Chicago Transit Authority

Duration
January 2023 - March 2023

Role
UX Researcher

Deliverable
Interface Research

THE CHALLENGE

In my UX Research class, my team and I recognized issues with the CTA’s website. Being avid users of CTA services ourselves, we were able to identify problems brought to our attention individually as well as consolidating our data with fellow colleagues.

The CTA website lacked the design and layout to enable a friendly user experience.

With these issues brought to our attention, we wanted to accomplish these three goals:

  • Figure out which features on the website would be beneficial or problematic for possible users.

  • Discover pain points and highlights within our research.

  • Brainstorm possible solutions and recommendations to promote website improvement.

COLLECTING + ANALYZING DATA

We interviewed a total of eight CTA users, gaining insight on their experiences, perceptions, and opinions about the CTA. After conducting our interviews, we came together to consolidate our findings and analyze our insights.

A F F I N I T Y D I A G R A M M I N G

Using this method, we were able to physically group our findings into clusters and visually identify the patterns between the responses. These were the categories we were able to come up with:

  • Preference for CTA transportation

  • Safety

  • Wanted improvements

  • Frequency of riding the CTA

  • Use of websites/apps to aid in CTA use

  • General positives and negatives

Affinity Diagram with Finalized Clusters

F I N D I N G S

All responses mentioned bad experiences/impressions on the CTA.

“I feel like a lot of people are afraid of taking the CTA because of the chances of getting robbed, harassed, etcetera.”

- Student at University of Illinois Chicago

Some users utilize apps to find out the arrival times of buses/trains.

“I typically use the Ventra app to help determine what time the bus is coming. That way I know what time I should leave my house to pick up my kids from school.”

- Chicago Native + Mother

U S E R P E R S O N A S

PERSONA 1:

  • Infrequent CTA User

  • Mildly concerned about safety

  • Mildly concerned about cleanliness

  • Uses Google Maps

PERSONA 2:

  • Frequent CTA User

  • Mildly concerned about safety

  • Very concerned about cleanliness

  • Uses Ventra App

USABILITY TESTING

We acquired eight participants from our personal social networks, screening for regular users of the CTA that have access to the Internet.

The features we chose to test were decided based on our interview responses as well as our user personas:

  • Quick Trip Planner

  • Tracker System

  • Fares Navigation

  • Feedback

  • Alerts

F I N D I N G S + S O L U T I O N S

After usability testing, we were able to identify key findings that served as needs for improvement as well as well-developed design implementations. Using these findings, we formulated solutions to improve the website’s features.

Key Finding 1: Half of our participants were unable to complete the Tracker System task for buses and trains.

  • Confusion between the website’s “Schedules” and “Trackers” quick link buttons

  • Cognitive overload within the accordion menu

Quick Links Section

Cognitive overload of accordion menus

Solution: Simplify choices and information given to the user.

  • Combine the “Schedules” and “Trackers” buttons together eliminate confusion and consolidate information.

  • Narrow down the options in the accordion menu.

Key Finding 2: The lack of verification in Quick Trip Planner input field caused confusion among most participants.

  • No feedback whether input was correct or not

  • When users clicked “Enter” on their keyboard, the pop-up message did not correlate with the action.

Lack of verification in input fields

No correlation between action and pop-up message

Solution: Implement autocompletion of addresses/locations and field verification.

  • Would give users confirmation/feedback

  • Increase efficiency

Example of address autocomplete

Example of field verification

Key Finding 3: The Quick Links promote less clicks and higher efficiency rates in comparison to navigation bar.

  • Participants gravitated towards the quick links rather than the navigation bar across the top of the page.

  • Nav bar has too much information + cluttered.

Cluttered navigation menu

Quick Links below the fold of the page

Solution: Simplify the navigation bar and highlight the Quick Links.

  • Getting rid of unused features/buttons will greatly reduce cognitive load.

  • Showcase Quick Links above the fold of the page.

REFLECTION

User research is quintessential to good and effective design.

Without research, it would be very difficult to determine whether design decisions within interfaces are useful and good for the user. Research kept me in check of what is best for the user rather than what I think looks best on the page. It allowed for me to keep an open-mind throughout the process, prioritizing our goal of achieving great design. You cannot put half the effort into research compared to the effort you put into the design and creation of an interface. Don’t overlook the importance of research!

Ask the right questions, say the right things.

Performing interviews and usability tests, I discovered the absolute importance of knowing what to say to the participants. We focused on creating plans and scripts, allowing for us to gain the insights we needed from them as well as making sure they understand the questions and task throughout. Without knowing the right questions and explanations to ask, the research you gather may end up being useless.