Systems Design
Unseen Struggles of Urban Mobility
At-A-Glance
The task was to understand the landscape of urban mobility in India from a systems thinking perspective, to create a product which makes lives easier and does social good. I created an app and a system which not only integrates all means of public mobility in an unified system but also makes it so that the user experience is user centred and takes into account creating seamless and natural experience of mobility.
| Solo
| My Role
| Timeline
| Tools
Highlight
Integrated Public Mobility App
Fully automated and user friendly
No more checking routes in one app, booking multiple tickets in another only to find out that the train is late when you arrive and you're not going to make your connection. The Bharat Transit App makes it easy to do everything right in the app. From suggesting best routes and connections to accurate timings and guidance through out the process it understand the users and their need and offers them solutions and alternatives.
| AI Navigator Buddy
The app helps users by getting the relevant Information and the bestrode options forth from active databases. In a very simple manner the app suggest destinations, based on habits and locations, pays for all the tickets necessary, and then guides the user through the journey.
| Integrated Payments
No need to buy multiple tickets for the same trip you can buy once or not at all. the app buys all the tickets necessary for the trip into one payment. This one payment can also be skipped if it is set up with a wallet.
Discover
Starting thoughts…
Tired of feeling limited by mobility
A world where everyone, regardless of their mobility limitations, can easily navigate their surroundings and access essential services. To create such a world, we must design a mobility solution that empowers individuals by providing real-time, accurate, and comprehensive information about accessible routes, transportation options, and amenities. By focusing on user-centered design, incorporating accessibility features, and integrating with existing services, we can develop a tool that truly transforms the lives of those who face mobility challenges.
Solution
Designing a mobility solution using systems thinking
Design a mobility solution that provides real-time information on accessible routes, transportation options, and amenities for individuals who face challenges accessing urban mobility.
The Unseen Struggles of Urban mobility in Developing Countries
Having traversed the bustling streets of Delhi, the chaotic yet vibrant avenues of Ahmedabad, and the meticulously planned urban landscapes of Germany, I've witnessed firsthand the stark disparities in urban mobility. From the relentless traffic congestion and infrastructure bottlenecks in Indian cities to the efficient public transportation systems and pedestrian-friendly environments of Germany, my experiences have underscored the critical role that urban planning plays in shaping the quality of life for its residents. While Indian cities grapple with challenges like inadequate public transport, limited accessibility for people with disabilities, and the dominance of private vehicles, German cities exemplify a more sustainable and inclusive approach, prioritizing pedestrianization, cycling infrastructure, and well-integrated public transport networks. These contrasting experiences ignited my curiosity to explore the underlying factors that contribute to these disparities and to envision innovative solutions that can address the pressing challenges of urban mobility in developing countries.
But the question is
what effect does congestion and lack of adequate public mobility have on people.
So the real question becomes
What can we do to alleviate issues stemming from poor urban mobility options, congestion and lack of proper systems in place.
At this point it became clear that it is a multifaceted problem with no single source of issues but whole plethora of various systems co-existing to make mobility happen for a lot of people. It was also clear that a deeper dive in to mapping out the system was needed.
With the help of systems thinking map I was able to work out various connections and correlations between several factors affecting urban mobility including sustainability, congestion, public transport geographic considerations as well as understanding cultural influences.
Further a comparative case study was done between various mobility systems of India with cities like Copenhagen, Berlin and London, to draw parallels and then adopt the best practices to Indian systems and adapt what's working in these cities mobility systems to work with restraints and conditions of India and create solutions that work with the context.
Stakeholders in urban mobility were mapped to understand their influence and their role in the larger system, this enabled me to gain an overview of their challenges and involvement in shaping the field.
To garner further insights
Surveys and interviews of various stake holders were conducted, and after digging….
76% people who use public transport state their primary reason for using public transport is their inability to afford other means of mobility.
People who have transitioned from using private vehicles to Public transport claim that the two major reasons are the problems of parking and congestion.
81% people who use public transport find it difficult to find important information.
64% people find it difficult to access and use public transport systems in India
After all the Evidences, Data, Information was collected
I wanted to create a one last systems map to make sure I had all the necessary connections to be able to narrow down and solve problems which will have real life implications.
Problem area
I was able to narrow down on problems
The problem was fourfold, limited infrastructure for mass transit, lack of integrations of various modalities of mobility, lack of last mile connectivity & integration and lack of proper information distribution.
Hypothesis
Integrating modes of public transport, to resolves the inconvenience and inefficiency of fragmented transit systems, enabling smooth, interconnected travel experiences for passengers.
Implement a unified payment system that works across all modes of transportation. This could involve a smart card or mobile app that allows users to pay for and access any mode of transport without the need for multiple tickets or payment methods.
Developing integrated schedules and timetables that are synchronised across different modes of transport. This ensures that connections are optimised, reducing waiting times and allowing for smoother transitions between various public transports and last mile options.
Core Principles
Simplicity
Since we're dealing with complexity and lack of knowledge in user base, the last thing I wanted to do was confuse users while navigating the app. My goal was for users to instinctively understand our product without needing to "know" or "learn" anything specific to use it.
To be able to achieve goals which align with streamlining the process of mobility.
To enable instinctive use, I structured my product with goal of reducing three core costs in mind i.e. cognitive cost, psychological cost, and labor cost.
Make it easy to understand how to use the app to complete their journey (Reducing cognitive load)
Make them want to use the app. (Improve Operations)
Make the journey easy
Exploration
Next I decided to create and map an Experience Architecture that achieves the goals of the keeping these principles in mind.
Finding the best Interface
Cognitive load
I decided to integrate AI based Chat bot to serve with a majority of functions of the app, as an addition to traditional navigation and ticketing functions. I thought as AI is able to help users in so many functions, this app would be the right fit for minimising cognitive load while using public transport. As found in my research cognitive load was the biggest challenge I set out to solve.
Though I still had some concerns….
Conflicts
The information we need to show users is extensive, making it difficult to squeeze into a chat bubble.
People may not be able to trust a bot to handle such important tasks.
I decided to try two ways of utilising a chatbot system.
I tried a Rule based Chatbot and a traditional chatbot system to see what users could relate with more.
After user testing I got two major feedbacks-
I can appreciate the organisation in the Rule based system and the simplicity but it feels never ending, I am more familiar with traditional Chatbots and I believe they make it easier for me to accomplish what I need to.
I believe this method may be more empathetic and easy at times but I hope it doesn't take me longer to accomplish the same goals that I need to.
Interaction
The new scroll like chatbot interaction makes so that users don't have to reorient to new screens. Cognitive Load goes down
It is supposed by studies as well
"When interactions are less visually disruptive, users perceive the system as faster, even if the actual response time is the same."
— Nielsen, J. (1993). Usability Engineering.
Interface was redesigned
Simplified ChatBot UI with improved visual Hierarchy
Replacing Complicated tasks
Cognitive load
During Interview users mentioned that they feel that all the navigation and ticketing apps are a overwhelming the way they have to familiarise themselves with process of utilising the service can be a challenge and also the fact that they have to do it for multiple different apps sometimes makes it uneasy to access such services related to public mobility.
Familiarity is known to reduce cognitive load, using this concept I design this interface that every flow and actions takes place in a very Similar manner so that users don't have to readjust their expectations for every task. The use of a chat bot system enabled this function. This was user will be familiar with the process even while doing a new task flow.
Making it easy to understand
Psychological cost
I first tried to streamline the whole process of understanding the information presented for the journey. Then I tried to bring more relevant information to the screen without disrupting the hierarchy of information.
To do this I first prioritised the current state and need for action based on location and time to show the user exactly what they needed to do, how long did they needed to wait, the whole journey with all the necessary steps and delays if any.
This gave the users a straight forward guide to their route within the chat bot system, it minimised psychological load for as to reducing the users need to take further steps for more information and also made it easy so that users don't get lost within the systems or aren't frustrated with the amount actions required.
Making it accessible
Usability
The initial home screen I designed had dynamic and constantly moving widgets but it was brought to my attention that such might not be accessible to people with disabilities such as vision loss as moving widget like screen are hard to keep track of when using screen readers so I decided that I will focus on make the Home Screen in such a way that it become easy to use even with screen readers.
This Revisitation also turned out to be a hidden surprise with a "curb cut effect" as with later usability tests it became evident that even people who were't facing any disabilities felt that the iteration reduced cognitive load of having to reorient to new screen and also having to search for things they wanted access. These users along with people who use screen readers were able to access everything the app had to offer very easily.
Feed and News
Feedback Loops
After more research in the said topic I realised that keep people informed and giving people a stage to add feedback would help the App and system to be more relatable to human this will enable a friendlier approach towards the app.
Inbuilt Last Mile Access
Cognitive Load
With so many steps involved and last mile being so complicated of all ,deters from a good and easy user flow this app integrates last mile mobility options like motorcycle, bikes and cabs. Not only does it improve the user experience by making it easy to go to the destination but also decreasing the time and cognitive function it takes to plan and make the trip.
The Result
Jury Presentation
On my last day of the journey, I got to pitch the idea to three awesome Jurors. I was stoked to see an external jury member from New Zealand had come to look at the work, this work with which his field of practice was very relevant.
"I wish India adopts this system, Indian people could really use such system to make people lives easier." Said one of the jurors.
Retrospective
Room full of Ideas
Whiteboards, sticky notes, papers—you name it. The walls were filled with ideas. It was a surreal experience to be in a space where creativity is visually unfolded.