Mobile app for public transport: A usability and user experience perspective

Abstract

The fast progress of smart devices and applications in the mobility sector open up a huge potential for mobility services that allow for an individualization of mobility patterns. In combination with an increasing infrastructure of public transport and diverse means of transportation, novel mobility concepts represent a promising solution to societal changes and mobility needs. However, the increasing functionality and multitude of options add to the complexity of using those services. The research is embedded into an interdisciplinary project – Mobility Broker – in which the central platform for planning and booking a journey using different public means of transport is developed. Different from other approaches, users are integrated in all stages of technical development. The paper reports on an empirical study in which the usability of the first prototype of the smart phone application was tested. Findings show that interface design and visual ergonomics are quite mature at this stage. Implications of findings are discussed and future research lines are explicated.