Keeping it Simple
Turning Rider Feedback into Action
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
NYC Transit came to our UX department for ideas on a new customer feedback pilot program. The program was developed to get more direct feedback on the six worst rated subway stations in our system.
My roles in the project:
Strategy/concept development, Analysis, UX design, Data & tech research
What was presented to our team
Post-pandemic subway station ratings have been at an all-time low; often resulting in negative press for the MTA. As such, executive management wanted to learn more from riders on what issues mattered most. Their goal was to develop an app based on the common happy, average, sad face feedback that’s common in retail environments:
Management was looking to have a similar solution deployed to the five worst performing stations in the NYC Subway system. We had some doubts on this one.
The reality of the situation:
The MTA already suffers from high levels of vandalism. We doubt a happy face would last more than a day in this environment.
Crime and safety top the list of rider’s concerns; yet they all fall under NYPD’s jurisdiction (out of MTA’s control)
Subway platforms are crowded, loud, and often chaotic. Voice calls for help are almost impossible.
NYPD needs detail in order to act, but very difficult in a hectic/dangerous environment.
Riders just want to get above ground ASAP.
What we need to make a difference:
A reporting solution that allows rides to tell us what’s needed at that moment.
Must be easy to use, simple interface, usable with one hand, and not keyboard based.
Solution needs to easily and accurately report time and location on a reported incident.
MY SOLUTION
Platform Issue Reporting App
The proposal we presented transforms the survey concept into a more direct action-oriented tool. Rather than asking, ‘How do you feel?’, we position the solution as ‘Help us make a difference,’ acknowledging the need for improvement while engaging riders.
This is a two part solution, starting with key signage designed to engage the public with powerful messaging, and a call to action for our reporting app. We stuck to major issues based on research; all formatted in an easy to use, one hand operation.
Making a Difference in Three Simple Steps:
STEP ONE: Engaging the Rider
Simple, powerful signage that cuts through the clutter of a busy station while getting riders engaged to make a difference. This is by far the biggest challenge, and essential for positive results.
We developed three different signs for the pilot to reduce repetition (an issue with public signage) while purposely using bold, to-the-point messaging to address this station’s real-world issues.
STEP TWO: Tell us what's wrong
Our research revealed the top issues that concern riders at the worst stations, so we made the selections simple and easy. The interface is large with all actions accessible by a single hand/thumb.
We also give users the option of uploading a photo to further engagement while helping MTA staff pinpoint the issue. We made this optional; out of rider safety concerns when reporting people’s activity.
OPTIONAL: More detail
It would be rather disingenuous for us to think that 7.8 million riders would only have 8 issues to report. As such, we have the option to manually add an issue.
STEP THREE: Submit and get updated
That’s it, a few simple clicks to make a difference in one’s commute or travels.
To add additional engagement, we not only summarize the location, but link the user to an active ticket where they can see this as an action item. Also, users can opt to receive text or email updates on their status; a new level of transparency that shows that we take major issues seriously.
Sucess lead to more versions
As word got out within the MTA, more agencies came to us for their own versions. Since the original prototype, we have designed/developed four more versions:
– Long Island Railroad station maintenance app
– Metro North Railroad in-car bathroom reporting app
-NYC Transit Subway in-car reporting app
-NYC Subway emergency message to 911 app
there’s something quite satisfying when seeing your work in action every day.
DESIGN SYSTEM
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