Konnect Transit
TEAM
Individual Project
DURATION
6 Weeks
OVERVIEW
A public transit app that provides autistic people with location-based instruction, etiquette, and assistance in gaining independence.
PROJECT TYPE
Coursework Project
Product Highlight
Design Challenge
How can we assist autistic community in gaining independence on public transit?
This project's purpose was to successfully lead young autistic adults around public transit. Here, I lead in developing a design response based on our formative research. I looked into ways to encourage autistic users who are inexperienced riders to use public transportation. By providing them with location-based directions, real-time transit guides, and assistance through community engagement.
Autism is a condition that is characterized by impaired communication, difficulty with social skills, fixations, and repetitive behavior. It can look similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety (and it can also co-occur with those conditions).
Research Opportunity
I carried out my research focusing on this problem space:
3.5 Million
"Americans suffers from autism spectrum disorder"
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In terms of public transportation, Autistic people have restricted options.
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Paratransit
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Transportation Training
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Driving help
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Research Observations
From the research, I gained the following valuable insights from the autistic community and the highlighted the problem space to be solved:
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Changes in public transportation systems can readily cause anxiety in young autistic persons.
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They use social media sites like Reddit and Twitter to educate and share their experiences.
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Autistic people' transportation training is minimal or non-existent.
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Limited hours, extended service wait-time windows, challenges for normal travel journeys, are all factors that limit paratransit services for those with special needs.
Stepping into user's shoes..
I conducted the qualitative research where I interviewed 7-8 users and gathered their thoughts through empathy mapping to understand their pain points:
POV Statements
Following this I curated the POV statements to make the important design decisions for the features to be included in the app:
Wireframes
I made the design decisions and created 10-15 design concepts, and finalised the following one:
High fidelity
Iteration & Final Screens
Scenario 1: Directions & Tracking
Scenario 2: Ride Assistance & Onboarding
Scenario 3: SOS & Help
Scenario 4: Community
Prototype link
Usability Testing Outcomes
Task 1
To navigate the scenario 1 of
tracking & onboarding
Task 2
To test the scenario 2 of ride
assistance & help
Task 3
To test the scenario 3 SOS
& emergency
Conclusion
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These features proved to be really valuable to the users we experimented with. It gave them a sense of security and direction at every stage of their transit journey.
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The feedback from the user testing would be improved in the next and final itertion
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The most prevalent feedback was about navigation being difficult without clear explicit instructions, the idea of having a gaming experience could be distracting and they liked the feature of community sharing.
Impact & takeaways
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More dimensions could be added to cover the wide spectrum of mental disability.
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The app can be made more personalized for each special need.
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Most significantly, I got the opportunity to work with a diverse range of users, which helped me grow as a designer by allowing me to focus on inclusivity.
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I learnt that attaining inclusive design means expanding our scope to include everyone who frequently makes mistakes on bus rides and how we can assist them, such as people with disabilities, non-native speakers, and first-time riders.