First & last mile connectivity- Research, design and system level thinking
Project overview
Context
In the process of learning and transitioning into User Experience domain, I started this project. The goal was to get a high level understanding of ‘first & last mile connectivity’, identify a specific problem area and address it by designing a product/ service.
Project Duration:
November - December 2022
Project overview
Research statement
To find opportunities in ‘first & last mile connectivity’ in Tier 1 cities in India, understand pain points of users with public transportation, identify specific problem area and design a product/ service for the year 2030.
My role:
I conducted UX Research (secondary & primary), did UX Design, a micromobility concept vehicle design and ideated on how the system will work.
Understanding the user
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User Research
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Problem statement
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Personas
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User Journey map
User Research
Methodology
Secondary research and interviews were done to understand first and last mile connectivity in Tier1 cities in India, how users use public transport in their day to day life and their pain points.
Recruitment criteria
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Have used public transport for office commute or intra city commute
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Age group: 25 - 45 (climate conscious)
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Location: Tier cities, India
Insights
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Majority of people use shared mobility (autos/cabs) for FM & LM, B.PAC survey- 2019
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24% use private transport because of lack FM & LM connectivity to public transport, B.PAC survey- 2019
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During peak hours, buses are already full when they come to bus stop - have to wait longer for next bus
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Shared mobility zones are not always close to origin & destination; how to reach these last mile solutions?
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It is first come first serve basis in Yulu zones; vehicle numbers are limited
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Technical glitch, internet problem - starting and ending a ride is difficult, takes time while going to office
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Travelling by bus/ metro is difficult during rain – first & last mile, waiting for bus/ metro, carrying a wet umbrella
Daily commuter - persona & user journey
Mr. Vikram Kumar
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25, B.Tech., IT employee, Bangalore
“As a climate conscious person, I do not prefer personal vehicles”
Vikram is a young professional who uses public transport for office commute. He stays 10 km away from his office. Metro station is available close to his office but not close to his house.
Analysis
Different types of personas were created; Daily commuter, Tourist & Elderly who use public transport and face problems with first & last mile connectivity. Then I created user journey maps for these personas to find areas for improvement. (Tourist & Elderly personas were included to increase customer base in order to increase profit for business)
Problem statement
To design an autonomous & shared micromobility service to help users access public transportation seamlessly; which will include:
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Mobile app
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Micromobility vehicle concept
Tourist - persona & user journey
Ms. Priya & Ms. Kavitha
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27, B.Tech., Bank employees, Chennai
“We want to explore Bangalore, visit popular places and have fun”
Priya & Kavitha are visiting Bangalore for the first time. They plan to see major tourist attractions without spending too much on travel.
Ideas addressing pain points
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System - how it will work
Ideation
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Ideas addressing pain points
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System - how it will work
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Ideal state user journey map
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Mobile app design
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Micromobility vehicle design
Pain points
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Shared vehicle zones (Yulu, Bounce) are not nearby
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Someone else takes the vehicle between ‘checking availability from home and reaching the zone’
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Walking in uncomfortable shoes, sweating on office attire to reach bus stop/ metro station
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Anxiety to reach office on time
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Autos, cabs: surge price, cancel/ refuse rides, rash driving
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Crowd in bus/ metro: standing is uncomfortable, chances of mobile/ wallet theft, travelling with bag, some cases wait for next bus/ metro- delay in reaching destination
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Self driving electric vehicle – small footprint
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Different options – with & without seat (to be inclusive)
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Speed limit: 15 & 25 km/h; users can choose
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It would run on ‘low speed vehicle paths’ dedicated for vehicles with speed less than 25 km/h
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It would be stationed at Glide zones (located near Tech parks, residential societies, bus/ train/ metro stations, etc.)
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Wireless charging at these zones; vehicle will reach nearest zone when charge is less
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Vehicle would be used for a short distance (< 5 km) to access nearest public transport stop/ station
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Max. number of people who can ride at once (one adult + one kid under 10 years)
Elderly - persona & user journey
Mr. Krishnan
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65, Retired, Bangalore
“I want to commute safely & independently within the city”
Krishnan likes to visit his friends, eat at his favourite restaurant. He does not like depend on another family member to commute.
Daily commuter - ideal state user journey map
Mobile app - touch screen modality
Micromobility vehicle design
Design brief
Design an autonomous & shared micromobility vehicle to help users access public transportation for the year 2030 considering target market, sustainability and inclusivity.
Research areas
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Micromobility
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Public transport & access to them in Bangalore
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Autonomous vehicles
Inspiration
Keywords
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Minimalistic
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Small footprint
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Inclusive
Mood board
Paper wireframes II
Paper wireframes I
Going forward
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Next steps
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Reflection
Benchmarking
Concept design
Packaging
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Length: 1110 mm; Width: 450 mm; Height: 1135 mm
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Mannequins: average Indian male & female
Next steps
Mobile app
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Low fidelity prototype
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Usability study
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High fidelity design & prototype
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Usability study
Micromobility vehicle
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Engineering development
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Class A 3D model
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Rendering
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Prototype & testing
Reflection
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Secondary research and primary research resulted in similar direction
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User Experience is not only the interactions in an app but the complete set of interactions user has with the service
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I enjoyed planning out the system; how it will work, the big picture (out of the screens)