TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) - Commute
Role: Product Designer / Year: 2022
Problem:
The TTC currently lacks an app that offers accurate, real-time updates on route changes and delays for commuters. Amid ongoing city disruptions, average commute times have increased, and passengers often find themselves misled. This results in frequent frustration as navigating their trips becomes increasingly challenging.
Context
Toronto is undergoing extensive city renovations that cause daily traffic disruptions. As a result, the TTC has been adjusting transit routes to accommodate these changes, impacting riders' daily commutes.
User Interview: Key Insights
- Ongoing city construction is causing significant disruptions, resulting in longer commute times for users.
- The TTC lacks an app that provides live updates on route changes or delays, leading commuters to use multiple apps to compare transit times.
- Existing apps do not offer real-time route adjustments or prioritize service updates, often causing journey disruptions of up to 30 minutes.
- To compensate for transit delays, customers are turning to alternative transportation methods like walking or Uber, sometimes leading to unexpected additional costs.
- Extended wait times, particularly in extreme weather, are prompting commuters to change or cancel plans, with the uncertainty of the next streetcar or subway adding to frustration and confusion.
- Users are overwhelmed when their routes deviate from their usual paths.
- There is a demand for a more personalized and seamless app that can save frequently used trips and provide optimal route suggestions, especially amid service changes.
- Current apps can be challenging to use, particularly for those who speak English as a second language.
User Updates
Current apps fail to provide accurate information on route changes and delays.
To address this, we propose developing a feature that enables TTC customers to report traffic delays and route changes in real time, enhancing the accuracy of their transit experience.
Service Alerts
User's journeys are often disrupted without prior notice.
The solution is to implement notification prompts that alert users to traffic changes that could impact their journey, keeping them informed and prepared.
Route options
The app will learn from the user’s habits to recommend and notify them of the optimal routes, creating a more seamless and personalized journey.
