BusShi App
BusShi was created to encourage seniors to adopt a higher usage of technology in their lives so as to keep up with the rapidly digitalized world.
The Project
In Singapore, the aging population is surging, with the number of seniors aged 65 and above quickly catching up to that of youths under 15. As technology becomes increasingly prevalent, this presents a challenge as many elderly individuals are not familiar with using technology, and not all interfaces are designed with their needs in mind. In a society that embraces technology across all aspects of life, it is crucial to prioritize inclusivity. While seniors are gradually adapting to these changes, it is important to recognize that services for different age groups are not easily interchangeable, necessitating greater customization for the elderly. This need for customization is particularly critical in the realm of transportation, which plays a vital role in facilitating mobility for the elderly. Maintaining mobility is essential for seniors to age healthily, as constraints on their ability to move around can lead to a range of health issues. In today's world, technology is widely employed to enhance various aspects of life, including transportation. Numerous apps are available to improve the public transport experience, but it is important to assess whether seniors are utilizing these apps to navigate their journeys. Given the higher ridership of buses and the fact that seniors often rely on buses for transportation, I chose to focus specifically on bus services. By investigating the usage of transportation apps among seniors, we can gain insights into how technology can better serve their needs and enhance their overall travel experience. With an easier application, this will inspire seniors to start exploring their surroundings and venture a bit further by utilizing bus services. By encouraging them to embrace bus rides, we can enable seniors to discover and enjoy more of their local area, fostering a sense of adventure and independence. Moreover, bus rides provide opportunities for seniors to meet new people and reduce the need for excessive walking, particularly during unfavorable weather conditions.
What did i discover?
According to the IMDA survey in 2018, it was found that 55% of seniors aged 60 and above use the internet and 73% of seniors aged 60 and above own an internet-enabled smartphone. This shows that there is a misconceptions of seniors not adopting tech.
In order to support the IMDA survey and also to get a better understanding of the senior's hurdles with technology, I conducted a guerilla interview which consisted of a mix of seniors aged 60 - 70 from different background both who uses and don't use technology and smartphones. Wanting to better understand the reason behind their choice and also the pain points of the seniors surrounding public transportation. The key findings from the interview were:
1) The seniors are very willing to explore new places
2) 90% of them own a smartphone
3) They often find themselves taking the wrong bus
4) Most of them own a phone (both smart / not)
5) The most common apps they use are messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Line. They hardly use any other mobile apps due to the complexity
6) They learned to use the apps and smartphones from their children or from classes that they apply to
7) A couple of seniors express learning more apps
8) Some English speaking seniors do find apps hard to use despite being able to understand the words on the app, they had to click around to find what they were looking for.
Inclusive Design
After the interview, I decided to look into designing for the seniors by applying inclusive design.
Inclusive design emphasises the importance of making the product user friendly for certain groups of people by keeping their needs in mind while designing. I decided to choose a mobile application because the information will be easily accessible to the seniors since there is a high usage of smartphones throughout the past few years till today it is rising. The younger generation is already making full use of the capabilities of a smartphone to get information on the go and i want that to happen for the seniors as well.
Customer Journey Map
I created a customer journey map to chart out what a typical bus journey might be like for seniors.
BusShi App's Features
There are two main features in this app I'm prioritising which suits the seniors needs.
Route Guide
Route guide provides an in-depth guide on how to get from one place to another with a special map feature that makes use of augmented reality for the walking guide.
Explore
The 'Explore' feature was derived from my findings through my interviews. Seniors usually head out in the noon till evening either alone or with friends, to walk around to shop or get food. They tend to visit the same places due to familiarity and comfort but are willing to explore new places however they often have no clue how or where to go. This is where the explore feature shines.
This feature provides suggestions for new areas and things to do based on their current location. On top of that, they will also get a breakdown of the route they need to take to get there.
Wireframes
I started with creating wireframes to plan for the features in the app. Here are some of the early versions of the designs of the main features:
Enter Destination
During my user testing, I realised that users had issues understanding the interface. Which is why I decided to revise the design in the later version to remove clutter. Location services is used to detect the bus stop nearest to the user to autofill the field.
Route Guide
I broken down the guide into steps employing the usage of progressive disclosure so as to not overwhelm the user with a full breakdown of the route. This is to ensure that they know exactly what the current/next step is.
Stop Counter
The stop counter displays when the user should alight using a countdown.
Hi-fidelity Prototype V5 User Testing
The users who tested this prototype were aged between 40 - 78 years old. I gave them 3 tasks to perform during user testing.
1. Imagine you want to find new activities to attend, how will you look for recommendations on this app.
2. (You already know where you want to go) If you are now at AMK interchange, and want to go to the Kwan Im Chinese Temple, how will you use the app
to help you get to your destination.
3. Where will you find monthly specials and promotions? and got some recurring issues.
Results and what the users felt
The users were able to most of the tasks however an issue that came up quite often was that users were confused between "highlights" and "activities". The users were expecting to see a list of events under highlights however that section provided them with a list of monthly specials and promotions instead. I decided to do away with the highlights section to reduce confusion and integrate the promotions into the activities section.
Hi-fidelity V6 Prototype (FINAL)
In addition to the app, I created a companion website and manual guide for Busshi project. The website was created with the aim to better showcase and explain the process behind the creation of the BusShi App. To visit the website click here
I also created a manual guide to be given to users. The guide contains step by step instructions on how to use the app.