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Project Story - TfL self-service ticketing
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TfL self-service ticketing
There are few tougher challenges in design than mass transit systems. Get it right
and you improve the daily lives of millions of people. Get it wrong and… well, you
can’t get it wrong.
The challenge
TfL asked us to help improve the user experience of their self-service ticket
machines. While the hardware itself would stay the same, we were tasked with
improving the touchscreen user interface, helping more people serve themselves
at ticket machines in every station in the capital and its transport catchment.
TfL’s network is used by millions of Londoners every day, from schoolchildren to
commuters to pensioners. It’s also used by most of London’s visitors who come
from the rest of the UK and from every other country in the world. To make things
harder, buying tickets can often happen under stress: the noise and bustle of the
station, unfamiliarity with the ticketing and payment options, and the impatience
of the person behind you in the line.
What we did
When designing for an audience of this breadth and diversity, consistency is key. It
was essential we devised a set of patterns which users could quickly understand.
The vast range of purchase options and travel routes available meant that nothing
Project Story - TfL self-service ticketing
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less than meticulous attention to detail would ensure we created a consistent
experience which lowered the barriers to use.
We began by examining TfL behaviour studies and conducted a usability study of
existing self-service kiosks. We took particular note of the pressures in the station
environment and how these impacted travellers’ willingness to engage with the
machines.
Conditions such as heat, noise, vibration and the feeling of being watched were
causing some people to make rushed and inaccurate ticket purchases, or leading
them to abandon their self-service purchase.
We conducted 30, 90 minute interviews at the TfL testing centre with people from
across London, ensuring that we included users of every underground and
overground line plus bus travellers, paper ticket and oyster card users. In order to
capture the spectrum of TfL customers we recruited a wide range of
demographics, taking into consideration varying levels of literacy as well as people
with physical and cognitive disability.
During each interview we programmed the
testing machines to mirror the settings of the
participant’s local station. We then ran a series
of scenarios ranging from simple routes, to
journeys to more obscure directions involving
group tickets and multiple modes of transport.
We tried to make the testing conditions as
similar to the station environment as possible
by putting participants under time constraints
and physiological pressure.
Using this insight we created low-fidelity
concept designs of key user journeys and created diagrams which helped us
develop our interaction ideas and define the improved experience.
The technical limitations of the machines had an impact on our design thinking at
this stage. We realised we needed to provide stronger directional cues to help
guide the user off-screen towards other parts of the machine. We validated our
low-fidelity prototypes through user research, using the insights gained to inform
more detailed screen designs.
We then conducted user research with an interactive prototype. The prototype
was presented on a touchscreen display and housed within a mocked-up ticket
Ticket machine mock-up
Project Story - TfL self-service ticketing
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machine. We were then able to hand over detailed visual and interaction design
specifications for development.
The new TfL ticket interface
The win/win
The new ticketing interface shows TfL’s commitment to improving the customer
experience. More people have a successful ticketing experience with the
machines, saving them time and stress in their journey. The new experience also
helps TfL keep London moving, with wider benefits for the city and the national
economy.
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