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In a nutshell
Chicago’s CTA provides its users with vast connectivity along with affordable travel rates but its reputation for being unsafe deters users from maximizing its potential. Leading users to limited hours of use or expensive alternatives such as cabs.
By interviewing long-term residents of the city as well as new settlers, we aimed to understand why they consider the CTA system unsafe, as well as strategies they employ to ensure their safety.
RideAlong is designed around the concept of 'strength in numbers'. Its core feature allows users traveling to the same destination to band together in groups, ensuring each other's safety. It also features a ‘route optimizer’, allowing solo travelers to select routes based on time, safety, and vistas.
01   Research Findings   User challenges
Even though buses are generally considered safer, their unreliability pushed users towards trains where many safety issues were observed. Eccentric individuals making unsolicited advances, invasion of personal space, and lack of security at the platforms are some major examples. This led to a majority of users having experiences where they felt their safety was compromised and they felt less comfortable using the CTA during later hours. Newer users, however, seemed discouraged from using the CTA simply because of its reputation.
Methodology
  • Interviewed 15 participants who were a mix of long-term residents as well as new settlers in Chicago.
  • Used affinity diagrams to group data and identify emerging themes.
02   Research Findings   Existing solutions employed
Despite the lack of a formal product being used, users employed a variety of preventive measures. These include riding in the first compartment to be close to the conductor, traveling in more populated compartments, switching compartments or exiting the train if feeling uncomfortable, notifying friends of their current whereabouts, and carrying pepper spray or pocket knives.
Methodology
  • Interviewed 15 participants who were a mix of long-term residents as well as new settlers in Chicago.
  • Used affinity diagrams to group data and identify emerging themes.
03   Design concept
Evaluating the common problems and frustrations observed, we proposed the RideAlong app, a travel companion app aimed at fostering a sense of community that ensures the safety and convenience of its user base. Built around the concept of ‘strength in numbers’. RideAlong users consensually agree to share resources like their live locations while traveling. Our final design solution comprised 4 areas of interest:
04   Final design
The interaction design explores the features of RideAlong. The following user flow explores two distinct lanes based on RideAlong’s major features and how our auxiliary requirements supplement them. The two lanes explored are:
  • Group travel focusing on forming groups based on route preferences.
  • Individual travel focusing on crowd densities in station platforms and train compartments.
05   Hi-Fidelity screens
An individual design exploration which includes redesigns for screens such as route selection, group selection, route map, group members, and solo travel. This was accompanied by visual design, high-fidelity screens, and a prototype.
06   Prototype
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