Q: How can we improve the overall experience of tourists and visitors as they navigate the city?
The vast majority of transit apps available on the market are made exclusively for city residents and commuters who are familiar with their routes and use a transit pass.
Most tourism apps available for the city of Toronto ignore the difficulty new visitors face in trying to navigate the city in a timely and affordable way. Travel Bandit proposes to be an easy-to-use, integrated, tourism and transit app geared towards this group of overlooked and underserved customers.
The research interviews revealed how an app that incorporated ticket purchasing and directions to attractions could improve the customer experience.
• Tourists value being able to navigate the city without any prior knowledge (particularly if
they speak a different language) and get to their destination in a timely & affordable
manner.
• Visitors recall frustrating experiences trying to search for and pay for tickets to the
various tourist attractions.
• Paying for transit is a difficult endeavour for tourists and visitors who do not have a
transit card or have difficulty locating a payment booth.
Based on my user research I created the User Persona of Andrew, the Tourist Archetype, to help inform my design decisions.
I then uploaded my initial screen sketches in Figma to create a clickable prototype and shared it with 5 users who gave me their feedback on the initial functionality and features.
Next, I designed a series of wireframes for key screens based on my user persona, user flows, and initial user testing feedback. Ensuring key elements and features discovered during the research phase were included so they could be tested in the next stage.
I tested my design decisions a second time using the wireframes. 5 users gave their feedback on the updated functionality of the main user flows.
Before proceeding to high-fidelity screens I created a logo, app icon, and branding guidelines for the Travel Bandit App’s UI.
I selected a AA Contrast Ratio safe colour palette and a simple topography system to build the branding guidelines. The logo and app icon were inspired by Travel Bandit’s company name and values, and the quintessential city of Toronto mascot the raccoon.
Using the information gleaned from my second round of user testing I began work on the higher-fidelity screens. I also expanded on several screens from the initial prototypes to create the final high-fidelity prototype ready for developer handoff.
User Testing is a crucial tool for insight and ideas about optimizations in the product experience. I learned that several rounds of User Testing are the key to perfecting user flows and features. Using established UX formulas, like for checkout flow, can be the best bet for both the user and designer.
