Rishitha Achari - Product Designer
Rishitha Achari
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Posted Mar 27, 2025
Rishitha, a skilled product designer, excels in user research and transforming insights into intuitive, functional designs. Bridging businesses with users.
Redesigning university's transit app focused on improving bus tracking.
Overview
We introduced new features to our university's transit app so that students can catch buses on time
When I started my master’s program, getting to the university was a daily challenge. The campus transportation system relied on the TransLoc app, which showed live bus tracking. However, the tracker was often inaccurate.
The Challenge: Missing Buses and Missing Classes
Improper tracking caused students to frequently miss their bus and suffer over crowding during rush hours.
The frustration reached its peak during the Fall 2022 semester, when:
01. Inaccurate tracking led to missed buses.
02. Overcrowding forced the addition of unscheduled buses
03. Freezing temperatures made waiting at bus stops unbearable during winter.
The Solution: Enhancing the Existing App
We chose to work within constraints by redesigning and introducing new features to the existing app.
We focused on creating practical features that addressed student frustrations while accommodating the transit team’s limitations.
Search Bus Routes
Allows users to input their location and destination to see all relevant bus routes. This also helps newcomers unfamiliar with the campus transit system.
Check Bus Capacity
The redesigned version allows the users to check the capacity of the bus. If the limit has already reached, the users can decide to take the bus, depending on their situation.
Set Alerts
Allows users to set time-based alerts for their regular bus routes, reducing anxiety about missing buses.
so, how did we do it?
We started by understanding the system and breaking down the bottlenecks
Overburdened Processes
Our use case diagram highlighted a major issue: a small, overburdened transit team managed multiple tasks like tracking buses, updating schedules, and handling complaints. This centralized workload caused delays in exchanging information with commuters
Overstretched Roles
The data flow diagram revealed that the assistant director managed multiple roles, including budgeting, scheduling, payroll, and even driving during emergencies. This overlap caused errors and inefficiencies, particularly in bus scheduling and real-time updates
Staff Struggles
Limited funds and an understaffed team presented a hurdle in adapting to the surging student numbers.
Interviews with the transit staff and students revealed system-level challenges
Low Budget
Funding allocated from student fees was insufficient for alternative services
Understaffed Team
The transit team struggled to manage the increased demand
Resistance to Technology
Limited technical expertise hindered switching to alternative options
student pain points
For students, this meant resorting to costly rideshare options like Uber/Lyft or enduring long waits in extreme weather conditions.
Inaccurate Tracking
Many students expressed frustration over the app’s unreliable live tracking feature, which caused them to miss buses frequently.
Exhausting App Usage
Students had to constantly switch between the app and the website to verify schedules, as neither platform provided complete information
Distrust of the App
Some students stopped relying on the tracking feature altogether and instead used the website’s schedule to predict bus arrival times
Designing the Solution: From Structure to Features
With our priorities set, we began designing a solution that addressed these issues
To integrate new features, we first worked on restructuring the app’s navigation. Due to time constraints and the academic nature of the project, we did not conduct card sorting or tree mapping but relied on logic and team consensus.
Usability Testing and Iteration
Once the redesign was complete, we conducted usability testing to validate our decisions
Feedback
Testing revealed no major issues, indicating that the changes aligned well with user expectations.
Decision to Proceed
With positive feedback and time constraints in mind, we finalized the redesign without further iterations
The Final DesigN
The redesigned app focused on practicality and usability
Improved navigation through refined information architecture.
Clear, intuitive interfaces for new features.
Better alignment with both student needs and the operational limitations of the transit team.
Learnings from the project
Holistic Design Thinking
Even though I didn't see the changes in the real world, I learned something important. Good design means thinking about everyone who uses and works with the app. It's not just about what looks nice but what works well for everyone.
Working with Constraints
Although, initially, the constraints felt challenging to navigate. Overtime, limited budgets, and resources sparked creative problem-solving, driving impactful yet practical solutions.
Designing for Real People in Real Situations
This project taught me the value of inclusive, user-centered design. By addressing both the frustrations of students and the operational constraints of the transit team, we aimed to create a solution that works for everyone.