THE OBJECTIVE
How can we improve MARTA?
Public transportation can be the vital bond that ties a city together. MARTA is that such bond that ties the city of Atlanta together. But like all things, MARTA is also a work in progress.
To work on this progress ourselves, my UXDI classmates and I participated in the annual 24-hour MARTA Hackathon along with many other Atlantans who were passionate about making Atlanta a better city!
Our goal was to create an application that could help make riding MARTA a pleasurable and safe experience for all riders throughout the day and night. But how do we do that?
THE RESEARCH
UX Powers Unite with Developer Powers!
This was a 24- hour MARTA Hackathon that I participated in with three of my UXDI classmates.
With four of us being almost-experienced UX Designers, my team and I were looking forward to applying our UX skills and creating a viable solution that would help increase ridership and also make MARTA users feel safe.
During this hackathon, I had the great opportunity of working with developers! This was a very enriching and eye-opening experience for me because I learned a lot about how to interact with developers and work with them to achieve the common goal.
Why is our App needed?
Based on the research and speaking with MARTA users, my team and I observed that the crime revolving around the MARTA stations is heightening over time. Therefore, it is essential that our app, MARTA Buddies provides riders with the assurance that they will be safe on the trains especially during the evening and late night.
THE USER
Meet the MARTA user
At the Hackathon, there were numerous MARTA users and employees. I took this opportunity to speak to several of them throughout the night to understand what their current experience looks like when using MARTA. This is where we found our persona!
THE SKETCHING
Day or Night, we Sketch, Sketch, Sketch!
THE WIREFRAMING
See the MARTA Buddies App in action!
Please hover over the video to play
THE TEAMWORK
THE NEXT STEPS
- Offline capabilities
- Process of receiving buddy requests
- Incentivizing MARTA Buddies
- Use to promote the City of Atlanta
- Make viable partnerships with Atlanta businesses
