Persona
Our first persona that will drive and inspire our designs is Mark Zuck, an average user of the University of Maryland shuttle service system. Mark typically uses the bus system to navigate around the university and nearby locations throughout the day. They find the system to be convenient in some ways but severely lacking in others such as application usability and bus timeliness. Mark also uses the shuttles at night since he believes that safety is a primary issue with walking in the dark. He is often troubled by the unreliability of the times provided on apps, NextBus and UMO Mobility. He continues to use the bus due to the distance he has to walk from his apartment to his classes daily. When Mark is waiting for the bus, he does nothing but scroll through his phone to entertain himself. Mark also relies on the shuttles’ opening times since he has morning classes to rush to. Even then, he sometimes misses the bus because of conflicting times and has to wait 30 minute intervals with no control over it.
Key Characteristics:
Age: 20-28
Fourth year as a student at University of Maryland
Lives near campus, but is currently in off-campus housing.
Often checks his phone regularly when doing nothing
Prefers to make it to class early or on-time, because he rarely has gaps in-between
Relies a lot on bus navigation apps
Goals:
Easy accessibility for routes and times of buses.
Service alerts of bus delays and issues to be more easily noticeable.
Make it more engaging to sit in bus stops
Design 1: Transit Entertainment System
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Scenario/StoryboardÂ
Jack Dorse wakes up one morning after a long night of assignments and realizes he is late to his class across campus that he usually has time to walk to. He usually avoids the bus because he doesn’t believe that the transportation is reliable, but today he has no choice but to risk it. He rushes out of his dorm room in Centreville Hall to the nearest bus stop just outside his dorm. He forgot his headphones because he was in a rush, but when he gets to the bus stop he is pleasantly surprised that there have been speaker systems installed playing music from local radio stations. Rather than sit stressed about being late for his class, he has something to listen to to distract himself while waiting for the bus. When the bus arrives, he steps on, and is pleasantly surprised again to hear the same music being played in the cabin. He arrives at his class close to on time, but in a much better mood than he could have been.Â
Assessment
Advantages
This design would positively affect user experience by providing a source of entertainment throughout the transit processÂ
Disadvantages
The main disadvantage to this approach is that some riders may find music being played, or the type of music being played, to be disruptive, and thus it could have the opposite effect to what's intended
FeasibilityÂ
This design is very easy to implement, as most buses already have a speaker system; it is just rarely in any kind of use. Bus stops would certainly need speakers installed, but that is a small one time cost that would provide long term benefit to users, so this is easy to justify as well. The disadvantages suggest that such a design could potentially backfire however, so this isn’t a design we would recommend is implemented.
Design 2: Bus Information Terminal
Scenario/StoryboardÂ
Marc Zuck wakes up one morning after a long night of work at the IT help desk for the University of Maryland. He realizes he is late to his class across campus that he usually has time to walk to, and decides the bus is his best option to getting to class on time, but he isn’t super familiar with the bus routes and timing. He leaves his dorm in Cambridge Hall, trying to access bus routes while walking to the nearest stop. He can’t get the site to load on his phone, but when he arrives, he is pleasantly surprised to see that an information terminal has been installed which features an easy to read display on which buses are where, and what routes are functioning. It also provides timing estimates for bus arrivals at various stops, and is interactable via touch screen. Marc taps on the busses that are coming to his stop to highlight their routes, and then chooses the one which will drop him closest to his class near Mckeldin Mall. He is able to see the estimated time for the bus's arrival to his stop as well as his estimated time of arrival to the stop at Mckeldin Mall.Â
Assessment
Advantages
The terminal provides users with an interface that they can visually interact with. The terminal not only provides time estimates but also maps the locations of the buses on a map so the users can have a visual representation of where the buses are.
Disadvantages
One disadvantage is that users will not be able to receive time estimates from their home. They would have to be at a bus stop in order to receive time estimates.Â
FeasibilityÂ
This design would not be very difficult to implement and would further enhance the experience of UMD students that utilize the shuttle system. The terminal would be very helpful and satisfying for our users since they will be able to visualize the location of their bus, as opposed to simply looking at a number that tells them how far it is. The design is also very easy to learn and use since all our users have to do is look at the display on the terminal to see how long it’ll take for the bus to arrive and show them how far away it is on a map.
Design 3: Bus Attendants with Service Animals (Wacky)
Scenario/StoryboardÂ
Cathy Woo wakes up one morning after a long night of assignments feeling very exhausted and fatigued. As she is getting ready to leave her apartment, she finds that her phone and laptop are on very low battery and her airpods are dead. She needs her laptop for her classes as this is her primary method for taking notes in class and she needs her phone to communicate with friends. To add to her frustration, she lives in the off campus apartments and has to walk to the nearest bus station in order to get to campus, which she normally does not have a problem with since she listens to music on the way but she can’t do that because her airpods are dead. Feeling like she is having the worst morning that she can possibly have, she arrives at the bus station to find that people are crowded around something. She discovers that there is a service dog that everyone is petting and she too gets a chance to pet it. This is a wonderful surprise for Cathy since she is a huge dog lover and it brightens her mood for the day. Despite all the inconvenience she faced early in the morning, now she is in a much more positive mood for class.Â
Assessment
Advantages
Users and stakeholders will receive positive emotional benefits from service animals being present on/near bus stops.Â
Users will be distracted while waiting for busesÂ
Disadvantages
This type of idea might cause undue crowding around bus stops, which would increase delays and negatively affect overall perception of UMD’s transit system
Some students are allergic to particular animals, and they might be prevented from being near the bus stops or bussesÂ
FeasibilityÂ
This design is not particularly implementable due to the potentially negative impacts it would have on users and stakeholders, While it might benefit some, it should not come at the cost of other riders experience
Comparison of Designs
The main similarities in our designs are their intention to improve user and stakeholder experience and perception about UMD’s transit system. They do this in various ways, either by improving the functionality of bus stops, or by improving entertainment since users often must wait for busses to arrive. Our speaker design conflicts with some of our user experience goals, as an entertainment system can be both positive or disruptive depending on the individual and circumstances. The same is true for our wacky idea of having service animals near and around bus stops, as this could be incredibly disruptive for individuals with allergies or fears of specific animals. Our terminal idea fits most coherently within our design requirements, and if done correctly, would likely only positively benefit users and stakeholders. It would increase interaction with bus stops while also improving the user-experience.