RouteMind
Your Personal Commute Architect Powered by AI
UX / UI, System Design, Visual Design ｜ Solo Project
BACKGROUND
RouteMind is an intelligent app designed to optimize daily commutes through advanced customization. The app utilizes AI to predict and adjust departure times using user-set routines, requirements, and preferences.
Project Overview
Skills
User Research
User Testing
Wireframing
Prototyping
Duration
Tools
2 months
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
It then sends alerts an hour before the suggested departure. Using Real-time data on weather, traffic, and transit disruptions, RouteMind can continually adjust to users’ changing schedules and offer the best transit options.
Work Process
Many people in downtown San Francisco, especially students and office workers, rely heavily on public transportation to be punctual. However, they face challenges due to changing traffic conditions like bad weather, severe bus delays, unannounced bus cancellations, and so on. Current travel apps provide real-time updates but offer only point-to-point navigation and fail to integrate users' daily work schedules to propose better travel solutions.
Problems
EXPERIENCERS
As my assumption, senior adults might confront more difficulties in daily public transportation. I conducted interviews with eight individuals aged between 20 to 55 who frequently use public transportation in San Francisco.
However, from the interviews, I found that students and working professionals who have to commute to SF have more complaints about regulations and arrangements. Their heavy schedules require precise time management.
Who are the Target Audience?
QUOTES
“Categorizing tasks and daily activities takes me a long time, especially approaching the deadline of deliverables.” - Scott, 36 years old, Data Analyst
“The bus cancelation is not updated on the map, it only shows the status delayed!” - Cami, 28 years old, student
Findings
The commuters say that they often switch between different apps, and sometimes they forget what they were looking for at the moment opening their emails or apps.
Frequent App Switching
Unreliable Transportation
Frequent traffic delays and bus cancellations greatly cause inconvenience to commuters.
Spending too much time planning, categorizing, and prioritizing numerous tasks during work and school.
Excessive Tasks & Daily Incidents
Persona
CHRISTINE
College Student - A grade goal this semester
“Living at the edge of San Francisco, I sometimes face challenges with severe delays of the Muni Bus. The cancellation updates aren't immediate on the app, so I waste lots of time waiting. Sometimes, I spent extra transit fees but was still late for the class.”
TRISTAN
Financial Consultant - frequent presentation with clients
“I live in San Francisco and work in downtown, where parking is notoriously difficult. My schedule is often packed, and I'm juggling numerous tasks that usually lead to the rush to the meeting room. I hope to avoid such a rush and the stress of being late and organizing the schedule.”
How might we create a dynamic public transportation tool to better help commuters find the most efficient routine in the ever-changing dynamic transportation and unexpected situations?
FINAL DESIGN
Introducing RouteMind
= Transportation + Daily Task Management
RouteMind (Your Efficient Planner Tool)
FEATURE 01
By analyzing real-time data from traffic and other work-related apps like E-mail or Slack, it optimizes their travel departure time in advance, thereby facilitating effective movement between multiple locations.
Reduce App Switching
FEATURE 02
This app collects the travel preferences and daily itineraries of commuters to create advanced travel plans and methods. Once users allow it to access their work applications, RouteMind can collect their weekly schedules. All the updates are automatically done without additional manual operation.
Highly Customized Planner
FEATURE 03
Analyzing traffic conditions, past punctuality, traffic errors, and the impact of weather, the app provides commuters with an estimate and two alternative plans.
Dynamic Trip Advice
CORE INSIGHTS
Ideation
SPECIFIC SCENARIO
Storyboard
The highlights of RouteMind are the personal customization setup, the onboarding, and the account setting, which are important in the app.
User Flow & Wireframing
Key Work Flow 01
Key Work Flow 02
Key Work Flow 03
Low-fi Wireframe
High-fi Wireframe
Sitemap
Ken is a college student and usually uses public transportation like buses, light rails, and bikes to school. However, the unreliable schedule and severe delay messed up his plan several times.
Experience Prototype
In San Francisco and suburban areas, accidental cancellations of buses usually happen. Ken is a punctual person who wants to make plans for his daily life. He expects the time can be organized well.
USER TESTING
After conducting the user testing with 10 target users. 7 people liked the daily suggestions from the AI on the same platform as this planner. 8 people liked the UI design, and 3 people thought it could offer some information extraction options, such as voice, photos, etc.
75% Users Loves the Features
PROTOTYPE
Product Demo
User Feedback
“I love the advised priority organization suggested by the AI to prompt me on what I need to bring in the next meeting. It is also flexible by leaving independent adjustments for me to change.”
“I like the customization parts in this app, but I would like more themes for me to select. Overall, I appreciate that you are trying to solve the time management and efficiency for the commuters.”
“The most rewarding thing for me is the user testing with low-fi wireframes testing and interactive prototyping, which can effectively validate my proposals whether they meet users’ needs.
WHAT I LEARNED…