CapMetro Redesign

Course: Inclusive Design for Accessible Tech

Redesigning the CapMetro application to make bus services accessible for people with visual disabilities

Intro to the Problem Space

Two years ago, my father temporarily lost his eyesight from cataract. He is recovered now but couldn't drive before and some time after corrective surgery. Seeing him lose his mobility in this way made me curious about how we can create accessible public transit for people with visual disabilities. This led to thorough research that revealed that navigational issues are some of the biggest challenges faced by people with low vision or blindness.
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Providing public transit to 21 million riders in Austin annually, CapMetro claims to be ADA compliant but provides no information about how it achieves the same. Scholarly literature and interviews reveal that bus services rely on untrained drivers to meet gaps in accessibility initiatives. This redesign focuses on making the app compatible through screen readers and magnification tools. Broadly, it aims to assist with navigational challenges and information access.
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Some statistics on how many people are impacted by inaccessible public transport are given below:

Project Overview

Role & Team

I worked as the Lead UX Researcher alongside 3 UX Designers (Anushka, Karishma and Varsha).

UX Methods I Used

Research phase:
• Literature review
• Competitive analysis
• User Interviews

Design phase:
• Wireframing
• Prototyping
• Design Systems

Tools

Timeline

Figma, Figjam, Screen readers, WCAG

Fall 2023 (10 weeks - September to November)

Problem Statement

How might we make CapMetro more accessible for people with visual impairments by reducing cognitive load, while adhering to universal design principles and allowing for customization?

• Onboarding
• Discovery & Reservations for interesting exhibits
• The AR Token Game & Rewards
• Detailed Content & Audio Guides
• AR Enhanced Memories for sharing on social media

• Onboarding
• Discovery & Reservations for interesting exhibits
• The AR Token Game & Rewards
• Detailed Content & Audio Guides
• AR Enhanced Memories for sharing on social media

Competitive Research

I started off by analyzing information available for using public transit services, e.g. purchasing tickets, available bus routes, wayfinding, etc. I also looked at mediums used for communicating this information, accessibility features (if any) and opportunities for improving the public transit experience for people with visual disabilities. To achieve this, I analyzed 6 out of 9 applications related to bus services and indoor and outdoor navigation. Many of these applications were also used by people I interviewed.

#What are the pros and cons of apps used by people with visual disabilities for transport and navigation?

Strengths

Real time information

Linguistic diversity

Customization for accessibility

Human assistance

Scanning surroundings for directions

AI-enabled object identification

Reserved seating for people with disabilities

Weaknesses

Lack of detailed directions

No verbal guidance for upcoming streets

Having to keep phone out on the go

Having to switch between apps

Incompatibility with screen readers, magnification and VUI

Over reliance on drivers

Opportunities

Haptic and in-ear feedback

Customizable accessibility features

Functionality in case of Internet unavailability

Real-time assistance from individuals or AI

Detailed directional information

Notifications to reduce missed stops

User Research

Participant Recruitment

I recruited people with visual disabilities who reside in Austin, Texas by reaching out to support networks and NGOS, such as the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities and UT Disability & Access. For this purpose, we sent out a screen-reader compatible screener survey, asking about participants’ availability for the interview, whether they had used CapMetro and the nature of their disability, if they felt comfortable sharing the same.

Link to Screener Survey

Which similar services, assistive technologies or strategies do users rely on to make transit services work for them?
What are the barriers and needs people with visual disabilities experience while travelling through the main CapMetro bus service?

I conducted 2 interviews that each lasted approximately 30 minutes and were conducted virtually.

Interview Questions

Warm-up Questions

• How do you travel on a day-to-day basis?
• What are some of the apps and websites you use the most?
• Can you tell me about the last time you searched for information related to public transit?
• How did you go about finding this information?

Questionnaire

• What modes of public transportation do you typically use?
• How often do you rely on the Cap Metro buses for your transportation needs?
• Could you describe your typical experience when using the CapMetro app?
• Can you describe a positive experience using the CapMetro app?
• Can you describe a negative experience using the CapMetro app?
• What app features do you use most frequently?
• Have you encountered any challenges or barriers while using the app?
• Can you share any positive or negative experiences you've had with other apps in the travel domain?
• Are there additional assistive technologies or tools you use alongside these apps to enhance your travel experience?
• How important is real-time information, such as bus arrival times, to your travel planning, and how well does the app you use provide this information?
• Are there any specific strategies or tips you have developed to make the most of travel apps?

Affinity Diagram

The information collected during the interviews was then organized and categorized through a Work Activity Affinity Diagram.

#Emergent Themes

⬤ Female/19/Younger siblings

⬤ Male/23

⬤ Female/26

• Male/28

⬤ Male/40

⬤ Male/41

⬤ Female/49/Parent

• Female/65/
Grandparent

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Missing Stops

Passengers cannot rely on drivers to announce every stop or remind them when to get down at their desired location. Most drivers are not familiar with the names of all stops, relying instead on visual cues like landmarks. Additionally, smaller stops are often not announced. Riders may also miss stop announcements if they are distracted or engaged in conversation with fellow passengers. As a result, backtracking can become difficult.

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Application Sign-in

The sign in for a bus service app did not work for months for an interviewee, keeping them from purchasing tickets. It was frustrating that the app required a log-in for using all features.

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Real time Info

It is difficult to get real time information about transfer stops, leading to missed buses and long wait times.

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Scanning bus pass

While it can be challenging to locate the in-bus card reader and swipe the bus pass, showing the pass to the driver is an easier alternative. Interviewee suggested that supplementing the card reader with a QR code scanner would be helpful.

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Internet Unavailability

The lack of internet can pose a significant challenge, preventing access to important information. In this context, text message updates are limited to providing only bus arrival times, detours, or delays.

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Safety

Users feel vulnerable walking with their phone out or walking around with a cane. There is understandable fear around being stalked or robbed on the street if their route information is available for others.

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Use of Assistive Tech

Participants reported the use of assistive technology to work around the limitations of the CapMetro application. They mentioned the following:
• Blind Square ( a GPS-app developed for the blind, deafblind and partially sighted to inform users about physicals hurdles or roadblocks)
• Google Maps for GPS support
• Lazarillo for indoor navigation
• Transit for outdoor navigation
• AIRA for support from trained visual interpreters
• BeMyEyes for support from sighted volunteers
• BeMyAI for AI-driven object recognition

Persona

By aggregating the pain points, motivations, goals and adaptive strategies utilized by the participants, I created a persona to guide our ideation and design process. A major pain point reported by participants comprised reliance on drivers for information related to routes and bus stops. This was especially worrisome since sighted people use visual cues, instead of verbal guidance and names of stops. Participants also reported the usage of assistive tech for indoor and outdoor navigation as well as help from volunteers, visual interpreters or loved ones for real time assistance.

The persona Allison Gray is a 43 year old teacher whose personality radiates resourcefulness and cultural awareness. She has legal blindness, is well-traveled and advocates for being assertive and asking for help when needed. At the same time, she is motivated to independently travel without external support.

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Physical Space

For the physical space, I researched Islamic architecture to inform the aesthetic of our imagined physical space. Based on my content research, my team calculated the footfall of the Austin Public Library and sketched out rooms with various ways of organizing information. These sketches were later visualized through AutoCAD.

Mobile App Ideation

Tailoring the Scope

For prioritizing the findings of our research, we tried to map out which pain points could be realistically addressed through a digital redesign, rank them in terms of importance and ideate potential solutions.

Summarizing the solutions we came up with below:
‍• Tooltips: Accessibility settings would be available for users as tooltips that they can customize according to their needs and preferences. This would also assist them with potential learning curves with using new tools.
‍• Screen reader compatibility by reorganization of information and improvement of screen reader focus for all features (e.g. input fields, buttons, navigation bar and maps)
‍• GPS-tracking and audio directions to provide real time information throughout the full route, including to and from the bus stop
‍• Descriptive and precise verbiage to support navigation instead of inaccessible visual cues
‍• Backtracking throughout routes to allow user freedom and curb stress resulting from missed announcements or stops
‍• In-ear haptic feedback to free the user from having to check their devices and prevent missed notifications about stops
‍• QR codes on physical ticket to eliminate difficulties related to physical scanners

Ideation and Sketching

Based on the former design solutions, initial sketches reflected options for clear and easy-to-understand iconographies and labelling as well as the reorganization of the main menu and the navigation flow.
I also assessed how the accessibility features in Android and iOS would impact the feasibility of our design, especially to eliminate overlapping functionalities.

While it was important to create customizable and accessible solutions, it was also necessary for the team to keep the experience of all other users comparable to what they were used to. This made the decision of introducing accessibility features through personalized tool tips an obvious winner!

Mid-fi Prototyping & Usability Testing

On the basis of lo-fi feedback, we created an updated mid-fi Figma prototype:

Mid-fi Usability Testing

We conducted mid-fi testing right after spring break to further develop our phone app and to understand user behaviors at in-person exhibits

Object of inquiry

Method

Takeaway 1

Nomenclature: The names of several pages confused users, e.g. Art, Explore, My Library - it was challenging for users to complete information-seeking tasks on the first pass when they were unsure what they would find on these pages.

Takeaway 2

Navigability: The hamburger menu needed to be workshopped to include, exclude, and reorder functions. Additionally, it was challenging for users to locate the Princess Badr exhibit because they weren’t sure where to navigate- e.g. Exhibits, My Events, My Master Library.

Takeaway 3

Core Functionality: Some users weren’t sure they grasped the main purpose of the app. An e-reader? A booking site? Additional information? The AR game? We decided to focus less on booking and e-reading, and more on providing additional information + the AR game.

Participants

Simulated physical environment
+
Mid-fi mobile app prototype in Figma

In-person, moderated think aloud protocol
+
Contextual inquiry

5 people
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Graduate students, Aged 23 - 28

Mid-fi Testing Sessions

We set up our simulated environment in the PCL grad student lounge.

Information Architecture

Design Systems

I used my training in WCAG guidelines to create this design system in collaboration with my teammates.

Hi-fi Mobile Prototype

Navigation Bar

• Icons and labels changed to improve comprehension
• Information hierarchy improved by combining two tabs under one

Linking a Physical Card

• Added functionality to scan a physical pass to link, it in accordance with universal design principles

Settings

• Redesigned settings to incorporate dropdowns to optimize screen reader experience
• Improved information hierarchy by regrouping settings

Block Quote

Linked Prototype

User Interviews’ Unparalleled Value

Adapting to CapMetro App Changes

Design Systems v. Information Hierarchy

Lessons Learned

User interviews helped me learn about how advanced some of the assistive technologies being employed by our participants were. These findings further facilitated my competitor research and redesign process.

Despite CapMetro's new app roll-out maintaining design consistency, it was crucial to remain vigilant about updates when working on existing services.

We tried to remain within the restrictions of CapMetro’s visual design to ensure cohesiveness, unless information hierarchy was being affected due to low contrast, poor content strategy and small font sizes.

Future Steps

Usability Testing

• Since our redesign was primarily driven by generative research, it would be useful to conduct usability testing to understand whether the redesign solves the intended pain points. 

Ground Realities

• It is important to investigate how the user experience is impacted on the ground with real world constraints and variables involved with outdoor navigation. This would help us in evaluating whether our digital solutions match the physical environment and CapMetro infrastructure in detail.

Accessibility audit

• Convening a thorough accessibility audit will allow us to understand how intersecting disabilities may affect transit (e.g. physical or auditory impairments). 

Internet Unavailability

• I would like to explore ways of enhancing offline navigation functionality in case of Internet unavailability. Currently, CapMetro only has text message updates related to potential bus delays, route issues and if a bus is on time.

Art ImmHERsive

Using AR to allow families to engage with feminist folklore from worldover

User Research. Usability Testing

Indeed

Enhancing Indeed's user experience and marketability through evaluative research