A UX Case Study
STM OPUS Reload
Why & Where It Started?
In a metropolitan city like Montreal, the day-to-day commute has been made easy with the Bus and Metro services. The services offer an easy and accessible commute options connecting the major intersections across the city. The transportation can be availed with a to-go-tap-card system, called OPUS. The card can be loaded with one of the fares offered. However, the challenge lies while reloading the card, which can be done either through offline methods in the metro stations or through online only with the help of smart card reader plug-ins.
The Solution!
As a passionate beginner in UX, I thought of creating an application that makes a commuter life serene and convenient. The purpose of the app is to design a straightforward and effortless recharging system to the user that bestow with every single fare reloading options.
Tools & Techniques
I have designed the app considering the 7 pillars of the UX design Useful, Desirable, Accessible, Credible, Findable, Usable, and Valuable. The interface has been designed acknowledging different types of user requirements.
The tools used are Figma, Canva, PowerPoint, and Balsamiq
My Role
Design Process
Design Strategy
The prime focus of the application is to ensure that the users should be able to access the features without any complications. As the target audiences range from adolescents to elderly people, the navigation and depiction of the actions are streamlined, making it beneficial and effortless.
User Research
I have commenced the user research in both qualitative and quantitative methods. The plan started with identifying the target audience, constructing the proper open-ended interview questions, conducting surveys, analyzing the results and answers, and classifying the insights derived.
Target Audience
1. Students
2. Senior Citizens
3. Working Professionals
4. Stay-at-Home Individuals
Qualitative Research
1. How often do you reload the OPUS card?
2. How and Where do you recharge the OPUS?
3. How do you find the card reloading process?
4. What are the challenges you encounter during this process?
5. Do you know any alternates to reload the card?
Quotes Captured
Quantitative Research
The KPI's are determined from the interviews, and surveys based on the user's experiences, behaviors, preferences, emotions, and feelings. Based on these quantitative data the application is optimized and designed to obtain user satisfaction.
Competitive Analysis
Upon researching, I found that there are no other applications or services that are available online for the users, and the only alternate was a website extensively designed for the commuters to access through a card reader and plugins in order to reload the card, The other option is visiting a nearest metro station to recharge a valid card with the commuter's choice of fares. Henceforth, I have only conducted the competitive analysis on both these platforms. Here are the features and pain points.
User Persona
Empathy Mapping
User Flow
Information Architecture
Big Picture Story Board
Close-up Story Board
Wireframes
Prototype
Usability Testing
Conducted usability testing for the app's prototype to test the functionality, user interface, and user experience. The observations and insights are gathered from three different user groups. The users were assigned specific tasks and the goals were set to determine the application's usability. I received valuable feedback from the users after evaluating the tasks.
Goals
1. Is the user able to understand the functionality of the application?
2. Is the user able to work out a way around navigating through the app to accomplish the task?
3. What are the specific challenges they faced while using the application?
Tasks
1. Add a new card to the account
2. Reload the card with Monthly transit fare
Feedback
The overall user experience was compelling and engrossing. They experienced a new method of accomplishing their basic task and had an effortless transition while using the application.
The notable comments are
1. The application was smooth and convenient
2. It is extremely straight forward and the actions are highly predictable
3. The application was not overwhelming with countless details. I found it easy.
Improvements
The users has not faced difficulty while using the application. However, there were certain incidents where the user could not perform the assigned task. The observations are made and suggestions were taken to modify the screens accordingly to meet the user needs.
One of the notable feedback was, when the user was performing the task of "Add New Card", the user accidentally clicked on the 'Delete' option instead of 'Confirm' as the three call to action buttons in the reload screen are similar which was an ambiguous situation for the user (especially when in rush). Hence, I modified the action buttons which allows the user to take a step back while performing the task.
Reflection
Reflecting on the idea and implementation of the design, I learnt that the users are looking forward for smart ways to do their basic tasks in their daily routine. I have also learnt from the suggestions that, designing a voice assistant for the application would be more inclusive and an easy way of access. I have planned to conduct more research on this aspect and add few features that allows the users for more flexible way of utilizing the application, and meets the user requirements.
Looking forward for valuable suggestions and comments
