Project mINDEASE - REVOLUTIONIZING san francisco’s Commuting experience
Problem: In our bustling, modern world, every second is invaluable. For professionals, the daily commute isn't just a journey; it's an opportunity. A chance to focus, to unwind, or to catch those fleeting moments of rest. Yet, amidst this tranquility, a persistent concern often emerges: "Will I miss my stop?"
During my Design Thinking course at Northwestern University in San Francisco, I, along with my dedicated team of three, embarked on a mission to redefine the BART commuting experience for professionals. We recognized the monotony and repetitiveness that often characterized their journeys and one major pain-point of the Bart System: Poor signage system. Our solution? Project MindEase: Your Digital Commuting Companion: Project MindEase is designed to seamlessly integrate with platforms like Google Maps - our primary implementation platform - Project Mindease can also be adapted for use with Transit App, Apple Maps, and more.
In our quest to redefine the BART commuting experience for professionals, our team adopted a systematic and user-centric approach. We initiated our process with an Assumption Grid on Mural, laying out our hypotheses and categorizing them based on their importance and our current understanding. This grid served as the foundation for our Research Plan, which was bifurcated into primary and secondary research modules, all meticulously organized in Mural.
Research Plan
rESEARCH synthesis
To gain firsthand insights, we ventured to BART stations, engaging directly with professionals through User Interviews. Their candid feedback was invaluable, shedding light on genuine pain points and aspirations. Post-interviews, we clustered and synthesized our findings using an Affinity Diagram, an Empathy Map and a Research Moodboard, ensuring we captured the emotional and functional facets of the commuter experience. The culmination of our efforts was the Journey Map, a comprehensive representation of the professional's commuting experience, highlighting opportunities for intervention and innovation. All the insights were eventually distilled down to 3 Insight Posters: Navigation, Utility, and Security. These themes resonated deeply, encapsulating the core concerns of professionals in transit. Through this methodical approach, we ensured our solutions weren't merely cutting-edge but genuinely addressed the heartfelt needs and aspirations of BART professionals.
Iterative prototyping
After brainstorming for each Insight Poster, we zeroed in on Signage. The current system often left professionals struggling to track their journey, making them constantly search for signs and cues, and taking away their personal time. From our extensive idea bank, we selected four main concepts: Interactive Poles, which update with real-time station information; a Station ETA Board Redesign for clearer arrival times; and the Wake Seat that alerts commuters of their approaching stop.
We then developed physical prototypes for these ideas to test their real-world application.
pROTOTYPE TESTING & PIVOTING
After testing our prototypes with professionals, we discovered that while they appreciated the navigational aids, practical challenges like time and budget constraints emerged. Moreover, the ubiquity of phone usage during commutes highlighted a preference for a digital solution. This feedback, combined with feasibility concerns, steered us towards designing a digital solution. Not only does this pivot address the professionals' needs and constraints, but it also capitalizes on their existing habits, offering a seamless, integrated experience without the logistical challenges of physical implementations.
PROJECT MINDEASE - final prototypes
We finally designed 3 digital prototypes for Project MindEase, which offers an enhanced commuting experience with three core features:
The Transit Mode refines the 'start' button, focusing solely on BART journey notifications and eliminating extraneous navigation prompts like walking directions to and from stations, for a streamlined commuting experience.
The ETA Widget activates during transit mode, allowing riders to effortlessly check their current location.
The Arrival Alert system delivers customized, multi-sensory notifications, eliminating redundant alerts.
Feedbacks & TakeAWAYS
We garnered extreme positive feedback from industry experts, including those from JPMorgan Chase, former SAP professionals, who praised our innovative approach and user-centric design solutions.
For Project Mindease, robust research, clear business objectives, and deep user understanding were pivotal. The primary challenge was crafting a design that seamlessly integrates with existing platforms, ensuring a fluid and intuitive user experience.
NEXT STEPS
Pitch Phase: Compile and present our proposal to navigation software providers.
Goal: Secure business integration.
Beta Testing: Collect feedback from actual commuters and refine the system.
Goal: Validate functionality and fine-tune performance.
Launch & Refinement: Roll out the solution and monitor user feedback.
Goal: Continual enhancement for a successful and evolving user experience.