Mumbai Local Ticketing: Usability Gaps & Opportunities

This project focuses on identifying and addressing usability gaps and opportunities within the Mumbai Local ticketing system. The goal is to create design-first solutions for the challenges faced by commuters.

Project Details:

• Duration: 3 weeks

• Team Size: 1 Member

• Role: Interaction Designer

• Process: Research, Competitive Analysis, UI design, Prototyping, User interaction

Problem Statement:

The current ATVM (Automatic Ticket Vending Machine) interface does not support efficient, independent ticketing for a broad range of users, resulting in confusion, slow transactions, and high dependence on human facilitators.

Key Findings from Research:

• Limited adoption of ATVM systems (20-25% of commuters).

• Human facilitators were crucial for commuter engagement.

• Many commuters find the ATVM interface difficult to navigate.

• Specific user personas (Aakash, Vanshika, Ashok) highlighted issues with small touch targets, map overload, and complex navigation.

Heuristic Evaluation of ATVM Usability:

A study of core usability heuristics was conducted and adapted to the ticketing context, guiding design decisions. Key areas for improvement included:

• Keeping visuals clean and focused.

• Ensuring strong visibility and contrast.

• Making the interface multilingual.

• Communicating both visually and verbally.

• Guiding users before they start.

• Making actions and touch areas obvious.

• Minimizing steps and being direct.

• Showing progress and transaction feedback.

• Helping users recover from mistakes.

• Preventing critical errors and confusion.

• Revealing the journey ahead.

• Designing for both speed and patience.

Proposed Solutions & Revised Journey:

The revised ATVM ticketing journey aims to reduce steps to just 4 for a single ticket purchase. Key improvements include:

• Clearer home screen directing users to the correct booking path.

• Easy navigation through zone divisions.

• Auto-filled journey details with commonly chosen options.

• Two clear ways of choosing a station: Map and Search.

• Instant search with predictive text.

• Clear payment instructions and generated QR codes for easy payment.

• A clear ticket preview to confirm details.

Outcome:

By prioritizing user feedback, the navigation was streamlined, transforming ticket booking into an intuitive process. This reduces friction and boosts satisfaction, leading to a more engaging, user-centric experience.

Key Learnings:

• Designed for real users under real constraints.

• Understood the importance of simplifying flows without removing functionality.

• Realized how immersion and field research shape better UX decisions.