Five Steps to Practicing User-Centered Cartography
Iconic transportation systems such as the London Tube, Washington Metro, and New York City Subway use maps and wayfinding to unify riders and smoothly guide them along their journeys. Today, cities large and small are offering a variety of transportation options and encouraging people to change their commute habits to be healthier, environmentally conscious, or time saving. Maps play a huge role in communicating ‘unfixed’ mobility networks– such as comfortable bike routes and have the power to influence a city’s identity.
I’m a NYC based cartographer designing solutions for the transportation sector at Conveyal, and on a freelance basis. I work on multi-modal maps and trip planning tools, as well as Bicycle Comfort Level Maps for Arlington County and The City of Key West. User-centered process is integral to my job of communicating complex systems to the public.
Transportation maps extend service to millions of users daily and are highly influential in rider decision making. For example, studies show that the London Tube Map is trusted by users 2x more than their own experience (The Atlantic Cities). Furthermore, the original Harry Beck Tube Map expanded the London real estate market by showing far away locations as easy to get to.
A transportation map has the power to shape a city’s identity, and residents and tourists alike latch on to it as part of their own.
Maps can can also be used to advertise destinations and give them context before a user decides to venture there. Below we see how the DC Circulator incorporates the schematic map as a component of its visual branding.
Modern American cities are developing mobility networks by combining services — such as bike, carpool, bus, and more. Often there are barriers to large infrastructure projects, and cities use messaging as a quicker solution to changing mobility habits.
For example, communication efforts can effectively brand a place as ‘bike friendly’ however, more than often the map does not serve the needs of a new-to-biking public. It takes a cartographer to understand the context of the bike network and the population it serves.
Mapping comfort is known as a critical component to reducing psychological stress of riders. However a universal data standard for comfort does not yet exist. Local knowledge is crucial in gathering data and highly encouraged. In an ideal circumstance, a team should take on the point of view of an ‘interested but concerned rider’ and bike the roads first hand to identify a routes’ comfort level. Elements such as traffic volume, road width, traffic speed, and number of cyclists should be taken into account.
In accommodating the needs of the user through people-centered research and experience prototyping, the map can become the cornerstone of a biking service and send the message of comfort and ease where applicable.
Below are some examples from my work in Arlington County.
By building research into a project scope, designers can create a feedback loop between stakeholders, the community, and project partners. User testing and refinement ensures that the end product will be a map that serves the unique needs of its community.
My recipe for user-centered cartography:
1. Know the place
Interview enforcement officers, tourists, residents community stakeholders, planning departments to get a diverse understanding of users and their needs. Gather themes and create insights.
2. Unify the project team
Conduct brainstorming and strategy sessions with planners, city officials, and marketers/advertisers. Developing a shared understanding is the first step to prioritizing goals.
3. Gather local data
Is your data traffic volume based? Infrastructure based? Did you consider safety of the neighborhood? Lighting? Road width? Take all the local knowledge into account.
4. Develop style guides
Start with an international, bare bones style that communicates. Test prototypes and refine from there. Make sure your community base and the press is kept in the know.
5. Make. Test. Repeat.
Keeping in touch with the community and stakeholder base is important and is getting the press to back up your communications efforts.
With systems continuously adding infrastructure on these types of projects, often yearly you get the chance to try new things and re-evaluate!
