This project, which was one of the final assignments of my Bachelor degree, has been gathering dust on my hard drive for the last two years. Now it’s time to brush that dust off, and look back on the process in its entirety.
This is a redesign of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. The reason why I chose this specific public transport system was simply because their app at the time was merely a map reader, nothing else. However they did publish a survey asking people what key features they wanted to see in the relaunch of the app. In addition to giving my two scents on desirable features, I wanted to give them something more tangible. Something that would illustrate my opinions.
That's what I ended up with, but now, let me take you on a little time travel back to May 2012.
Background
In 2011, Latitude Research, an international research consultancy, paired up with Next American City, a ”non-profit organization dedicated to connecting cities and informing the people who work to improve them” (http://americancity.org/about). Together they created a study called ”Tech Transit: Designing a Future System”.
They asked 18 drivers in San Francisco and Boston to rely on other forms of transit besides their cars for one whole week. After the week was through 12 out of the 18 participants said they were exposed to new experiences like art shows, local events, etc. All because of the new transit routes. Latitude concluded the study with the fact that people seemed more willing to use public transport as long as they have the right tools to manage their trips effectively.
Even though the sample size is small it goes without saying that this is an area worthy exploring further. As Keith Barry, a writer for Wired (2011), comments on the study:
“By encouraging the development of apps that make commuting easier, transit agencies can drastically, and at little cost, improve the ridership experience and make riding mass transit more attractive.”
Identity
Their logo in 2012. In 2014, it still looks the same, but I believe they've added a slightly different alternative to the main logo.
An overview of public transport identities around the world.
The number one thing most people care about when traveling (no matter the distance) is usually how to get from A to B. That’s the primary thought. When you know that you’re free to explore along the way, because you know how you’ll get to your final destination. This was my main focus throughout the process.
The letter M, symbolizing the metro, depicts a distance on a map, as well as the curve on the middle which shows the lifeline of an EKG-machine, establishing MARTA as the city’s heartbeat/pulse. All in all, the rounded curves, from the logo to the typeface, is supposed to make daily riders feel more comfortable, but at the same time make strangers feel welcome.
Final result
By combining two shades of blue the metro represents a service you can trust.
Staff uniform and metro card
Signage
App
2012 isn't really that long ago, but it's easy to forget how applications have evolved ov. You know, before all the flatness. At that time, most apps made for transport systems looked like this:
In hindsight the one area I'd really like to improve on would be making the interface more "responsive". With that I mean that the system actually gives you more feedback straight away (for example when you enter your destination it should tell you immediately what you chose).
Looking back on this project now, two years later, there are definitely parts that feel outdated. However, the concept itself, and the reasoning behind the choices I made at the time, still stands strong.
Looking back on this project now, two years later, there are definitely parts that feel outdated. However, the concept itself, and the reasoning behind the choices I made at the time, still stands strong.
Thanks for watching!
