B.E.S.T. Local Transport Digital Information Design System
INFORMATION SYSTEM DESIGN FOR BUSES
Getting to design something which has potential to change the behaviour of people at such scale is rare. It has ability to change the way people look at public transport in the city which is a huge infrastructural change that had never been undertaken in the online medium.
OVERVIEW
BEST is the largest organized bus transport network among major Indian cities that caters to roughly 5-6 million commuters everyday. BEST is one of the oldest organisations of the country and since then has been relentlessly serving all segments of the population. Today, even though digital has deeply penetrated our lives, this lifeline still operated on manual methods of communication. BEST last year took up this mammoth task of creating a Bus Information System that leverages the power of mobility and digital tech to deliver real time information of Buses.
BRIEF
BEST's requirement was to study the existing state of information systems in the city and come up with an effective mobile app which will keep people better informed about the system.
The brief was simple, how can we bring convenience to the users by capturing real time data from the bus and delivering it to the commuters. The biggest challenge was to build a roadmap which can slowly get entrenched into the system and in peoples day to day lives.
Solving the most obvious problem
First rule of acceptance from the user community is to build on solving known problems most effectively. We looked at our research and the ambiguity in peoples mind while standing at the bus stop is the biggest reason for discontentment with the services. It was important while designing that we put all our energies to bring about clarity in commuters mind as to what is best for them to travel with least amount of effort
CHALLENGE
There were two fold challenges that were glaringly visible, one, BEST today caters to the lowest strata of commuters to traverse through the city at minimum costs and in time, how to develop a design and communication system which can cut across all segments of population and second, how to change the mindset within an organization to run such a system that is bound to change the way they current operate internally.
We were surprised by the sheer reactions we got. Right from crowding, to ill information at the bus stops, from condition of the buses to inconsistencies in information available through various sources online.
Therre were other system level problems which bus drivers and conductors faced. Like lost property management, peoples misbehavior, working conditions in such weather and crowd, response from the system during emergencies.
STRATEGY
Unlike many design disciplines, Digital communication design is a living organism. It has the allowance for people to learn and also gives system an allowance to improve based on behavior.
Deep rooted User centric processes in design helped us solve real problems and not just digitization of information. The real reflections from people and system helped us build an online system which makes a real difference in their lives. Early feedback mechanisms and testing showed us the power that real time information has in the way people decide things in their lives.
INNOVATION
BEST new information system was build with latest AI tech which gives design an edge over others to improve itself with time. It improves communication and personalizes it as per the individual using it. Whether it is to help person wake up before her/his stop because of the sleepy nature or build alarms for forgetful behavior.
BEST Pravas is an app that is designed to breathe fresh life into the lifeline of Mumbai.
Designed for users across a spectrum of education levels and economics, the app is simple and intuitive.
We did not only designed the app but build a whole design system, so that in the coming times its scalable and adaptable to any situation.
Super Intutive and Vanacular Language Friendly
The results appear in know google cards like fashion that are very visual and extremely easy to understand. Each card shows the duration of the ride, connections needed and walk times to destination, along with the estimated time of arrival. An unprecedented piece of information is how crowded each bus is an important factor to help decide whether she should take this bus or wait for the next one.
SEARCH FOR THE BEST
The most important function for a user is to search for buses. This feature is placed upfront and enables the user to search by destination or by the route number if she knows it.
It also allows for repeat users to perform functions on existing or frequently travelled routes to reduce keyboard entry or typing while standing in a crowded set up. TAP and GO.
SEARCH RESULTS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PAGE
This page and organization of data on the module is the most important part of the design exercise. We labored hard to capture all the nuances of decision making in a single capsule that can be consumed in least amount of time
The results appear in cards that are very visual and extremely easy to understand. Each card shows the duration of the ride, connections needed and walk times to destination, along with the estimated time of arrival.
An unprecedented piece of information is how crowded each bus is an important factor to help decide whether she should take this bus or wait for the next one.
BUILT FOR LANGUAGE SPECIFIC AND MORE IMPORTANTLY LANGUAGE AGNOSTIC
The app was designed for Hindi and English to start with bit it primarily was aimed to be language agnostic. The whole interface relied mostly on icons and standard number displays which everybody is familiar with. This allowed the interface to work with all segments irrespective of the app language
DESIGNED FOR DEEPER INTERACTION FOR ROUTE PLANNING AND ITINERARY BUILDING
The app allows for future planning too. The users can choose the date and time they want to travel and the app will show up all the bus routes that match the requirements.
They can deep dive further to see the exact times of arrival for each bus, look at the entire timetables or explore the best routes with the help of maps.
It also can work as a planning app for tourists around in the city in case they are looking to save money on local travel.
EMBEDDED WITH LIGHTER FUNCTIONALITIES IN RESPONSE TO SOME DEEP BEHAVIOR NUANCES
The user research revealed many small little frustrations that commuters go through during travel, like missing a bus stop, loosing valuables etc.
The app is laced with functions such as alarms to wake the user up before their stop if users takes a snooze while travelling, or report and recover things left behind in a bus - the app has many other features to provide delight and make the lives of over 5 million users easier everyday!
DARK MODE TO SAVE BATTERY AND PROVIDE BETTER VISIBILITY
While many of the older apps are still getting on to Dark mode, BEST app was designed for dark mode natively. It allowed users with Visibility impairment to switch to this high contrast mode right from day one.
FUTURE PLANNING FOR A SCALABLE DESIGN SYSTEM
The information design system borrows approaches from communication design discipline and builds a robust and a scalable design mechanics which will allow BEST to expand its digital services to phygital spaces seamlessly
PROGRESSIVE ENHANCEMENT
We made sure that the app works for the lowest common denominator but doesnt disappoint an advanced user. While most functions are made to satisfy the immediate need, the app also has advanced modes where you can plan itineraries, build route plans and use it as a complete travel planning tool within the city