The Problem

Why can't I customize my route to better fit my preferences and needs?​

Through a thorough analysis of existing route planning apps and user interviews, the research identified that users were looking for more control over their routes and a more personalized approach to route planning.

The Goal

To give the users more control in customizing their routes according to their preferences, while providing a seamless and intuitive user experience.

To achieve this goal, the project had the following objectives:

• Design a UI supporting and balancing different types of uses, allowing efficient daily use and full customization.

• Provide users with additional data about their routes, improving their experience and giving them more control over their transportation choices. ​

Design Process - Research

The process began with a thorough analysis of existing route planning apps (Read more in CA research tab).Then, I conducted user interviews to gain insights into the pain points of the users and the problems of the existing solutions (Read more in Personas  & User Flows tab).

The research concluded that most of the existing apps are limited in their ability to customize routes, leaving users with few options to optimize their route according to their preferences.

Defining use types:

• Daily use:
  

  This is the basic, repetitive use of the app that is intended for everyday usage. It is designed to be efficient and quick, allowing users to quickly access the information they need, such as bus routes, schedules, and arrival times. This type of use is ideal for commuters or people who rely on public transportation on a regular basis, and need a quick way to plan a route.

• Advanced use:
  

  This is a more specific and customizable use of the app that allows users to plan and customize their routes. It is intended for users who want to make specific adjustments to their route according to their needs, plan combined routes or explore alternative options. This type of use is ideal for people who want more control over their route planning.

Challanges & Solutions

Challenge: How to provide customization options that are clear and intuitive?

One of the main challenges was designing a user-friendly and intuitive interface that allows advanced route customization.

Solution: Drag & Drop interface

To solve this challenge, I introduced the route construction interface through a drag and drop function.Drag & drop makes the process of customization more intuitive and user-friendly, as it allows users to visually construct their route, provides users with a sense of control, and enhances the user experience by making the app more interactive and engaging.

Challenge: How can the app support both daily and advanced use?

Another main challenge was to design an app that caters to both daily uses and advanced uses. The app needs to provide a fast and efficient flow for daily/regular use, and a full customization flow for users who need to create a new route.​

Solution 1: Onboarding personalization

One of my approaches to solve this challenge is an initial onboarding stage, where users are asked to set their preferences on certain aspects of route planning. Using this data, the app is able to provide better and more personalized route suggestions, without the need for full customization, resulting in an efficient daily use experience.

Solution 2: Progressive Disclosure

The second approach to solve this challenge is the progressive disclosure approach, design that gradually reveals more information and features as needed, in order to prevent users from feeling overwhelmed. This technique can be used to support both novice and expert users, by providing a simple initial interface with advanced options available if needed.

In Yump, when a user searches for a route, they receive top suggested options based on their set preferences, as well as a tabs bar with general filtering options (Best option, fewest transfers, least walking). When a user wishes to further customize their route suggestions, they can select a suggested route and click "Edit". This leads to an advanced editing screen, enables users to easily construct their route by dragging & dropping, and adjusting various options.  

Challenge: How to improve the experience of the users with public transportation and increase the sense of control?

​One of the pain points I identified in relation to lack of control, is the lack of information provided to users about their routes.By providing users with more information, they can feel more in control of their decisions, and make educated choices when selecting from a few options.Which leads to another challenge - What information should the app provide, and how does it get that data?

Based on my research, I designed a set of features aimed at providing users with more diverse data about the routes.
These features included:
‍
- Social data reports system: Live bus congestion level, Reliability of buses.
- Route live navigation and real-time arrival estimation

Solution: Social data reports

• Live bus congestion levels
  

  Based on a social report system, encouraging users who got on their bus to send live reports to help others, the app can provide real-time information about how full the bus is at a given time. Information that can help users who dislike very condensed bus environments choose a different route to their destination, or wait for the next bus.

• Bus arrival reliability rates
  

  Based on a social report system, encouraging users to send reports if a bus is running late or doesn't arrive at all, the app is able to provide information about how reliable a specific bus line is. Information that can help users choose a route that is more reliable over more efficient, to avoid the chance of the bus not arriving or being late.