RISD RIDES Redesign
College transportation app for 3 user groups
ROLE Sole UI UX designer
TIMEFRAME Nov - Dec 2022 (1 month)
SKILLS Systems design, branding, research
TOOLS Adobe XD, Illustrator, After Effects
01
Project Scope
How do we create an efficient transportation system to promote campus safety at RISD?
Context
Students at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) often wait 60 min for a ride—not to mention, students with mobility impairments spend nearly 90 min to get from point A to B. With the campus’ uphill battle, early sunsets in the winter, and increasing crime rate in mind, I wanted to redesign both the system and app UI by implementing human tasks and computer automation where they are needed.
You can book a RISD Ride within this zone. Big, right?
This is the actual RISD campus.
Existing Issues
Wait, they came?
My 1 hour wait.
01
No communication between student & driver
“They sometimes pass by me at night.” -Rider from case study in the volume-1.org interview, “How is a RISD Broken Ankle Different?”
02
Lack of information on wait time, logging in, & if ride will come
“There was a student last week that waited an hour in the vehicle. I just paused all incoming ride requests and drove her home.” -Driver
03
No prioritization of students needing accommodation
“Students call me to check the waiting time, and I say, “just look out the window!” -Dispatcher
02
Data Collection
How bad is RISD’s hill?
To build on an existing foundation for a working transportation system, I matched comparative evidence from other campuses: Brandeis, Brown, & Tufts.
I referenced Mimi Faulhaber’s report on how RISD’s architecture affects students with disabilities (Access@RISD), which provided data on levels of adherence to accessibility standards. There are other rider prioritization system examples that already exist nationally in the USA such as the RIde Program of Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Proposed solution
Data collection
03
User Journeys
Insight: Users feel dismissed, experience frequent interruptions during the ride, and feel that they don’t have control over time when using the old RISD Rides app.
Solution: Reinforce the dispatcher role. The dispatcher not only oversees building security, but also monitors the RISD Rides map. After all, a computer can only solve so many delays. The system would be inefficient without human involvement.
04
Storyboards
This is what transit should look like
05
Brand Identity
Promising accountability & awareness
I improved the current RISD Rides brand identity, drawing inspiration from vibrant yellow and blue interfaces that are clear in contrast. Yellow and blue make users feel alert, safe, and protected.
06
Prototypes
Revision: I went back to my users and asked them to keep the features that would be most helpful in the app.
Testing
07
Why should RISD, as an institution, implement an app like this?
I shouldn’t be the one realizing, “Hey, this student has been waiting for a while!” The app should do something!
-Rob, 15 West Dormitory Monitor
We don’t know the information of the size of the vans, but see the way how that’s front and center - that is nice, so you can have that knowledge.
-Alexandra, Public Safety Officer
It’s just really hard to know anything on the old app, so this is super cool!
-Jay, Student
I like that there is a designated pickup and drop off spot at each building so students don’t get on the wrong bus. It saves so much time for both parties.
The new operation hours are a lifesaver, considering how the sun sets at 4pm in the winter and they used to begin hours at 5pm!
In the past I was forced to ask a classmate for help because of how unreliable and inconsistent the app was. I hope nobody has to be afraid to get help in the future.
Usually students tell me to modify my route by yelling from the back seats, but those plastic COVID screens and cultural barriers in oral communication (like accents) complicate it.
This puts that in the past!
Since this is the only wheelchair accessible vehicle [on campus], 401, the app immediately reroutes me to prioritize them. I don’t have to pull over and type anything.
Now I don’t have to wait for the computer to assign a ride to a student waiting. I can just do it myself.
08
Final Design
Mobile app
01
Login with RISD account
Allow access to current location
Estimated wait
iPad Mini
Desktop
02
Automated queue & route arranged by the dispatcher
Map reroutes if arrival changes
04
02
Assign riders by vehicle number to the closest vehicle
04
Assign riders with special requests to vehicle 401
Live map to track operating vehicles
Shuttle route with north and south bound
Phone confirmation
Schedule pickup
03
Automated reply to confirm the rider has boarded the vehicle
02
Accommodation for bike storage, large items, wheelchair, & off-campus rides upon dispatcher approval
05
04
Drop off location change option
Rate my driver
03
Riders with accommodations are auto assigned to 401 (the only wheelchair accessible shuttle)
Map reroutes if dispatcher assigns more stops on the way
01
03
Drag and drop to assign rider
09
Old vs New
01
Tracks riders to show when/if they confirm boarding vehicle
Cancel ride option
01 Live map of all operating vehicles
02 Wait time is shown upon app launch
03 Directions to van/bus stops; vehicles cannot miss students, & students can confirm they’ve boarded via text
04 Log in takes one step!
05 Buses operate from 4pm - 3am to accommodate New England’s early sunset winters
06 Dispatcher will prioritize wheelchair users by assigning to vehicle #401 only
01 Frequently pulls over to type address changes and load/unload passengers
02 Cannot tell when/if student will board the vehicle
03 Drives past students and makes students en route wait in-car too long
04 Important info like map directions are far from the seat and field of view
01 Receives calls from drivers meant for students & from students meant for drivers (ex. “How much longer do I have to wait?” “Where is [student]?”)
02 Unable to see live updates on map
03 Students book rides far away from campus so on-campus students wait longer for a ride
04 Students’ numbers sometimes don’t work
01 Low confidence that a ride will come
02 Wait time is completely unpredictable
03 Students board the wrong vehicle
04 Too many steps to log in: MyRISD app -> RISD RIDES -> Request RISD RIDES -> Open on web browser -> TransLoc log in page -> Find school on list -> Turn on my location -> Pin drop on map -> Book ride
05 Operation hours are inefficient
06 One bus accommodates wheelchairs
01 Buses, riders, & stops are marked
02 Live updates on all operating vehicles:
a. seats available
b. location on map
c. time to destination
03 If a rider requests to be picked up or dropped off in the gray zone, it must be approved by the dispatcher. Otherwise, most rides operate within RISD campus!
04 All students must confirm their phone number before booking!
01 Queue is controlled by the dispatcher so the driver can focus
02 Notification bell to rider; cancel ride button appears to driver if the rider does not arrive within 2 minutes
03 Map reroutes to pick up or drop off on-the-way and walk-up riders
04 Information hierarchy improves map readability and prevents misclicks and human errors
Thank you for using RISD RIDES!
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Takeaways
01 Advocacy groups and compliance offices at the city level that have a preexisting accessibility system helped drive my research
02 Empathizing with all user groups helped identify issues that cannot be identified by one group
03 Learning when to stop doing backend research allows me ample time to prototype and fix errors before the deadline. After all, the deadline is always yesterday!
