UX STRATEGIES FOR THE CTA OF THE FUTURE

Research + Design Strategy

ORGANIZATION AMBITIONS
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“Public transportation needs to be recognized as the backbone whereby this whole extra collection of mobility options around the region get to exist with.”

Leanne Redden, speaking at UIC Urban Forum, 2019
Executive Director, Regional Transportation Authority

 

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
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  1. How does a connected mobility ecosystem affect the user experience of the CTA?

  2. How can the CTA influence the UX of the Chicagoland mobility ecosystem at large?

  3. What are some design principles that the CTA can use to plan for the next 10 years?

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 A GUIDING EXPERIENCE FRAMEWORK
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We developed the following framework as a guiding strategy for thinking about opportunity spaces to improve the user experience for CTA riders.

 
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Spaces

are the buses and trains;
the stops and stations;
the waiting areas, entrances, and exits.

 
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SPACES | UX RECOMMENDATIONS
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  1. Accessibility. The ADA should serve as a baseline for accessibility, while the CTA should strive for excellence in enabling an accessible Chicago.

  2. Communication. Information should be presented in a user friendly way, conversational and concise without visual clutter.

  3. First time user. Craft the user journey for uninitiated riders, including ticket kiosks and wayfinding.

  4. Safety. Perceptions of safety should be understood and crafted; feeling safe is equally important as safety itself.

 
 
 

Places

are why Chicagoans move throughout their city;
are Chicago’s vibrant neighborhoods;
are residential, business, industrial, and park districts;
are the cities spirit, culture, and community.

 
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PLACES | UX RECOMMENDATIONS
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  1. Storytelling. Understand and bring attention to why Chicagoan’s move throughout the city — their wants, needs, desires, and ambitions.

  2. Community. Integrate the CTA into the fabric of each neighborhood and the life of each neighborhood into the CTA.

 
 
 

System coordination

is how Chicagoan’s move throughout their city;
it’s navigating the multi-modal choices;
it’s how people plan their trips and find their way.

 
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SYSTEMS | UX RECOMMENDATIONS
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  1. Storytelling. Understand and bring attention to how Chicagoan’s move throughout the city — the apps, services, platforms, and modes they use.

  2. Predictability. Focus on relaying honest and accurate information that people can count on and plan around.

  3. Coordinate. Build bridges between other platforms and services by crafting the transitions between modes — both physical and digital.

  4. Empowerment. Help people make transportation decisions that support their values and understand the impacts of their choices.

 
 
 

IMPACT
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This project was self directed and not sponsored by the CTA. If it were, I might see this work living on through translating our recommendations into deeper, more targeted, research efforts or into how might we’s for further exploration towards the Regional Transportation Authority’s goals highlighted above.

 
 
 

PROJECT CONTEXT
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This was a group project. My role included planning and conducting research, and synthesizing findings into insights and a cohesive narrative. Some content has been independently developed further for this case study.

Our work and brief was self directed and not sponsored or supported by the CTA.

Collaborators Tommie Collins, Jessica DeMeester, Mrinali Gokani
Instructor Mark Micheli, Adjunct Professor IIT-ID
Fall 2019