Product Design Exercise #5
The NYC metrocard system has remained unchanged for decades. The cost of the metrocard machine infrastructure, the lost time of waiting in line to buy a metrocard, touching a dirty machine to do it, the potential of losing the metrocard, and the ease of gaming the system by swiping your card for others has cost the city millions of dollars and leaves much to be desired from the user experience. Design a new system that allows a daily user who uses the metro everyday or an-out-of-town visitor who will use the metro just once to get access to the metro, on time, without having a physical NYC metrocard on hand.
How do I handle this design exercise in 1 hr
Summarize the information from the topic
WHY
- lost time of waiting in line to buy a metrocard
- touching a dirty machine to do it, the potential of losing the metrocard
- the ease of gaming the system by swiping your card for others
WHO
- residents (daily)
- visitors (once)
- residents (daily)
- visitors (once)
WHEN & WHERE
- Before going to a place, people buy a ticket with my product
- Before going to a place, people buy a ticket with my product
WHAT
mobile app, users need to use it anytime and everywhere. Mobile phone is a convenient option.
I have also thought smartwatch app, but not so many people have it.
USER STORIES
- As a user, I want to be able to take metro without buying metro card so that I can save time on waiting in line
- As a user, I want to be able to take metro without buying metro card so that I can save time on waiting in line
- As a user, I want to be able to book tickets online before taking the metro, so that I can save time on waiting in line
- As a user, I want to be able to have a code to scan so that I don't need to touch the machine
FEATURES
- QR code
- search
- transaction
- ticket purchase
Sketches
- I gave users a code which linked with their credit card. They enter/exit the platform with scanning the code. After exiting, users will be charged this trip.
- Users can buy long term pass if they use the metro frequently.
- Users can buy the ticket before they taking the metro. The ticket will expired if they use the ticket at the station and date they have booked.
- Users cannot scan their code for others. The code can be scanned at the entrance/exit of the machine twice.
- Users can track the ticket or pass they buy in the "transaction" function.
Wireframes
Tool: Sketch
Review
There are some other issues:
- Provide users a tutorial at the first time they use the app
- If the code doesn't work, how will users do?
