LiveTrain.NYC

EvaluationCreated by Kelli Vanover

Overview of Process:Heuristic Evaluation, Competitive Analysis,

& Usability TestingThe primary step in the evaluation process was to perform a heuristic evaluation of the

LiveTrain.NYC site. It was difficult to do so as the site was down for repairs, so many of the

observations were based of previous observation of the site when in full working order. The method

of heuristic evaluation used was Abby’s 10 Heuristic IA Principles--which include evaluation of the

site’s 1) Findabilty 2) Accessibility 3) Clarity 4) Communication 5) Usefulness 6) Credibility 7)

Controllability 8) Value 9) Learnability 10) Ability to Delight. Please keep in mind that these

principles are applied to the site through the lens of my perception of the various users intended for

the site. Admittedly, the evaluation is done through the harshest lens possible—meaning I viewed

all of the criteria as a user would knowing I have the ability as a user to go

elsewhere. understanding the user can and will go elsewhere to retrieve the information provided

by LiveTrain.NYC is imperative to improving the site for the user.

Based on the results of the heuristic evaluation, I chose to my usability testing on the competition—

those that provided similar information & service that LiveTrain.NYC does, but in a more

user friendly way. In order to do this, I had to first research and analyze the competition. This was

determined based on a Google search of “top NYC subway map apps”—which revealed

articles &/or lists which included many of the above tested apps, as well as a cross-reference of

user reviews from iTunes- App Store.

In order to perform the usability testing, I designed a task for each of the 3 users, whom

were chosen based on their closeness to perceived target user personas. The overview of the task

for each of the users provided a motive for each user to travel from Location A to Location B at a

specific time, using each of the competitor apps to accomplish their task. Each user was provided 2

unknown addresses within NYC (the same location for each user), and a specific time which they

needed to arrive at Location B from Location A—not the current time. This task was testing the

following ability of each app to provide the user 1) an understanding of Location A and Location B in

relation to each other 2) the ability of the user to determine the most appropriate route to reach

Location B from Location A 3) the ability of the user to determine what time they would need to

depart Location A in order reach Location B by the appropriate time 4) the ability to determine at

what time and which route the user would need to depart location B in order to successfully return

to location A by the appropriate time.

Overview ofRecommendations:

1 It is recommended that LiveTrain.NYC be made into a mobile application.

This is recommended in order to serve the user in the most beneficial way possible. The

information provided by LiveTrain.NYC is most necessary when the user is intending on moving to

a different location than the one they are currently in. The information LiveTrain.NYC provides

—realtime train status— is only critical user when they are on the move—so by necessity, the

information should be on the move with the user. In its current state, the information provided by

LiveTrain.NYC is severely limited and many times rendered useless as it is limited to an open

computer screen of a resting user.

2 It is recommended that LiveTrain.NYC provide ability to tailor results to each individual

user.

As LiveTrain.NYC stands currently, the user has a difficult time determining if the information it is

providing is important, relevant, and timely to each unique user. It is very difficult for the user to

determine the point of the site—meaning what the site provides as it relates to the user— “why is

this site useful to me?”. In its current state, it is difficult to determine the value LiveTrain.NYC

provides to the user.

3 It is recommended that LiveTrain.NYC provide clear and consistent messaging,

navigation, and directives to users.

As LiveTrain.NYC stands currently, the user is unaware if the site is working or not. It is also

impossible to determine what the working site would look like—as there is no explanation,

directions, key, menu, or any other significant navigational signs that a typical site or app would

display in order for the user to gain some context of the information provided by the site.

4 It is recommended that LiveTrain.NYC revaluate the primary purpose of the site,

putting the user’s needs first.

As LiveTrain.NYC stands in its current state, it emphasizes the provision of realtime train locations.

Ignoring the severe limitations of only providing data for 3 main lines (1,2,3,4,5,6,L), I would

encourage LiveTrain.NYC to questions the usefulness of the information they are providing to the

user. Consider the following question, how does realtime location of trains relate to a user if:

1) the user is unaware of their current location

2) the user is unaware of where they are trying to go in relation to their current location

3) time & day of travel is important to the user

4) the user is not using transit at this exact moment

5) the user is not familiar with the NYC transit system

These factors, and many more are directly related to why a user would be using the transit system,

and therefore interested in the information provided by LiveTrain.NYC.

Heuristic Evaluation:LiveTrain.NYC

The method of heuristic evaluation used was Abby’s 10 Heuristic IA Principles--which include

evaluation of the site’s

1) Findabilty 2) Accessibility 3) Clarity 4) Communication 5) Usefulness 6) Credibility 7)

Controllability 8) Value 9) Learnability 10) Ability to Delight.

Please keep in mind that these principles are applied to the site through the lens of my perception

of the various users intended for the site. Admittedly, the evaluation is done through the harshest

lens possible—meaning I viewed all of the criteria as a user would knowing I have the ability as a

user to go elsewhere. understanding the user can and will go elsewhere to retrieve the information

provided by LiveTrain.NYC is imperative to improving the site for the user.

Can users easily locate that which they are seeking?

At this time (1/2/15), users are able to locate the site, but it is not running properly. So while they

can locate the site by following LiveTrain.NYC, they are not able to find any information they are

searching for.

How is findability affected across channels and devices?

The user will only be able to locate the information on the web through a computer or through

manual search on portable devices.

How do external and internal search engines “see” what is provided?

It is unclear to the user how the information is being generated on the site.

Is information formatted with results in mind?

No, the user is provided with all information available, with no way of sorting or filtering out

irrelevant information. The site does not take in to account the user’s start or end location, the

time/day of desired travel, or any pertinent information unique to each individual user.

What is provided to make the delivered results more useful?

There is no additional directions, explanation of features or information being provided by the site

itself. The results are expected to stand alone as the useful information. It is unclear if the user

would be able to suss out the relevant information without additional options, directions, filters, etc.

Can it be used via all expected channels and devices?

No, the site can only be easily accessed through an internet browser, most easily through a

computer. There is not a readily available portable “on-the-go” option of the information provided

available at this time.

How resilient and consistent is it when used via “other” channels?

N/A as there are no additional channels at this time.

Does it meet accessibility compliance to be considerate of users with disabilities? The site relies heavily on color to indicate information pertinent to the site. It does not take in to

account those who may have a difficult time processing color.

Is it easy to understand?

It is clear to a user familiar with New York City and the subway transit system what is being

displayed. It is unclear to any user—regardless of familiarity— which trains are represented on the

tracks displayed. There is no clear indicator to let users know which “dot” represents a particular

train (ex. a Bronx-bound 5 train or a Brooklyn-bound 3 train). In order to achieve an easily-

understood map, the “dots” would need to differentiate between train number/letter and direction of

travel, beyond the color of the dot (which was changed based on previous recommendation).

Is the target demographic being considered?

Yes & no, the map is somewhat clear for a user in the New York City area, but to those users who

may be new to the city or tourists attempting to use the information, it would be significantly more

difficult for them to gain anything meaningful from the site.

Is the path to task completion obvious and free of distraction?

Yes, as there is nothing needed from the user to retrieve the information provided. BUT, I would not

consider that to be a success from a user’s POV, as the information provided could be

overwhelming, irrelevant, and unnecessary, causing the user to exit the site, and seek

other means of finding the information they were seeking.

Would a user find it easy to describe?

The concept of the site—“provide a real time display of NYC subway trains”— is easy enough for a

user to describe. But I do not believe the concept and subsequent answer provided is of any use to

a user in its current state. A user could not explain how the site helps them in any significant way,

and that is a major issue.

Is the status, location and permissions of the user obvious?

No, the user’s location (current or desired) is not taken into account in any way.

How is messaging used throughout?

There is no messaging to speak of on the site.

Is messaging effective for the tasks and contexts being supported?

N/A, no messaging on the site, so there is not communication with the user.

Does the navigation & messaging establish consistency across channels, contexts &

tasks?

The navigation consists of zoom in and zoom out, and drag ability—which is consistent on many

maps that the general public has come to anticipate this ability of maps, which is a plus, although I

feel the site could add symbols to effectively communicate this ability. It is worth pointing out that

the map is able to zoom out significantly farther than the data is relevant, which could

be extremely confusing for a user, and cause the user to get lost in the map, causing frustration. If

additional information is added further down the time line of this site, it would be useful to have

a “mini-map” displaying the user’s location of the main map.

Are users able to complete the tasks that they set out to without frustration

or abandon?

There are no “tasks” as understood by a user, just the need to process information. I believe this is

going to cause a large amount of frustration to the user, and they will abandon the site as it will

appear the information provided is either too complex, irrelevant, or not helpful in the task they are

attempting to perform.

Does it serve new users as well as loyal users in ways that satisfy their needs

uniquely?

No, the site does not appear to interact with users in any way—thus it does not recognize new or

loyal users. I could see a great need for the site to recognize user’s addresses, route information,

etc.

Are there a few navigation options that lead where users may want to go next?

N/A, the site is only 1 page, which requires no additional navigation. As there are no tasks that can

be performed by users at this time, it is not necessary for the site to direct users to other steps. In

the future, it will be important for the site to direct users through messaging and navigation if

additional features are added.

Is the design appropriate to the context of use and audience?

Yes, the site uses images and symbols that are understood by the target audience.

Is your content updated in a timely manner?

Yes, the content is updated every few minutes per the ability of the main data retrieval system,

although the time may be too lagged to be useful to many users who ride the subway system.

Is it easy to contact a real person?

No, there is no way to contact the creators through the site. This may or may not be necessary—

although there should be a method for users to contact the creators or those who maintain the site

to report issues, requests changes, etc.

Is it easy to verify your credentials?

No, it is unclear where the data is being retrieved from, so users may not feel trust toward the site

data. It may be necessary to explain where the data is coming from to satisfy user’s trust in the

information provided.

Do you have help/support content where it is needed?

No, there is no help or technical support information provided.

Are tasks and information a user would reasonably want to accomplish available?

No, the user has absolutely no impact on the data provided.

How well are errors anticipated and eliminated?

It is unclear how the system handles errors, other than a display that lets users know the site is

down.

Are features offered to allow the user to tailor information or functionality to their

context?

No, the user is unable to manipulate the data provided, which means the data could be irrelevant

to users, and overwhelm them with information, causing them to abandon the site.

Are exits and other important controls clearly marked?

There are no controls and/or exits on the site other than simply leaving the page.

Is it desirable to the target user?

No, the site does not provide information to users that are 1) relevant 2) based on unique user

needs 3) easily understood by the user.

Does it maintain conformity with expectations throughout the interaction across

channels?

Yes, to a limited degree. The format is the same across the map, although it is unclear how the

"dots” would be represented when multiple trains are in the same station at one time, and how they

will show multiple trains traveling the same line, as well as how trains traveling in different directions

will be displayed. As there are no trains or “ dots” running at this time, it is unclear how the user

would be able to anticipate these differing variables.

Can a user easily describe the value?

No, it is unclear beyond a very limited scope what the value of knowing where all of the trains are

located on the tracks at any given time would be to a user, if there is no way to tailor the information

to its most relevant point for each individual user.

How is success being measured?

It is unclear how success from a business standpoint is being measured. This is because it is

unclear what the goals of the site are as it pertains to user satisfaction.

Does it improve user satisfaction?

It is unclear how the site would satisfy a user because the basic premise of the site may not be a

need the user en mass may have a need for, without further alterations to the site.

Can it be grasped quickly?

Yes, the basic premise of the site can be grasped quickly, although the information the site is

providing is unable to be grasped in any certain terms, as indicated earlier in the evaluation,

the “dots” are unclearly differentiated from each other—providing no real data of use to the user.

What is offered to ease the more complicated processes?

Nothing is offered at this time to provide clarification to the data being provided.

Is it memorable?

Yes, it is easy to grasp the basic maneuverability around the map.

Is it easy to recount?

Yes, as there is nothing required of the user in order to begin receiving information from the site

upon entry.

Does it behave consistently enough to be predictable?

No, the site has been down due to updates, that it is fair to say the performance is inconsistent. But

the inconsistency is due to changes being made by the creators, not necessarily anything to do with

the performance of the site itself. It appears consistent when it is running as planned.

What are your differentiators from other similar experiences or competitors?

The site offers some of the same information as competitors—although because of the usefulness

of the data provided to users through various competitors, LiveTrain.NYC would not come close to

beating out the competition. The differentiation is that it is unclear how the information provided is of

use to users, which is something that would need to be addressed for this to be a viable product

and a positive user experience.

What cross channel ties can be explored that delight?

I would highly recommend that this concept be turned in to an app—as the very nature of

something that provides directions is that it is portable, verifiable, and adaptable, based on users

needs. As the site stands now, it is none of the above.

How are user expectations not just met but exceeded?

I am not positive that users expectations would be met with this site as it stands now. I will provide

recommendations in order to do so in the following sections.

What are you providing that is unexpected?

It is an unexpected feature to be able to see all trains moving in real time at once.

What can you take that is now ordinary and make extraordinary?

The quality above could be exceptional if it connected all train systems across the states. I think

the idea of this map as art in a way requires that it be larger and all encompassing. If it is going to

be focused on NYC, it needs to be more useful to the user. Usability testing will reveal more of the

user’s needs in order to help inform recommendations to come.

Competitive AnalysisGoogle Maps | Embark | Transit | NYC Subway (Yellow & Black)

NYSUbView | Find the Line | Tunnel Vision | NYC Subway (Red &

Black)

The above competitors were determined based on a Google search of “top NYC subway map

apps”—which revealed articles &/or lists which included many of the above tested apps, as well as

a cross-reference of user reviews from iTunes- App Store. This is not meant to serve as a definitive

list, nor is it meant to imply that all of the above mentioned apps should be considered as best

practices to follow. The apps were chosen based on the relative happiness of users, the app’s

ability to test a specific task which is directly related to the most viable product (MVP) of

LiveTrain.NYC, as well as the app’s ability to mimic the overall recommended direction believed

that LiveTrain.NYC should take, based on heuristic testing and direct user feedback of the site

(LiveTrain.NYC) itself.

It is recommended, based on results of user testing, that LiveTrain.NYC use the following apps as

consideration for a direction to take the data provided by LiveTrain.NYC.

Rated Based on Overall User Happiness

1) Google Maps

2) Embark

3) Transit

Wild Card Option Based on Ability to Delight & Surpass User Expectation

4) Find the Line

Usability Testing the"Competition"

In order to perform the usability testing, I designed a task for each of the 3 users, whom

were chosen based on their closeness to perceived target user personas. The overview of the task

for each of the users provided a motive for each user to travel from Location A to Location B at a

specific time, using each of the competitor apps to accomplish their task. Each user was provided 2

unknown addresses within NYC (the same location for each user), and a specific time which they

needed to arrive at Location B from Location A—not the current time. This task was testing the

following ability of each app to provide the user 1) an understanding of Location A and Location B in

relation to each other 2) the ability of the user to determine the most appropriate route to reach

Location B from Location A 3) the ability of the user to determine what time they would need to

depart Location A in order reach Location B by the appropriate time 4) the ability to determine at

what time and which route the user would need to depart location B in order to successfully return

to location A by the appropriate time.

Persona: JordanJordan is a 28 YO young professional living in Brooklyn and working in the Bronx. Because his

commute is so long, it is critical that Jordan be on time leaving his house and know which routes

will get him to where he is going fastest. Jordan is familiar with the NYC subway system and uses

it on a daily basis. He often stops to meet friends or run errands after work, so he needs to be able

to find whats around him with ease, including that in his commute.

Task: Jordan has a meeting tomorrow morning at 10am. He needs to know what time he must

leave "Location A" in order to arrive in time for his meeting at "Location B".

__________________________________Testing_____________________________________

Google Maps- easily navigated through the options—was able to set time for tomorrow’s meeting.

like how the map shows other subway lines. easily used the recognized addresses, zoomed out to

find subway lines near unknown address, zoomed in to find the exact subway. Uses it every day to

get places. when not sure where he is it takes time to find which way to go—uses the suggested

routes usually. Did not know about the compass feature—not sure if it would be useful, but

maybe. Task Accomplished.

Embark—easily found the menu to type in start address, also with finish address. relatively easily

found time to change departure/arrival for tomorrow. Does not like how its every 15 minutes—

either gets there too early, or just on time, not accounting for delay. Directions for step by step

were easy to locate. confusing that the name of the train direction was displayed same as a

subway stop. Did not easily see “toward’. Likes that it shows the stops in between. Like the text

directions feature—not sure why he would want to tweet it out. Not helpful if not in same location.

Does not like how it doesn’t have map feature—likes visual representation of directions. “ohh

advisories” likes the delays are known. Likes that the subway map is there, good for when you

don’t have service. Likes the map because it is familiar to him. Task Accomplished.

Transit- easily found the search, but the directions drop down was hard to find initially. cannot

easily change the time. It was difficult because the keyboard initially blocked the numbers. Likes

the options to minimize walking and add in Uber. Seems hesitant about the results—it’s a timeline.

clicks option on timeline and is taken to map. Only gives Q as option—liked other options too.

Realized it was the timing thing. Weird timeline—not used to looking at it this way—makes sense

but caused hesitation initially. Visually the layout was different than expected. Why is the first one

at the bottom—does not follow top to bottom, left to right visual instinct. Unsure of what the

colorful scroll is telling him—kind of helpful based on location—now I know what is near me, and

when it is coming in real time, but does not take into account direction. The arrow didn’t indicate

that the user should press to add in second location.Task Accomplished.

NYC Subway (Red and Black)—ads—do not like them. What the crap is that? has this app. easily

found search for 1st location. clicked on side bar and easily found “directions” after the initial map

search didn’t result in anything. Didn’t know why it allowed to type in address if its by station.

Does not like how it suggests “midday” not exact time. Is not able to click “route”. All stations, so

would have to know station its going to, but its not helpful. Clicks on interactive subway map—still

needs to know where he is going. Simple route vs fast route—cool feature. Doesn’t show the route

line—just highlights station. Like that it gives you Uber. Only uses for subway map when no

service. Task Not Accomplished.

Tunnel Vision- “Ohh” “What?” Use without subway map. “What?” WTF was that. I don’t wanna

know the population density. Why would you ever want to know this. Clicks map key after getting

lost in information. Clicks about. Ok WTF. Real time trains. Not helpful. Gives Up.

Task Not Accomplished.

NYSubView- Clicks menu bar at bottom—searching for way to input address. Just maps. Maybe

has found something. But would need to know where he is going. Nope not helpful after all. Can

find stations, but does not show in relation to where you are. Oh wait —found it after using the

“target” button. Lists stations by distance. Frozen. Task Not Accomplished.

NYC Subway (Yellow and Black)—Scrolls out—wow this map sucks—too busy. Trying to differential

the lines, but it makes it look bad. Lines, station, locate, route—types in address. Not sure—"on a

map” ok thats helpful. Gives up. Did not know how to find directions to a new location. Couldn’t

figure out how to search any other location besides current. Task Not Accomplished.

Find the Line—click line to change to all lines—shows you where you are in relation to line. “find

your closest subway” shows map of current location to Q. Shows how to walk to get there—and

what direction you are going. Likes that it provides both. Is that all it does? Does not provide

directions—only shows what is closest to you. Would need to know which line you need to get

there you are going. Task Not Accomplished.

Persona: KimKim is a 24 YO student and young professional living in Brooklyn. She uses many apps to aid in

her travel throughout the city, and is an avid user of Google Maps.

Task: Kim is trying to get from her apartment (location A) to her class tomorrow at (location B)

10am. She is usually running late so the route that gets her there the fastest is most important.

__________________________________Testing_____________________________________

Google Maps- easily navigated to the search bar to enter destination. Very familiar with the app.

when you search automatically makes destination. Clicks "arrive by” 9am, search. makes it a little

bit earlier and after to ensure gets there on time. most important factor is the shortest period of

time. What are the other lines? That’s cool. knows where the step-by-step directions. clean

interface, love shipping between options, stays up when offline. shows name of each

stop including one before, like that to be prepared to exit. like the customization. Found “last”

train, likes it, super useful. Would be useful to know if the subway wasn’t running. Noticed “now”

function. would be nice if you could see all the subway stops. Task Accomplished. clear winner.

comfort level that makes it good, but also its very intuitive. noticed changes. Task Accomplished.

Embark—easily inserted locations and searched. was;t entirely clear what time clock was for

(departure and arrivals. icon was not necessarily clear. like the switch back and forth feature. not

used to interface. unsure how to change settings to “not walk less”/ advisories could be useful.

give up on ability to change it. not satisfied with recommendation. too much stuff going on—not

sure about all of the features. Doesn’t like black with white on top. feels cluttered, missing white

space. not sure why the arrival time is diff size from departure time. not a map with trail, just two

pins. opens diff map. doesn’t like leaving app for diff map. Task Accomplished.

Transit-clicks on search for destination. like how it tells you where current location actual address

is. unclear about the icon to make directions. “oh it has one of these things” things meaning a

graph of results. zoomed in to look at walking directions. misleading because you are only taking

Q except it has separate bar which means N also. prefer to arrive early if possible. doesn’t tell you

how long it takes in total. Wants to choose shortest ride. doesn’t accurately show the Q exit in

Union Sqr. black line for trail to follow is forbidding. like the dash line because it doesn’t cover

road. like the nice font on map. confused about clicking to get set by step directions. the Qs seem

like they should be clickable. weird that visualization is first rather than step by step. like how when

you tap on walk it takes directly to map of route. Like the colors, used well for indicating things.

Not sure what the blue means… when you clicked on walk it takes directly to the first point. Task

Accomplished.

NYC Subway (Red and Black)—Also used this one before. like the subway lines. like how you can

see all the stops. Don’t know where you are—requires you know that. Now knows she could click

on stop. Wait? I can only go from subway stop to subway stop? Sometimes useful, if trying to

meet up with someone. Uber ad jumped in. what does fast versus simple route mean? not

clear terminology. would never use the route planner, just use it for the subway mat map—

specifically transfer or alternate route home. because google maps doesn’t account for

unexplained subway changes. Task Not Accomplished.

Tunnel Vision- like logo. use without map clicks on realtime trains menu. that’s

interesting, scrolling through.. official schedule. only certain lines available. no option for finding

route. would only use mta map. oh wait real time trains. very confused by this. dropped out. Task

Not Accomplished.

NYSubView- clicked on menu bar—trying to figure out which option to work up a route. looking

at niece map. confused by colored dots. looks like I can tap on all, but its already selected. froze.

gives up. Task Not Accomplished.

NYC Subway (Yellow and Black)—select “route from menu bar. enter station name, go by address.

doesn’t provide any known options. tells nearest subway. hmm have to search by intersection?

must pick intersection. oh wait got the locations mixed. got confused with the whole different

page. have to start with from, but she likes to start from to. had to start over. looks like you have to

start over, although its the next step. looks exactly the same. requires you to know a bit about

where you are going. map: what are the red dots? useless map. subway map with red dots on it.

next goes from stop to stop? useless. not sure about red dots. doesn’t tell you about times for

departure. would have to use best guess about when to go. inconsistent with buttons meaning

you can tap or not tap. Task Not Accomplished.

Find the Line—kinda cool—like that the interface is cool and the compass spins. like the map.

oops. ok. seems limited like i have to look at it from the menu based on trains. only uses current

location. can’t change address. swiping and enlarging do not show more options. useful, but not

for task. find that line was potentially useful. Task Not Accomplished.

Persona: Julia Julia is a 53 YO professional who is traveling for business to NYC —she is unfamiliar with the NYC

transit system, and has never navigated the subway system alone. Because she is unfamiliar with

the city, it is important that the tool provide clear directions, be easily accessible on-the-go, and

provide clear understanding of what is around her.

Task: Julia needs to get from her daughter’s apartment (Location A) to her meeting in Manhattan

(Location B). Julia knows the address of her daughter’s apartment and the location of her meeting

—nothing else. She needs to be on time for her meeting at 10am tomorrow.

__________________________________Testing_____________________________________

Google Maps- Used to google maps. Works well because she is familiar with it. didn’t initially know

how to start directions, so searched location A instead. Then directions were evident. Didn’t notice

the change departure/arrival time. Did not notice reverse option. All in all was able to finish the

task relatively quickly.

Task Accomplished.

Embark—less friendly initially, don’t know about walking, how to do less walking? finds clock likes

can change time, more features for planning, less accessibility options. No other options for

alternate transport like bus or car. why would I want to tweet or text this to someone? If I was lost

maybe that would work. Nope, just sends directions. How to get back to the directions? Just

pushed things. Froze on third try. Like the “plan trips”. show alternates all day. like the reverse

option. Task Accomplished.

Transit-- less user friendly, whats uber? What do the colors mean? not super helpful without

location settings,live satellite always adjusting, it’s ok. Not sure how to get to the stops. Did not

notice the ability to adjust maps on main page. settings Transit mode—confused at first, thought

that was how you got there. Got it eventually—liked the “less walking” feature. Did;t know how to

narrow options for travel down, randomly clicked on the settings app and found it. Task Not

Accomplished.

NYC Subway (Red and Black)—Awful. adds annoying! Took me to google maps—what? So much

advertising. See a subway map. problem getting back to map—once there searched nothing

shows up. Hits route planner. No memory for address—have to type the entire thing in. No results

ever pop up. Task Not Accomplished.

Tunnel Vision- Awful. Overwhelming for a phone. Eye ball, Key, real time trains. Gets lost in other

features? Why do I need to know English at home? Population density? Not HELPFUL. Doesn’t

care “about” and “key”. Where am I, what’s close to me? Task Not Accomplished.

NYSubView- Awful. Clicks on the menu at bottom, keeps being drawn to “more”. Not sure what to

do. No way to figure out what to do. No direction whatsoever. Nothing like the others. Task Not

Accomplished.

Recommendations:I would be happy to go over more in-dpeth the recommendations provided below. I would also be

happy to continue working with you both on the development of LiveTrain.NYC in the future if you

have need for my services as a UX Designer. It has been a pleasure working with you both. Thank

you!

1 It is recommended that LiveTrain.NYC be made into a mobile application.

This is recommended in order to serve the user in the most beneficial way possible. The

information provided by LiveTrain.NYC is most necessary when the user is intending on moving to

a different location than the one they are currently in. The information LiveTrain.NYC provides

—realtime train status— is only critical user when they are on the move—so by necessity, the

information should be on the move with the user. In its current state, the information provided by

LiveTrain.NYC is severely limited and many times rendered useless as it is limited to an open

computer screen of a resting user.

2 It is recommended that LiveTrain.NYC provide ability to tailor results to each individual

user.

As LiveTrain.NYC stands currently, the user has a difficult time determining if the information it is

providing is important, relevant, and timely to each unique user. It is very difficult for the user to

determine the point of the site—meaning what the site provides as it relates to the user— “why is

this site useful to me?”. In its current state, it is difficult to determine the value LiveTrain.NYC

provides to the user.

3 It is recommended that LiveTrain.NYC provide clear and consistent messaging,

navigation, and directives to users.

As LiveTrain.NYC stands currently, the user is unaware if the site is working or not. It is also

impossible to determine what the working site would look like—as there is no explanation,

directions, key, menu, or any other significant navigational signs that a typical site or app would

display in order for the user to gain some context of the information provided by the site.

4 It is recommended that LiveTrain.NYC revaluate the primary purpose of the site,

putting the user’s needs first.

As LiveTrain.NYC stands in its current state, it emphasizes the provision of realtime train locations.

Ignoring the severe limitations of only providing data for 3 main lines (1,2,3,4,5,6,L), I would

encourage LiveTrain.NYC to questions the usefulness of the information they are providing to the

user. Consider the following question, how does realtime location of trains relate to a user if:

1) the user is unaware of their current location

2) the user is unaware of where they are trying to go in relation to their current location

3) time & day of travel is important to the user

4) the user is not using transit at this exact moment

5) the user is not familiar with the NYC transit system

These factors, and many more are directly related to why a user would be using the transit system,

and therefore interested in the information provided by LiveTrain.NYC.