Caltrain – Gregory Padilla

What's the problem I tried to solve?

Problem

Users expressed a demand for an enhanced Trip Planner experience, as many encountered confusion and difficulties while scheduling their next trip using the system.

goal

Enhance the Trip Planner experience to provide users with a seamless and intuitive journey scheduling experience.

Solution: User-centered Trip Planner

plan

Revamped the trip-planning feature to prioritize user needs, offering a fully redesigned and more descriptive trip-planning process. Users can now conveniently plan trips instantly or in advance.

purchase

Enhanced user visibility regarding ticket costs for their chosen service and the convenience of online ticket payment options with mobile payment systems.

ride

Improved user experience by providing convenient access to tickets via native wallet apps, enable calendar integration for service departures, and communicate users' environmental impact through a carbon footprint message in order details.

The revamped Trip Planner enhances user system status awareness and facilitates ticket purchases for added convenience

II. Research

What is Caltrain?

background

Founded in 1985, Caltrain is a California commuter rail service connecting the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley. It spans from San Jose to San Francisco, with 28 regular stops.

Recognizing the challenges faced by Caltrain website riders

Heuristic analysis

To gain insights into the present user experience and the site's functionality, I used the Trip Planner, documenting my journey. Upon initial interface evaluation, it became evident that an examination, including the observation of interactions, identification of design patterns, and detection of usability issues, would be imperative.

competitor analysis

I conducted a market analysis to discover existing trends. My research revealed that indirect competitors incorporate trip-planning features that seamlessly integrate within their platforms, avoiding redirection to external sites, such as Caltrain. This approach enhances the trip planning experience by ensuring continuity within the platform, a valuable trait worth considering for further implementation.

survey and interview

While I had initial hypotheses regarding the trip planner functions, I aimed to validate these by ensuring alignment with user experiences and frustrations on the website. To achieve this, I administered a survey to seven current Caltrain riders and subsequently engaged in one-on-one interviews with four participants, seeking a deeper understanding of their user encounters and perspectives.

wrap up insights

I analyzed survey responses and interview transcripts, utilizing them to construct an affinity diagram, a user persona, and a journey map, resulting in the identification of key themes.

The website experience of Caltrain riders

User persona

Through a thorough examination of my research, I created Ethan, who aided in informed decision-making throughout the design process. His well-defined attributes not only delineate the characteristics of my target audience but also provide a cohesive framework for addressing critical pain points and needs within my design solutions.

journey map

I crafted a journey map to better understand users during their trip-planning experience, with a particular focus on addressing frustrations in this phase. Insights from the map suggested opportunities to enhance the user experience by improving the trip planner's user-friendliness, informativeness, and timeliness, and by adding a ticket payment flow for a smoother trip-planning process.

Caltrain website riders' needs and design principles

Need: User-friendly Trip Planer.

I want to expand the current trip planner functionality beyond inputting current departure and destination locations.
I want an effective planning feature that can assist me when making travel arrangements.
I want a trip-saving feature to store recurrent trips for future reference.

Principle: Design should address user needs by incorporating convenient and efficient capabilities.

Need: "I believe there's a lot of information I don't know yet"

I want access to all crucial information throughout my experience.
I want to be well-informed regarding essential details such as pricing, service status, rules, and etiquette.
I want to feel adequately prepared and informed.

Principle: Design should promote visibility of system status and relevant information.

III. Design

Addressing the needs of Caltrain website riders

Sitemap

I created a sitemap for the Caltrain website's information architecture by analyzing the existing site and validating it with user input. Following this, I organized the navigation hierarchy through a closed card sort activity with six participants using Optimal Sort.

task flow

To define the necessary features for my prototype, I began by creating task flows. These flows, focused on trip planning, guided the identification of essential functionalities. The primary task flow centered on planning trips from Palo Alto to San Francisco for immediate and future dates.

crazy 8s

To assess the flow and screen requirements for a redesigned trip planning process, I sketched out foundational ideas. Reviewing these sketches with consideration of prior research and user needs, I refined the core question: How can I improve trip planning efficiency?

Redesigning the Trip Planner

design exploration and client identity challenges

Taking inspiration from indirect competitors like BART and Amtrack, along with secondary competitors such as Google Maps and Transit, I explored various screen variations for my proposed solution. I transitioned my initial sketches into the digital realm, where I expanded upon them while seeking feedback from fellow designers.

IV. Evaluate

Testing with Caltrain website riders

results

Usability tests were conducted remotely via Zoom, employing the think-aloud method with a cohort of nine participants familiar with the Caltrain website. The evaluation criteria included the participants' ability to complete tasks error-free and their comprehension of information provided by the trip planner. Overall, the tests yielded successful outcomes, validating design decisions made through prior research. Following are the average score from nine participants (rating 1-7).

6.2

Convenience and efficiency

How helpful is the process in promoting convenience and efficiency?

5.43

System status and information

How helpful is the process in displaying pertinent information?

Iterations

trip planner progress bar

A recurring user question emerged during testing, "how many more steps do I have?". This observation highlighted an overlooked aspect: the inadequacy of system status visibility within the "Plan a Trip" process. Recognizing the criticality of this element, I revisited the design and introduced a progress bar, clarifying the number of steps required to finalize a purchase.

mobile payment systems

Five out of nine users expressed their expectation for payment options such as PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, which are considered standard on other websites. They found these alternatives more convenient than manually entering their card information. Conversely, two out of nine users indicated that the absence of these additional payment options diminished their trust in the website.

V. Final designs

improved trip planner features

The redesign introduces a user-centric trip-planning feature that prioritizes user needs and emphasizes a more descriptive planning process. It empowers users with the flexibility to plan trips either instantly or in advance.

purchase tickets

Users can now access the ticket cost for their chosen service and make online payments. The introduction of payment options like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay was implemented in response to user feedback, aligning the website with standard industry features and enhancing user trust.

integration with mobile device

The new system ensures users have access to their tickets as long as they possess their device. Integration with native wallet apps enhances user-centered convenience in displaying tickets. Additionally, users can add service departures to their calendars and access station addresses. Notably, a carbon footprint message within order details informs users of their environmental contribution towards a greener Earth.

responsive desgin

I developed a mobile-responsive website to enable users to conveniently access information about Caltrain's services and service lines.

Conclusions and takeaways

what i learned

I'm really happy with the results as they confirmed a lot of my initial ideas through thorough testing, thanks to the extensive research I did. Gathering data and keeping users and designers in the loop throughout was not only reassuring but also eye-opening.

Revamping an outdated UI that was overflowing with information was quite a task, especially while keeping the client's brand intact. By focusing on improving the most-used parts of the website, I took a more user-centered approach, and it paid off – all users now prefer the redesigned version.

Streamlining the Trip Planner experience for Caltrain riders

I. Project Overview