out what problems people face with urban travel, I interviewed five frequent travelers (ages 25–44). They talked about their experiences with public transport and buying tickets. Here are the key insights from the interviews:
Gissell (29, Globetrotter): “I was thrown off a train once because I couldn’t get a ticket from the machine. An app ticket purchase would have saved me from that terrible experience.”
Jonas (34, Frequent Traveler): “It’s so complicated to buy tickets in some cities that I often prefer to drive instead.”
Marie (25, Globetrotter): “Once, I waited in line for over half an hour with a crowd, and when I finally got my ticket and ran to catch my train, I saw more machines available. It would be helpful to have guidance on this.”
Tim (38, Frequent Traveler): “While studying abroad, I accidentally threw away a paper ticket, and the conductor didn’t believe me. I had to pay a hefty fine. Now, I get nervous whenever I have to keep a paper ticket.”
Philip (44, Commuter): “In Paris, I couldn’t find the ticket machines, and no one understood me. It was frustrating.”
After collecting these insights, we reviewed the Citymapper app together. Three participants didn’t know the app but liked some of its features. They also pointed out a few weaknesses of Citymapper:
Marie: “It’s frustrating that there’s no link to buy tickets for public transport. There should be some guidance on where to get them.”
Tim: “I like the access to tickets from different providers like Uber, but it’s annoying to manually switch cities in the settings just to check routes.”
Philip: “The app feels a bit cluttered and overly colorful. Why are there so many icons for the transport options? Can’t they be organized better?”
I asked what improvements or innovations they’d like to see in the Citymapper app. Here are some of their responses:
Gissell: “I travel a lot and have had some scary experiences, so a feature that shows the safest transport options in different cities would be really helpful.”
Tim: “It would be great to have a guide system that shows where the ticket machines are located.”
Philip: “I’d like a feature that provides details of the tickets like namens, zones and how to use the ticket machine.”
Marie: “I wish I could share the costs when taking an Uber, so a feature that connects people going to the same destination would be great.”
Jonas: “I appreciate knowing about others’ experiences, so having reviews and feedback in the app for tickets and routes would be helpful.”
Definition of the Core Problems
Pain Points
From these interviews, I identified several recurring problems that Citymapper could address:
- (!) Confusion about where and how to buy tickets due to a lack of information and missing direct purchase options.
- (!) Language issues make purchases in foreign cities difficult
- (!) Lost paper tickets can lead to fines; few sustainable options exist
- (!) Uncertainty about the safest transport options, especially at night
- (!) Users must manually change cities, complicating trip planning.
Main Problem
Users experience significant challenges with public transport systems, particularly in foreign cities. Key issues include difficulties in accessing and purchasing tickets, language barriers, safety concerns, unclear ticket information, and issues with filtering within the app. These challenges make it harder for users and increase frustration when traveling.
Ideate & Prototype: Creating Solutions
Brainstorming Ideas
Since Citymapper is working on in-app ticket integration, I focused on short- to medium-term improvements for the ticket purchasing experience. Ideas from interviews include safety features, feedback options, and assistance in finding ticket purchase locations:
- Purchase Locator: UI with clickable icons for purchase points showing hours, payment methods, and color-coded operational status.
- Augmented Reality Navigation: AR feature guiding users to sales points with visual cues activated by shaking the device, including alerts for unsafe areas.
- Interactive Guidance: Instructions for using ticket machines via shake gesture, with multilingual FAQs and special assistance for first-time users.
Create Prototypes
The task was to develop a low-fidelity prototype for one idea. Although AR features are promising, they involve too many parameters for this scope. I chose to focus on practical solutions based on the main problem and brainstormed ideas from the interviews, and developed two key approaches:
Main Screen Interface Improvements
- Quick-access to other Cities through the search field or, optionally, via a direct icon to switch cities
- Shortcuts separated from the search field for better visibility
- Transport modes reorganized into three categories: public, ride, and active
- Filter options for the fastest, safest, most calorie-burning, most economical, and most sustainable routes
Ticket Purchase Locator Integration
- Ticket function for easy access from the main screen, directing users to the Ticket Purchase Locator. Users can also access this feature after selecting a route: they can view available tickets and, if the option is available, make purchases or access the locator.
- The Ticket Purchase Locator includes filters for nearby sales options or ticket machines. It features an interactive map with clickable icons for sales points, showing location, availability, payment methods, safety notes, and user reviews. Additionally, support options provide step-by-step guidance for purchasing tickets.
- AR guidance for locating sales points could be considered.
Conclusion & Key Learnings
- This project did not follow a complete design thinking process; for example, user testing was missing, which is crucial for ensuring features are user-friendly and address the right problems.
- I’ve realized the design thinking process is non-linear. For instance, users showed interest in Citymapper’s ticketing system, but I found it already exists in one city and is expanding. This led me to rethink the problem and explore new solutions.
- Overall, this project provided valuable learning experiences. I’m excited to see how Citymapper might use these ideas for future updates and welcome any feedback or suggestions!
References
- Citymapper. (n.d.). Citymapper. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citymapper
- Kumar, A., & Mohanty, S. (2023). Integrated ticketing systems and user satisfaction. Medium. Retrieved from https://medium.com/
- Citymapper. (2019). Citymapper Pass Comes to an End. Retrieved from https://citymapper.com/
- Masabi. (2023). Citymapper App Users Can Now Plan Trips and Purchase Bus Tickets for National Express West Midlands Buses Powered by Masabi. Retrieved from https://masabi.com/
- UrbanGo. (2023). Partnership Announcement: Ticketing Integration with National Express West Midlands. Retrieved from https://urbango.com/
