DOT Bus Future State Service
Customer Journey Mapping • Mixed Methods Research • Service Blueprinting • Affinity Mapping • Prototyping
Grad project created by a team of 2
Project Overview
This service design project aims to optimize the DOT Bus Shuttle Service in Savannah, Georgia, primarily focusing on elevating the tourist experience and reducing parking congestion.
My Role
User research (autoethnographic, in-depth interviews, contextual interviews, user observations), affinity mapping, ideation, framework creations, UI design
Analyzing Touchpoints and Value Exchange in Savannah's Bus Ecosystem
Our initial step was to pinpoint the exact service for our analysis by examining the service touchpoints and the value exchanged within Savannah's ecosystem. This helped us understand how the service operates within the context of the community and its environment.
Becoming First Time Bus Riders Ourselves
This hands-on method helped us understand the rider's perspective, making our design solutions more practical and user-focused. The insights from our experience guided us in creating improvements that truly matter to those using the service. While observing as first-time riders we noticed the opportunity to enhance the tourist experience.
Visualizing the Bus Journey
We proceeded to map our journey from the viewpoint of a tourist navigating the dot bus system. starting with the discovery phase before their visit, and extending to the moment they exit at their chosen destination.
Mapping the Bus System's Backstage
The blueprint helped us gain insights into the backstage operations of the bus system, allowing us to map and analyze the internal processes that contribute to the overall service experience.
From Interviews to Insights
Following our primary research (observations, contextual interviews, and in-depth interviews) with passengers and frequent riders, we organized and analyzed the data, which revealed these key points:
How Might We……
Based on our affinity mapping and findings we narrowed down to our 4 main HMW’s
Assist riders in discovering and locating bus stops
Improve the interior of the bus to inform passengers of key information while riding
Provide riders with a reliable system for confirming and tracking arrival times
Enhance the physical display and create a more comfortable environment
Leveraging Primary Research to Address 'How Might We' Questions"
Next, we ideated based on our primary research and HMW questions. We then used a 2x2 matrix to identify which solutions would be viable to improve the dot bus experience for tourists.
PRIORITIZATION
Concepts
After outlining our ideas on this matrix, we identified the feasible projects vs the big projects that could be implemented within the service
What can we do today?
What can be done in the future?
Envisioning the Future
We generated a storyboard on how we could envision the future of the Savannah dot bus based on our primary research
Features
Focusing primarily on tourist discovery and onboarding we designed a digital kiosk solution with features to help them navigate around Savannah.
Takeaways and Next Steps
After this project we would advance our solution by conducting user testing on digital and physical prototypes, seeking feedback from potential riders. This would enable us to prioritize actions based on user preferences. Additionally, we aim to enhance the physical experience, considering environmental factors and weather conditions.