Ticket Machine Redesign
User research
We researched the current ticket machines to gather requirements. This was done at a TfL test centre using live ticket machines.
We also had access to research that TfL and some of their partners had conducted.
User journeys
I defined user journeys to help clarify user and system interactions.
One of TfL’s key concerns was ensuring we kept purchase journeys as quick as possible. We had to avoid introducing long queues in ticket halls at all costs. Therefore it was important to scrutinise all the journeys to ensure they were as efficient as possible.
In some cases, we added steps when compared to the old system, however, this enabled us to make each step as simple as possible, which made decision-making easier.
Concept development
We created concepts for each user journey that were taken into user research and iterated.
Working at a low-fidelity at the beginning also proved to be an effective way to tease out many of the complex business rules for ticket purchases.
Prototyping and iteration
The concepts were iterated further, and then we developed them into a prototype.
Below is a comparison of the home screen before and after we tested the prototype. One of the critical changes came from noticing that people were touching their Oyster cards to the screen rather than the reader. Therefore, we introduced stronger directional cues to help guide the user off-screen towards other parts of the machine.
Style guide
After further testing and iteration, we created a style guide for designers and developers.
The style guide enabled TfL’s development partners to build the product. It also provided a foundation for any future work on the ticket machines.
The result
The new interface went live in June 2014 and has helped Transport for London meet its commitment to focus on customer experience.
The final design shortened the duration of key user journeys, reducing queuing at busy times, and ticket sales using the machines saw a £27 million increase in the year after launch.