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Mobile Phone Mock-ups

A Usability-Focused Revamp of Brevard County’s Public Transit App

Redesigning the 321 Transit
Mobile Application 

Project Overview

Public transportation is an essential daily service for commuters, students, tourists, and residents across Brevard County, Florida. The 321 Transit mobile app, is intended to offer users real-time bus tracking, route schedules, ticket purchasing, and accessibility information. However, through both firsthand use and user feedback, it became clear that the app suffers from critical usability issues: limited mobile responsiveness, unclear navigation, outdated or hard-to-access information, and a lack of trust-inspiring features like live bus tracking.This project is a self-initiated UX redesign of the 321 Transit app, aimed at enhancing usability, accessibility, and overall satisfaction, especially for mobile-first users navigating public transportation under real-world conditions.

Process

Discovery | Ideation | Design | Protoype | Test 

  • ​Heuristic Evaluation​

  • Timeline: 8 weeks
    (Concept to Hi-fi Prototype)

My Role

UX designer and researcher

  • Identifying usability and interface issues 

  • Conducting user research 

  • Designing personas and journey maps 

  • Creating high-fidelity prototypes

  • Testing and iterating on design solutions ​

Tools

  • ​Figma

  • Slack

  • Google's Meets

  • Survey Monkey

  • ​Google Forms​

Why This Project? – Personal Motivation

As someone who has personally relied on public transportation in Brevard County, I’ve experienced the frustrations of using the 321 Transit mobile app firsthand. I’ve found myself struggling to locate the right bus stop, unsure about real-time arrivals, and confused by the schedule layouts, especially when in a rush or navigating the app outdoors under time pressure.

This experience sparked a simple but powerful question:
"If I’m having these issues, how many others are facing the same, or worse?"

The thought that someone unfamiliar with the system, or perhaps someone with accessibility needs, could be even more impacted led me to take action. I wanted to explore how design — and specifically human-centred design—could be used not just to fix an app, but to make someone’s day a little smoother.

 

So I decided to treat this as more than just a class project.

It became a mission-driven redesign:
 To reimagine the 321 Transit app in a way that puts the rider first, whether they’re a local commuter, a student with no car, or a tourist trying to explore without confusion.

By improving this digital experience, I hoped to make public transit in our community more approachable, dependable, and empowering — even if it helps just one person have a better day.

Discovery

Understanding the Current Interface – Heuristic & Visual Audit

Before diving into research or ideation, I conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the existing 321 Transit mobile app and web interface. This included a heuristic analysis, mobile and desktop reviews, and accessibility scanning.
The goal was to understand how well the current interface supports key user tasks such as trip planning, schedule lookup, ticket purchasing, and live bus updates.

Unintuitive Experience  Ticket Purchase

​

  • The app doesn’t clearly show how or where to buy tickets.

  • The process isn’t guided or streamlined for first-time users, and lacks progress indicators or confirmation feedback.

Accessibility & Visual Design Issues

  • Inconsistent design language across different parts of the interface leads to cognitive load.

Cluttered Navigation

  • The menu layout is inconsistent across pages.

  • Critical links "Bus Tracker" and "Schedules" are buried within subpages or PDFs.

No Bus Tracking 

  • Despite offering bus monitoring services, there’s no integrated or visible real-time tracking within the mobile UI

  • This causes confusion for users trying to check arrival times or delays on the go.

Problem Statement
 Usability Challenges

Despite its purpose of helping riders navigate public transportation, the 321 Transit mobile application fails to deliver a usable, intuitive, and responsive experience, particularly for mobile-first users trying to plan trips in real-world contexts. Critical tasks such as finding a bus, checking schedules, or purchasing tickets are hindered by poor UI design, outdated patterns, and lack of real-time feedback.

How might we redesign the 321 Transit app to provide a seamless, accessible, and stress-free experience for all types of users — from first-time visitors to daily commuters?

Core Usability Issues Identified:

🔻 1. Ineffective Navigation & Information Hierarchy
Users struggle to find essential features like trip planning Menu items are buried, inconsistent, non-intuitive ways.

🔻 2. PDF-Based Schedule System
Timetables are static PDFs with dense layouts, requiring manual zooming and scrolling.No filters, search, or real-time updates — a major friction point for mobile users.

🔻 3. Missing or Hidden Features
No clear access to live bus tracking within the native UI.
Ticket purchasing options lack visibility and guidance, especially for first-time users.

🔻 4. Accessibility Concerns
Poor contrast, small fonts, and low tap-target sizes make the interface difficult for users with visual or motor impairments.

No screen reader support or alt-text labeling detected in several sections.

🔻 5. Outdated Visual Design
Inconsistent styles across pages.
Lack of a cohesive design system adds to the confusion and reduces trust.

Research  
Data-Backed Analysis

To validate the observed usability issues and guide the redesign with evidence, I conducted a combination of qualitative and quantitative research. This included usability testing, heuristic evaluation, surveys, and field observations with actual users at local transit points in Brevard County.

Research Goals:

  • Identify pain points in real user interactions 

  • Understand behavioral patterns when using app

  • Collect actionable insights to guide design decisions 

Participant Details:

  • 12 participants selected from public transit users at bus stops

  • Students | Working professionals | Seniors | Occasional riders

  • All smartphone users, varying in tech-savviness

Research Methods Used: Heuristic Evaluation

1. Key violations identified:

  • Recognition over recall: Users had to memorize stop names due to lack of autocomplete or saved routes

  • Flexibility and efficiency of use: No quick access for frequent tasks like “Next Bus” or “Buy Ticket”

  • Help & documentation: No clear help section or onboarding tutorial

  • Consistency & standards: Inconsistent menu styles and iconography confused users

2. Task-Based Usability Testing
Participants were asked to complete typical tasks such as:

  • Find the next available bus at a nearby stop

  • Plan a route to a specific destination

  • Purchase a one-day bus pass

Sessions were recorded using the think-aloud protocol, allowing participants to verbalize thoughts and frustrations during navigation

3. Pre-Test & Post-Test Surveys

  • Pre-Test: Gathered demographic data and baseline familiarity with the app

  • Post-Test: Measured user satisfaction, perceived ease of use, and interface quality

  • Likert scale questions rated: Clarity of schedule layoutConfidence in finding correct bus route

  • Satisfaction with interface design

User Survey  
Interview Insights

To understand how the existing 321 Transit app performs in real-world usage, I conducted structured user interviews and distributed online surveys. The goal was to hear directly from users about their needs, frustrations, habits, and expectations when using a transit app.
These qualitative insights added emotional depth and real-world context to the usability issues uncovered during testing.

Objectives:

  • Understand how users navigate and experience the app

  • Identify common frustrations and unmet needs

  • Capture real feedback in their own words

  • Uncover patterns across different types of transit users (daily, occasional, tourists)


Participant Profile:
Total participants: 12 (same group as usability test)
Age range: 18 to 65

Interview Format:

  • Semi-structured interviews (10–15 minutes each)

  • Conducted in person at bus stops or via phone

  • Prompted participants to speak about their journey planning habits, app frustrations, and feature expectations

Pain Points, Behaviors & Desires

Common Emotional

  • Anxiety around accuracy of bus schedule (esp. mornings)

  • Confusion when planning multi-stop routes or using unfamiliar stops

  • Frustration due to clunky ticketing or slow loading screens

  • Relief when the app "works" or confirms arrival, but this was rare

User Desires

  • I want to see the bus moving on the map, not guess where it is.

  • I need to filter by my stop or route quickly.

  • I wish I had a saved favorites list for the stops I use every day.

  • The app should just tell me: what’s my next step?

Design Takeaways

  • Context-aware suggestions

  • Next action obvious at every stage

  • Provide visual and verbal reassurance through clear UI

  • Shift focus from “displaying information” to guiding the journey

Personas

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