Go Transit

The GO train network is an essential part of the Greater Toronto Area’s public transit system, providing connectivity for thousands of commuters every day. The aim of this project was to design a new application to improve the overall experience for GO train users by addressing the shortcomings of existing solutions and introducing a cohesive, user-centric design.

Role:

UX/UI Designer

Year:

2024

Introduction

The design process involved extensive research to understand the needs of different commuter personas, analyzing competitor applications, and developing a functional prototype that simplifies the user journey. This case study documents the entire process, from research and ideation to testing and refinement, highlighting the steps taken to create a valuable application for Toronto’s GO train riders.

Defining the Problem

Despite the availability of several mobile applications for navigating the GO train system in Toronto, many users encounter significant challenges that hinder their overall experience. The current applications often have complex and unintuitive interfaces, making it difficult for both regular commuters and tourists to navigate. Tourists, in particular, struggle to understand the information presented and frequently become confused due to unfamiliar station names and train schedules.

Objectives

Streamline the user experience by consolidating train schedules, real-time updates, and trip planning.

Design an intuitive interface that reduces cognitive load and supports seamless navigation.

Provide personalization options such as saving favorite routes and setting up customized notifications.

I analyzed reviews from existing train apps, highlighting both positive feedback and negative comments that revealed user pain points and suggestions for improvement. This analysis provided valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of current solutions.

This research provided valuable insights into the current challenges and areas for improvement, as well as helped define user personas to better understand their specific needs and expectations from the application.

User Personas

To ensure that the application caters to a diverse user base, I developed two detailed user personas. These personas represent the main groups of GO train users: daily commuters and tourists. Each persona includes demographic details, goals, behaviors, and pain points to provide a deeper understanding of user needs and inform the design decisions.

John's problem statement: John is a busy IT consultant and daily GO train commuter who needs a reliable and efficient way to manage my commute because the current apps don’t provide timely updates or an easy way to plan alternative routes, causing delays and frustration.

Emily's problem statement: Emily is a visiting freelance photographer who is unfamiliar with the GO train system and needs an easy way to navigate routes and access tourist-friendly information because the current apps are not designed for occasional users and lack clear guidance for exploring new areas.

These personas helped define the core features and navigation flows for the GO Train app, ensuring that it addresses the diverse needs of Toronto’s commuter base.

Defining Features and IA

Based on the research and analysis, I identified the core features for the new application:

Real-Time Updates: instant notifications about train delays, cancellations, and schedule changes.
Trip Planning: simplified trip planning with visual guides and route details.
Favorite Routes & Notifications: allows saving favorite routes and setting up notifications for important ones.
Accessibility Options: support for voice commands.

The information architecture was structured to ensure that all primary features were easily accessible, reducing the number of steps required to complete key tasks.

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

As the initial design phase continued, I made sure to base screen designs on findings from the user research.

Usability Testing

I conducted usability testing sessions with 15 participants, including daily commuters, occasional riders, and tourists. Each participant was asked to complete a series of tasks, such as planning a trip, checking the schedule, adding routes to favorites, or setting up notifications.

Results:

90% of users found the app easy to navigate and intuitive.
85% of participants preferred the visual trip planner over text-based schedule views.
Suggestions for improvement: add an identifier for a train or bus in the alerts, and include the line color if it's a train; add the ability to share the schedule.

Final Design

The final design reflects the feedback received during usability testing and includes the following features:

Schedule screen: The ability to share the schedule of a specific station has been added.
Alerts screen: Train or bus indicators have been added, as well as color distinctions for GO train lines.
Minor improvements: Revisions to texts and messages for improved user interaction with the app.

Results and Next Steps

The current version of the GO Train app is in the development phase, focusing on implementing core features such as real-time updates and trip planning.

Planned future features:

Ticket management: Integration of ticket purchasing and validation directly within the app.
Multi-modal transit planning: Support for integrating additional transit services in the Greater Toronto Area.
Accessibility enhancements: Inclusion of high-contrast modes, text-to-speech functionality, and other accessibility features to improve app usability for all users.

By applying a user-centered approach, I have designed an application that addresses the specific needs of Toronto’s GO train riders and provides a foundation for further development and enhancements.

Research and Discovery

To gain a deeper understanding of user pain points, I:

conducted 20 interviews with GO train users
analyzed reviews from existing train apps
performed a competitive analysis of similar applications

To better understand user needs and identify pain points, I conducted a series of interviews targeting two specific user groups: daily commuters and tourists. This approach helped capture diverse perspectives and provided a comprehensive view of the current issues faced by these different user segments when using the GO train mobile applications. Below is a summary of the interview questions and user responses.