Public Transit Trip Options
Design a city transit planner that compares viable routes and responds clearly when service conditions change.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
A fastest-route result is not always the most useful. Riders may care more about fewer transfers, step-free access, lower fares, or reliability during a disruption.
User context
Marisol is traveling across the city with a stroller during the evening rush. She needs an accessible route and wants to avoid a station where the lift is out of service.
Product problem
Schedules, live arrivals, accessibility information, and disruptions can disagree. Riders need to compare realistic options and understand what changed after they begin a trip.
Objective
Create the route comparison and active-trip experience for a rider with specific travel needs.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Plan a journey with arrival time and accessibility preferences
- Compare routes by duration, transfers, fare, walking, and reliability
- Review disruption details before selecting a route
- Receive a useful alternative when conditions change mid-trip
Screens and states
- Trip search
- Route comparison
- Route detail
- Active trip disruption
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Marisol enters her destination and requests a step-free route
- 02
She compares three options and chooses one with fewer transfers
- 03
During the journey, a lift outage affects the selected route
- 04
The app explains the issue and guides her to an accessible alternative
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Show scheduled and live information with clear timestamps
- Allow riders to prioritize accessibility, fewer transfers, or lower cost
- Keep the next action visible during an active trip
- Use more than color to communicate line status and disruption severity
Constraints
- Live data may be delayed
- Routes can cross multiple transit operators
- The experience must remain usable with intermittent connectivity
Reality check
States worth considering
Finish line
What to deliver
- Five mobile screens or states that cover planning, comparison, and disruption recovery
- A compact component for communicating data freshness
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.