SHRP2 L14: Effectiveness of Different Approaches …...SHRP2 L14: Effectiveness of Different...

SHRP2 L14: Effectiveness of Different Approaches to Disseminating Traveler Information on Travel Time Reliability

Focus Group Report

May 31, 2011

Susan Chrysler Beverly Kuhn

Katherine Connell Alicia Nelson

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Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................................................................................................ ................................................................................................................................... PageTable of Contents ...................................................................................................................................................................... 2

List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................ 4

List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................. 6

Background ................................................................................................................................................... 7

Task A1 – Focus Groups ................................................................................................................................ 7

Script Development .................................................................................................................................. 8

Participants ............................................................................................................................................. 12

Results Summary..................................................................................................................................... 13

Lexicon Information ................................................................................................................................ 14

Detailed Summary ................................................................................................................................... 15

Terms to Identify travel time Variation .............................................................................................. 19

Travel Time Reliability System ................................................................................................................ 20

System Input and Output ........................................................................................................................ 21

Use Cases ................................................................................................................................................ 23

Scenario One: Constrained Unfamiliar ............................................................................................... 23

Scenario Two: Constrained Familiar ................................................................................................... 23

Scenario Three: Unconstrained Unfamiliar ......................................................................................... 24

Scenario Four: Unconstrained Unfamiliar ........................................................................................... 24

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Scenario Five: Unconstrained Familiar ............................................................................................... 25

Scenario Six: Task Insertion ................................................................................................................. 25

Scenario Seven: Comparing Two Routes with Different Reliability Values ........................................ 25

Fill in the Blank Activity ........................................................................................................................... 27

Value and Understanding of the System ................................................................................................ 34

Next Steps ................................................................................................................................................... 36

Appendix A – Focus Group Script ................................................................................................................ 37

Appendix B – Focus Group Transcripts ....................................................................................................... 45

Atlanta Focus Group Transcription 1 ...................................................................................................... 45

Atlanta Focus Group Transcription 2 ...................................................................................................... 75

Washington, D.C. Focus Group Transcription 1 .................................................................................... 102

Washington, D.C. Focus Group Transcription 2 .................................................................................... 122

Minneapolis Focus Group Transcription 1 ............................................................................................ 147

Minneapolis Focus Group Transcription 2 ............................................................................................ 170

Seattle Focus Group Transcription 1 ..................................................................................................... 186

Seattle Focus Group Transcription 2 ..................................................................................................... 206

Houston Focus Group Transcription 1 .................................................................................................. 222

Houston Focus Group Transcription 2 .................................................................................................. 242

List of Figures

Figure 1. Shipping Time Graphic. ............................................................................................................... 10

Figure 2. Monday Travel Time Example. .................................................................................................... 10

Figure 3. Welcome (Slide 1) ........................................................................................................................ 16

Figure 4. Ground Rules (Slide 2) .................................................................................................................. 16

Figure 5. Introductions (Slide 3) .................................................................................................................. 17

Figure 6. Sentence Completion (Slide 4) ..................................................................................................... 19

Figure 7. Input Screen (SIide 5) ................................................................................................................... 21

Figure 8. Bob and Fred Timecards (Slide 6) ................................................................................................ 26

Figure 9. Bob and Fred Sentence Completion (Slide 7) .............................................................................. 27

Figure 10. Topic Slide (Slide 8) .................................................................................................................... 28

Figure 11. Sentence 1 (Slide 9). The list of words below the sentence was shown after participants contributed their initial responses to promote further discussion. ........................................................... 28




Figure 15. Topic Slide (Slide 13) .................................................................................................................. 31




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Figure 21. Conclusion (Slide 19) .................................................................................................................. 36

List of Tables

Table 1. Final Focus Group Discussion Guide Topics. ................................................................................. 11

Table 2. Focus Group Participant Demographics ........................................................................................ 12

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Background The SHRP 2 Reliability program aims to improve trip time reliability by reducing the frequency and effects of events that cause travel times to fluctuate in an unpredictable manner. Congestion caused by unreliable, or non-recurring, events is roughly as large as congestion caused by routine bottlenecks. Non-recurrent events such as crashes, work zones, special events, and weather disrupt normal traffic flow by causing reduced speeds, lane closures, and erratic driving maneuvers. The goals of the Reliability focus area target travel time variation – that characteristic of the transportation system that means one must allow an hour to make a trip that normally takes 30 minutes. This transportation system characteristic is important for travelers and shippers, and is also a component of the congestion problem in which transportation agencies can make significant and measurable gains even as travel demand grows. Reducing delay related to reliability has the added benefit of reducing primary and secondary crashes, vehicle emissions, fuel use, and other benefits.

A key component to addressing the reliability issue related to urban mobility is conveying reliability-related information to system users so that they can make informed decisions about their travel. The challenge for transportation professionals lies in selecting the best means of conveying that information so that it is usable and effective. The goal of the L14 project is to examine what combination of words, numbers, symbols, layout, lighting, color, and spacing of user information messages along with communications channel and technology platform best communicate information about travel time and reliability to travelers so that they may make optimal travel choices from their point of view. Such choices include whether to take a trip or not, departure time, mode choice, and route choice.

Task A1 – Focus Groups Human factors research done to date on traveler information systems have, for the most part, been concerned with segment trip time displays based on historical data. Another line of inquiry has focused on driver faith in the accuracy of the times displayed. The research undertaken as a part of the L14 project will be to first examine user understanding of reliability information. The approach is to use a series of successively more objective methodologies using a mix of methods that allows a wide net to be cast initially to gather the broadest understanding of users’ pre-conceived notions of travel time reliability. Building information systems which are based on users’ inherent understanding provides the best chance for a high level of user acceptance of the ultimate system. Task A1 is the first of these series of human factors methodologies. The task involved conducting a series of focus groups in various cities across the country using a script developed by the project team. This script was based on the results of the literature review, the expert interviews, and the technology and innovation scan. As these results are discussed, it may be noted how they were (or planned to be) used in the other human factors studies, the computer survey and open-ended survey, and the field operational test. The results from the computer survey and the open-ended survey can be found in separate reports. At the time of this report, data collection on the field operational test had not yet begun.

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Script Development The first step associated with the focus group task was to develop the script, or discussion guide, from which the facilitators would work during the focus group sessions. The following sections highlight the steps the research team took in the development of the discussion guide for the focus groups.

Discussion Guide Development Phase 1

The focus group discussion guide went through several iterations and pre-tests with TTI staff unfamiliar with the project. The first draft of the discussion guide was based on the questions posed in the proposal as well as the results from the literature review, the expert interviews, and the technology and innovation scan. The project team used those research questions and related task results to develop the following set of objectives/questions to address:

1. What things affect how long it takes to make a trip? 2. What are drivers’ understandings of travel time? 3. What do drivers think of the accuracy of the travel time provided by current systems? 4. How does past experience of travel times influence drivers’ perceptions/interpretation of drive

time? 5. When is it the most important to drivers to have an accurate travel time prediction? 6. How do drivers currently receive travel time information? 7. When do drivers most need travel time information? 8. How does reported travel time affect drivers’ decisions of whether to take a trip or not,

departure time, mode choice, and route choice? 9. How does network travel time influence drivers? 10. What travel time terminology makes the most sense to drivers? 11. What is the best format to convey travel time?

Researchers quickly realized that this list of questions did not differentiate enough between systems that provided real-time information and those that would provide a predicted travel time or information about reliability based on historical data. Therefore, the objectives were narrowed to focus more directly on the concept of reliability as defined by the transportation profession:

1. How do drivers plan their trip using their own knowledge of the network? 2. When is it the most important to drivers to have an accurate travel time prediction? 3. Do drivers want reliability information; when do they need it; and how would drivers like to

receive it? 4. What are drivers’ understandings and trust of traveler information that is currently provided,

and how accurate do they think it is? 5. What travel time reliability terminology makes the most sense to drivers? 6. What is the best method and format to convey travel time reliability?

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At this point in the discussion guide development, researchers began to fear that too much discussion of travel time may cause the focus group to run long as well as lead the participants astray. There was a fear that it would be difficult to get participants to distinguish between real-time travel time and travel time reliability. Researchers planned to get into the “meat of the discussion” earlier and eliminate some of the upfront objectives by jumping straight to (1) identifying the need for travel time reliability information, and (2) determining what travel time reliability terminology and sources make the most sense to drivers. Because the statistical concepts underlying reliability may be hard to grasp, the research team wanted to pull from other, more familiar, domains to talk about the statistical concepts. Scenarios unrelated to transportation were developed to discuss reliability in hopes of drawing out words and phrases that drivers use to discuss the concept. These scenarios included probability terms used in weather predictions and ranges of delivery dates for packages. Following these examples, the researchers planned to turn the discussion to a travel time reliability example and include various graphic examples to convey reliability.


After further consideration, the research team decided they would begin the focus groups with non-travel time reliability scenarios and avoid mentioning travel time reliability until halfway through the discussion. The first pilot focus group was conducted with non-transportation TTI employees using this discussion guide. The scenarios discussed were as follows:

1. Weather Prediction 2. Restaurant Wait Time 3. Online Order Shipping Time 4. Prime Parking Spots (based on time of arrival)

The Online Order Shipping Time example described a scenario where 10 people ordered a package on the same day and the shipper estimated a delivery window of 5-9 days. The graphic shown in Figure 1 was used to illustrate the actual days people received their packages. It was meant to encourage discussion of probability distribution and was intended to generate words and phrases people would use to describe the reliability of the shipping service. This same distribution was shown in a traffic context later in the focus group session to show a distribution of travel times.

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Figure 1. Shipping Time Graphic.

After the initial pilot, additional graphics, such as the one shown in Figure 2, were added to the focus group discussion once the concept of travel time reliability had been introduced by the facilitator. Using similar graphics, the research team explored different formats, colors, and symbols of to display travel time reliability.

Figure 2. Monday Travel Time Example.

After these script revisions, two official pilot focus groups were conducted in Houston using the target demographics for participants. Although the two groups ran smoothly, the format of starting with non-transporation related scenarios to discuss terms did not work as researchers planned. While these

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everyday examples were understood, the pilot group participants had great trouble making the leap from these scenarios to a traffic situation. Other feedback we received from the pilot group indicated that they were confused by being invited to come to a focus group about travel information and then being asked about seemingly unrelated topics like weather and shipping. For example, when discussing what a “70% chance of rain means to you”, participants would respond they needed to leave earlier to allow more time on the road, rather than discussing the variablity of the weather. Another problem that emerged during these pilots was that the discusion and questions were not drawing many terms out of the participantsthat thethe team could use to develop a lexicon. Additionally, the participants overwhelmingly disliked the graphics shown as possible output for providing reliability information. They found they contained too much information and were too confusing. This feedback led researchers to think that they were showing the drivers very limited options for displaying this type of informaton and possibly biasing their opinions on the usefulness of the system.

Overall, reserachers still did not believe that the participants were truly seperating the concepts of realtime travel data and historical travel data. The travel examples based on these everyday scenarios were also not effective at imposing penalties for being wrong or late. The research team decided to make major revisions to the discussion guide to present travel situations that varied in whether or not they were constrained by either deprture or arrival time. The team also decided that the presentation of alternative graphic displays of travel time were not productive in generating lexicon terms, so those images were not included in the final version. Discussion Guide Development Phase 4

The final discussion guide was broken into several different topics as seen in Table 1. It began by having separate discussions about non-recurring conditions and incidents that affect spot travel time and recurring conditions that are related to network reliability and general variability of travel time on segments. Once the difference between the two concepts was established in participants’ minds, the facilitators described a potential traveler information system that used historical data to predict trip times. The research team felt that by presenting details of a specific type of travel information system that utilized system reliability data, the subsequent discussion could be more fruitful. After a brief description of such a system, participants were asked directly whether they saw value in such a system. The researchers then presented trip scenarios to determine where people would use reliability information and what words they would choose to describe situations and fill in sentences. These trip scenarios were established after discussions with L14 partner Noblis and the L02 team as well. The scenarios varied in their time constraint and in the familiarity of the destination. One scenario involved using the system to decide whether or not the traveler had time to insert a task along the way to work. This was a use case identified by the L02 team. More thorough description of these tasks and the discussion questions are presented in the Focus Group Script Appendix.

Table 1. Final Focus Group Discussion Guide Topics.

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Constrained Arrival Time Constrained Departure Time Unconstrained

Unfamiliar Destination

Appointment with new doctor

Weekend Evening Party Locally

Weekend Getaway 3 Hours away

Familiar Destination

Regular Commute Choosing Day of the Week for Class After Work

Pick up produce from farm co-op anytime Saturday

Task Insertion Stop by neighbors to feed cat

Participants Ten focus group sessions were conducted in 5 cities across the nation: Atlanta, Houston, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Washington D.C. Table 2 shows the demographic breakdown of all the participants. In Houston, focus group sessions were conducted at the TTI office. In all other cities, sessions were held in conference rooms of local hotels.

Recruitment criteria for participation were as follows: must have been aged 18-80, possessed a valid driver’s license, and commuted to work regularly. The research team worked to select a representative sample of drivers who either drove to new locations regularly or had time restraints that impacted their trips, such as children’s schedules.

Table 2. Focus Group Participant Demographics

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Total # of Subjects* 10 10 11 10 10 10 9 10 9 10 9 8 116 # of Males 5 6 1 4 3 4 5 5 5 4 3 4 49 # of Females 5 4 8 5 7 6 4 5 4 6 6 4 64 Average Age of Subjects**

35.9 46.3 30.4 37.0 38.4 38.6 42.9 36.7 36.1 36.3 43.8 32.4 37.9

*Not all subjects chose to fill out their information, which is why the number of males and females may not add up correctly **Not all subjects chose to fill out their information so the average is calculated from those who did

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Results Summary Based on feedback from the focus groups, it appeared that the majority of the participants believed the system could be helpful and was a good idea. However, as the scenarios were introduced, it was difficult for the researchers to determine if anyone would actually use it. As shown previously in Table 1, participants were presented several scenarios during the session that depicted constrained and unconstrained situations. The most frequent use seemed to be for pre-trip planning of constrained, unfamiliar trips within a known community or trips within or to an unfamiliar location. For the unconstrained trip scenarios, overwhelmingly, most people would not use it and weekends seem to be the time it would be utilized the least.

In general, participants believed the Travel Time Reliability (TTR) system would be valuable in some instances but would be immensely more valuable if it contained real-time data in addition to historical data. They felt that a travel time reliability system would be useful when planning a trip to an unfamiliar location where there were significant time constraints on one or both ends of the trip. However, they were concerned that planning a trip based on historical information would not be accurate if it did not update based on current road and traffic conditions. There was also a concern that the predictions provided by the reliability system would not be more accurate than those existing mapping tools. Many said they make their actual travel decisions on the day of the event and check traffic daily. Hence, they would not need to use the system to predict future trips. Some participants also said that they would prefer a “focus on coordinating getting information together with real-time information than calculating odds”. This strong desire, and possible need, for real time information could indicate distrust in a TTR-type system. This distrust of the system was further assessed by the open-ended surveys when determining how much additional time participants would add to the given travel time and why they added it.

When asked how they currently plan a trip, most participants used a mapping tool such as Google Maps, MapQuest, their GPS, or another system to give them a starting travel time. However, they all factor in additional time onto the mapping tool estimate. They expect to calculate their own time and are not bothered by having to do this. They also indicated they do not know from where the time estimates provided by the mapping tools come. Drivers relied heavily on personal experience, and many simply assume an hour to get to a new destination. Overall, the participants had a good understanding that traffic is not the same every time of day or every day of the week, and understood that many variables can affect traffic and the existing systems are lacking in taking that into effect. Researchers used the computer survey and open-ended survey to expand on how drivers decide on how much time to allow for a trip, particularly the additional time they add, and how various travel time terms could influence that decision.

Overall, participants preferred to enter in an exact address as opposed to simply choosing a starting city or general area. They also wanted the ability to specify a trip calculation based on time of departure or time of arrival. The computer survey continued investigation on this topic by addressing the preferred terminology to be used for the departure and arrival times.

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When prompted, participants wanted to see multiple route options in their output. They would also like to be able to compare choices and make their own decisions on which route to take. Participants seemed interested in having the ability to enter a window of time and rely on the system to tell them what time to leave in order to spend the shortest amount of time on the road. There was no clear preference on text or graphical output; however several mentioned that both should be used. One participant thought the output “should say ‘there is a 90% probability you are going to make it here in XX minutes,’” showing a good understanding of the intention of the system. Another suggested “the longest this trip has taken historically is XX.” Both the computer survey and the open-ended survey covered what the output should look like that would best instill confidence in the system.

The general public may not use this system on a regular basis. Rather, individuals with consistent reasons to use the system may be more likely to use it regularly given the diversity of their daily trips. For example, professionals in the sales industry, delivery services or businessmen who frequently travel to new locations would be potential active users. In order to make sure that the TTR system is evaluated by the most likely users, for the field operational test, researchers plan to recruit at least 25% of the participants that fit into this category.

There was a concern amongst many groups that users would get the system confused with a real-time system, and that people would not understand that the travel times would be a calculated number and there could still be variation. Participants felt that real-time information was more important than reliability information and would be the most misunderstood component of the system. To investigate this concept further, questions were incorporated into the computer survey to assess understanding of a real time versus historical based system.

When asked by the facilitator, most said they would not pay to use the system in website form. Drivers seemed to realize nothing is free, and were open to the idea of paying a nominal fee for a cell phone application or GPS addition. Some of the participants stated that they would actively use the system if their employers would pay for it. Others suggested selling it to Google or paying some amount to add it to Google’s existing navigation system.

In response to who would provide this system to the public, one participant summarized the groups’ response when they said “if a private company wants to charge a fee, I have no problem with it, but if the government does, I do.” As long as access to the system was free, people did not seem to have a strong preference to whether it was run by the DOT or private enterprise

Lexicon Information When talking about variability in travel time, participants preferred a wide variety of terms. Participants viewed sentences and had the opportunity to fill in the blanks with the term they thought best explained the scenario. TTI divided the sentences into two major groups: (1) those sentences concerned with the system’s output to describe the time of day a driver takes a trip, and (2) those sentences that addressed the idea that the system would tell you about alternate modes of transportation.

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Most often, they chose general words such as possibly, probably, chance, or likely to describe variability at a certain time of day. Generally, they preferred for those words to have a descriptor in front such a “X% chance” or “highly likely” to make the term less general. When talking about traffic patterns at a specific time of day, participants used varies, changes and increases/decreases most often.

When discussing the output terminology the system would use to provide different ways or routes to travel, participants used the words faster, more reliable, easier, and likely. When speaking about the additional time added to a trip to ensure on-time arrival, common terminology varied greatly with no real consensus. For example, terms like additional time, traffic time, leeway, driving time, just in case time, fluff time, and additional drive time all came up as possible descriptors. Unprompted, participants used the words or phrases cushion, allow an additional X minutes for variables, tack on extra, and extra time during discussion.

Several terms came up unprompted in the discussion sessions. Several terms specifically addressed reliability information. Those included reliability factors, plus or minus 10%, and 9 out of 10 days. Those terms that addressed a range of time were approximately, usually, window of time instead of exact time, give or take, variation, cushion, buffer, time frame that’s certain, average, and depends.

The most common terms discussed from the focus groups would be included in both the computer survey and the open-ended survey. The computer survey would spend time addressing what to call travel times, departure times, and additional times, while the open-ended survey would spend extensive time on how these various terms influenced participants’ decision-making and trust of the system.

Detailed Summary This section presents the slides and script used to conduct each of the focus groups, along with a summary of comments. Transcripts of each group can be found in the appendix. The session began with the facilitator reviewing the ground rules for the focus group which were shown in Slide 2.

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Figure 3. Welcome (Slide 1)

Figure 4. Ground Rules (Slide 2)

Next, the participants introduced themselves using the prompts on Slide 3. This gave the group a chance to relax, to get to know each other, and to become comfortable with participating in the discussion. They referenced their responses to the questionnaire they filled out upon arrival to give the facilitator an idea of the types of situations where timeliness was importance. For the remainder of this report, the prompts and questions from the group facilitator are found as italicized headings.

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Figure 5. Introductions (Slide 3)

What causes travel time variation?

Discussion began with a brainstorming activity that required participants to list factors/events that made them early or late to their destination. The facilitator created a list on the screen of everything that was said. After the initial list was generated, the facilitator pointed out the “day to day” or single occurrences and asked what things affected the time it took to make a regular or recurring trip. Responses initially focused on events such as accidents, weather and personal factors. Once the focus was shifted to repeating factors, the responses were focused on time of day, traffic levels, events and holidays. Once the focus of the discussion had been shifted to predictable events, the facilitator moved on to the next question.

And how did you decide what time to leave to get here today?

The next topic began discussion about use of online mapping tools and navigation systems to help plan trips. Every individual was familiar with some type of online mapping tool and had used one at least once. A few participants even had the print-out with directions to the focus group location with them. Several participants stated that they used personal experience and familiarity with the area and main roads to determine their leaving time.

Overwhelmingly, participants stated they added additional time to starting travel time given to them by the system. They were not bothered by having to do this. Drivers relied heavily on personal experience and several simply assume an hour to get to a new destination. One participant said “I always give

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myself one hour no matter where it is. There is nowhere I am going to go that’s going to take me anywhere past an hour to get to so if it it’s a doctor’s appointment, if it’s a job interview (etc.) I give myself an hour.” Another said “I always give myself one hour no matter where it is. There is nowhere I am going to go that’s going to take me anywhere past an hour to get to.” In Seattle, one participant said that the down side of arriving early is that she “could have done something else” with her time. Most acknowledge that there was a cost with arriving early but it was still better to be significantly early as opposed to late. The open-ended survey looked deeper into this additional time that drivers add, and studied if they followed trends, such as whether drivers always add the same amount of time to a trip, or whether they add a time proportional to the estimated trip time. This questioning can help assess a driver’s confidence in a TTR system.

For the most part, participants had not considered how MapQuest or another mapping tool calculated the estimated trip time. Some answered that it was a factor of distance and speed limit while others thought someone had driven each route and recorded it.

The topic of accuracy was addressed next and participants were asked: MapQuest tells you the same travel time all the time. Is travel time always the same at different times of day? Days of week?

At this point, participants began to think about recurring influences in terms of their individual trip. Differences in traffic at certain times of day and certain days of the week were brought up. Most groups said traffic was worse on Mondays and Fridays. Holidays, special events and construction were all mentioned as well. Overall, the participants had a good understanding that traffic is not the same at every time of day or day of the week, and understood there are many variables that can affect traffic and the existing systems.

One participant spoke about the uncertainty in general, “(it’s) hard to guesstimate a time because every situation, every day is different. This weekend won’t be like next and this Monday won’t be like next Monday.”

The open-ended survey expanded on this topic by using different terms and phrases to describe travel time and then asked participants how certain they were that they would get to work on time.

Is MapQuest estimate of time accurate?

When asked, participants said MapQuest times were not accurate, and they added additional time to the estimate based on their own experiences. Some even said they used two mapping sources, averaged them, and then added additional time. Drivers relied heavily on personal knowledge, and several simply assume an hour to get to a new destination.

They overwhelmingly agreed that MapQuest and other existing mapping tools do not factor any of the variables, predictable or not, into their trip time calculations. In fact, most participants had never considered how MapQuest or another mapping tool calculated the estimated trip time. Some answered

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that it was a factor of distance and speed limit while others thought someone had driven each route and recorded it.

Terms to Identify travel time Variation The facilitator asked what words or phrases participants would use to describe the fluctuation in time it takes to make a trip. Participants brainstormed words and phrases out loud before being shown the slide below. Some responses included: unknown, approximately, unpredictable, variable, average traffic time, flexible travel time, additional, at least, and delay.

Next, participants were asked to identify terms that best fit in the sentences shown in Sentence Completion (Slide 4). This exercise forced participants to use terms that would be tested in future studies and considered for the lexicon.

Figure 6. Sentence Completion (Slide 4)

To determine which words are best to describe trip time estimation, the first sentence read “ It will take ___ 20 minutes to make your trip.” Responses varied greatly but about, approximately, and at least were all mentioned in at least three of the cities. Other words or phrases used to complete this sentence were minimum, average, more than, over, roughly, usually,and estimated. This question was also included in the computer survey and these responses from the focus groups helped form the multiple choice responses for the survey.

The second sentence in Figure 6 was written to gain insight into words used to describe a range of time. Terms used to compete the sentence were about, approximately, between, around, on average, likely, anywhere from, somewhere between, usually, and ideally.

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“____ of the time it takes 20 minutes to make you trip” was the third sentence participants were asked the complete. Responses included the terms most, some, half, seldom, majority, often, a good portion, 75% of the time,and 1/8 of the time.

Travel Time Reliability System After Figure 6, a hypothetical travel time reliability system was introduced to participants as a “system that could make better predictions about your expected travel time but considering all the factors we listed”. The explanation served to transition from factors that affect a trip to the value of travel time relibaility information. The system was explained as one that:

• Users could enter specific “to” and “from” destinations

• Would use more factors than just distance and speed limit

• Would use sensors in the road to continuously gather data

• Would have a record of weather conditions, road construction and accidents

When initially introduced, almost all participants said that this system would be valuable. However, as discussion continued, participants began to express primary interest in real-time information. They did see a value for the historical reliability information in certain instances, primarily those who were new in an area or traveled often. However, they didn’t see it as a tool for daily use. In fact, one participant said that he would rather “focus on coordinating getting the information together with real time info than calculating the odds”. In order to represent this suggested usage and to appeal to most drivers, this information was used to create the scenario in the open-ended survey which involved an unfamiliar, yet constrained trip.

Most participants felt that this system would be the most useful before they began their trip. However, some felt that it would be valuable during a trip to have the ability to change routes. Almost all saw the value of pre-trip planning and the cost involved in wasting time. They felt that online access through a website would be the most effective. Other methods of accessing the information are Smartphone application and GPS units. The desire to have this information available on mobile devices demonstrated that participants did not appreciate the historical vs. real time distinction.

Participants seemed to believe that this system would be helpful in several specific situations. Evacuations, moving to new areas, buying a house, or general travel to unfamiliar areas were all mentioned as situations where they would possibly want access to historical information. Overwhelmingly, participants agreed that the system did not have any value when used for daily trips. Weekends seem to be the time it would be utilized the least.

In Seattle, participants repeatedly discussed the idea that HOV lanes saved time. However, they never touched on the greater reliability of those lanes. When asked directly whether the HOV lane was faster or just less extreme, four people responded that it was simply less extreme. One person said that “information about the extremes of different lanes is useful” information.

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Participants were still hesitant to think that the time estimates produced by the system would be accurate. Education would be critical to the understanding and application of this reliability information. Concern was expressed about taking valuable time to plan their trip in advance; only to begin their drive and encounter an incident that would have been realized with real-time information.

If the system provides a travel time based off of a 95th percentile or worst case situation, then drivers will need to be educated that they do not need to add the same buffer time as before. Due to the wide lack of trust in any system, this still may be hard to do, although most participants did believe that a system based on historical data would be more accurate than the systems they currently use. Future tasks in this project assessed participant understanding of the term 95th percentile as well as similar concepts and terms.

System Input and Output The participants were shown an example of an input screen and then asked additional questions about the input and output options they would prefer.

Figure 7. Input Screen (SIide 5)

What would you like to be able to input/personalize? Is “what time do you want to arrive” the right question?

What type of information would you like our new system to provide you with?

Do you want the system to tell you how sure it is of its estimate?

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When asked what they would like to be able to input or personalize, participants came up with several additions to make the input screen more specific. All groups mentioned a more specific Origin/Destination entry box. Some wanted to be able to enter the zip codes and some specific addresses in addition to the city. Although noted that participants want flexibility in their input, researchers realize that most TTR system Origin/Destinations will be limited by the data available on the roadways. This is the case for the Houston field operational test.

Most drivers wanted the ability to choose between “What time are you leaving?” and “What time do you want to arrive?” Participants mentioned that the time constraint may come on either end of the trip and has the potential to affect their travel time estimate. Other specific entry items mentioned included the ability to specify the date or day of the week, the best and worst case scenario travel time, and a suggestion of a different and more efficient departure time. The specific phrasing of these questions was covered in the computer survey; however, the preference between a departure or an arrival time option was not discussed since it is dependent on the conditions of the trip.

All participants agreed that the system should provide multiple route options. It should recommend one route but also show alternate routes with the same level of detail. One participant said that the output should give the trip in distance as well as the estimated time so the user can make their own trip time adjustment. It has been discussed whether to include this functionality in the field operational test, but it may not be feasible to implement with the website system that has already been developed.

When the research team asked participants if they wanted the system to tell how sure it is of its estimate, reaction was mixed. Several participants expressed hesitation in trusting a system that was not positive of its estimate. Others felt that they would like to know how confident they could be that the predicted time would allow them to arrive at their destination on time.

What should the output look like? Just words, a graph, a map?

Groups were split on whether the output information should be shown as a graph, picture, map, text or a combination of any of those. Most mentioned that color coding is helpful, and travel time information should be provided for the return trip as well. In Houston, both groups suggested including landmarks to help navigation, and all groups mentioned being provided multiple route options so they could choose the best fit for them. One participant said that it would be beneficial if specific driving directions could be sent to his cell phone.

When prompted, participants in Seattle liked the idea of getting real time alerts for their current trips, and all agreed that they would like travel time information for surface streets so that they had a choice about taking the freeway. They also mentioned the addition of parking information into the system because that is the element that provides the greatest variability in their daily trips.

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Use Cases In order to determine under which scenarios travel time reliability information is valuable, four scenarios were introduced. One of them was a constrained unfamiliar trip, one a constrained familiar trip, another was an unconstrained unfamiliar trip, and the last an unconstrained familiar trip.

Scenario One: Constrained Unfamiliar The first scenario presented was an appointment with a new doctor.

You have an appointment with a specialist you have never seen before on Thursday and you are not familiar with the area of town the office is located in. You have to tell your boss by Tuesday what time you will need to get off work on Thursday so you need to plan ahead.

This scenario was another instance in which a large number of participants said that they relied on mapping tools such as a GPS or MapQuest, and all added additional time to those estimates. Others relied on their previous knowledge of the area, and several stated they simply leave an hour in advance. Unprompted, one participant did mention that “the downside of being somewhere early is that you could have done something else”. However, all agreed that they would rather be early than late to important events such as appointments.

The majority of the participants replied that they would potentially use the system in a situation such as this one. One person said “it would good if we were going somewhere we didn’t know anything about traffic. (I would) already know the traffic patterns here, so if I was traveling it would be more useful”. However, most verbalized that they would still be skeptical of the estimated trip time and add additional time. As previously mentioned, since participants seemed in favor of a TTR system for a constrained/unfamiliar trip, the open-ended survey’s scenario was modeled after this criterion.

Scenario Two: Constrained Familiar The second example (constrained/familiar) was making a decision about aerobics class. Depending on the make-up of the group, this example would be changed to an activity for a young child that requires taking them and picking them up somewhere.

You are trying to decide whether to sign up for the Monday/Wednesday or the Tuesday/Thursday aerobics class at your new gym. Class starts at 6pm and you can’t leave work until 5pm each day.

Generally, groups in all cities mentioned that they could assume traffic is heavier on Mondays and Fridays, so they would avoid those days. This highlighted their awareness of variability.

Overall, the consensus was that people would not use the new system to aid in making this decision. While a handful said they may check it to make sure there isn’t a special event (ex: large church that meets on Wednesday evenings), the majority felt that they would “plan around their life, not traffic”. Several also voiced that they did not trust that the difference in trip time each day would vary enough to justify the time spent checking the system for a short-term class. Another individual suggested he would

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rather ask someone familiar with the route and base his estimates and decision on that information rather than checking the system.

Scenario Three: Unconstrained Unfamiliar One example of an unconstrained unfamiliar local trip is going to a birthday party.

You are going to a friend’s birthday. The party starts at 7pm and is at a house you have not been to before.

For this example, participants overwhelmingly agreed that they would not use the reliability system. Most said all they would need was basic directions from the GPS unit in-car or from an existing mapping tool and time was not critical. “If you are a couple of minutes late in this situation it is not as critical as catching a plane or work or an appointment”. One individual mentioned that they might use the system to get a map and check construction status, but overall, this situation did not warrant the use of a pre-planning function.

Scenario Four: Unconstrained Unfamiliar The other example of an unconstrained and unfamiliar event is a trip that requires travel to an area you are not familiar with. Trip destinations were changed for each focus group city to represent a destination that was within several hours of their home.

You are taking a trip to Mt. Bachelor to go skiing and have to drive through Portland to get there. You are not familiar with Portland, but have heard that there are times where the traffic is heavy and travel times are slow.

Participants were asked if they would use a system like the one discussed to determine which day of the week or time of day they would want to drive through Portland. This scenario was difficult to gauge because participants did not seem to have a strong opinion. While most saw the value, they were still not sure they would take the time to consult the system. Some said the trip was simply a convenience so time was not critical and they would not consult historical information, just the use of a map. Others said that there would need to be a significant time savings before they changed the time they chose to leave. Still another said they may use the system simply to determine what the traffic situation was, although it would have little or no bearing on their departure time decision. It was also recommended that the system have the potential to include rest stops and trip planning features in addition to peak traffic alerts to increase system usefulness.

In some cities, when time allowed, this example was used to introduce the possibility of the system helping to determine mode change. Participants were asked directly if they would use the system to choose whether to take the train or the bus instead. Most said they would not. However, , some cities with established forms of alternative transportation seemed open to considering the idea of mode change. One individual said he “would probably still take the bus if I had been planning on it, but I might take the bus that leave half an hour earlier than the one I’d usually take”. Overall, participants said that

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the decision to change mode would be motivated out of schedule and convenience more often than based strictly about time.

Scenario Five: Unconstrained Familiar The unconstrained and familiar trip example was participating in a food co-op while the other was choosing a day of the week to feed the neighbor’s cat.

You participate in a food co-op and have to go pick your box up every Saturday morning sometime between 8am and 2pm. The produce is distributed in a church parking lot 20 minutes from your house.

The primary response to this scenario was that traffic is not the same on weekends, and if they were going to use any system, participants would check a source that provided real time data. Almost everyone said that they would not use this system because Saturday’s plans vary from weekend to weekend, and they would base the pickup time solely on their personal schedule for the day. They would not necessarily go at the same time each week. Several agreed that the system may be valuable if they could enter a time window and it had the capability to tell them the most efficient time to make the trip.

Scenario Six: Task Insertion Your neighbor is attending overseas training for their job and will be gone for 3 months. The families on your street are volunteering to take care of their cat one day a week. You are asked to pick a morning you are available to feed the pet every week. You realize the traffic is typically worse on some days than others.

None of the participants said that they would use the system in this situation. All felt that they would choose a day based solely on their personal schedule, not on traffic. Others also felt that the trip from home to work would be very familiar so you would know from experience what the best day to add a task would be. One participant said “it would take longer to use the system than to just (feed the cat)”.

Scenario Seven: Comparing Two Routes with Different Reliability Values To get an understanding of the words that would be used when talking about these types of trips and the kind of information the New System would provide, a scenario was presented in Bob and Fred Timecards (Slide 6 and participants were asked to describe the differences.

Bob and Fred are neighbors who work at the same office building but they take different routes to work. They constantly argue about whose route is better, so they decide to keep track of their arrival times for 2 weeks. They leave their houses at the same time every morning. Here are the results:

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Figure 8. Bob and Fred Timecards (Slide 6)

These values were chosen because both routes have an identical mean but the standard deviation of Bob’s way was 1.254 and the standard deviation of Fred’s way was 4.675.

Overall, participants thought that Bob’s route was better even though they are both early 5 times and late 5 times. Unprompted, they said Fred had unreliable factors, was more erratic, and had more variance, while Bob’s route is more reliable, predictable, and consistent. One participant said they cannot be compared because “late is late and early is early” and they were each early and late five times, and one said he would choose Fred’s route because he was early by more.

Participants were shown Figure 9 and asked to fill in the blank on how to describe the routes Fred and Bob take.

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Figure 9. Bob and Fred Sentence Completion (Slide 7)

Bob’s way is: reliable, more efficient, predictable, better, safer, shorter, more direct, better probability, more consistent, faster, quicker, less problematic, less risky

Bob’s way because it works, is reliable, consistent, a better way, dependable, precise, dependable, more thorough, unbelieveable, less likely to be late, more efficient, doesn’t fluctuate

These terms provided by the focus group particpants were also used in the questions asked in the computer survery.

Fill in the Blank Activity The next section of the discussion was intended to gauge the terms used by drivers to describe the uncertainty in traveling. A total of nine sentences were presented and participants were asked to write down their initial responses on the blank sheet of paper in front of them. The words were discussed and then a list of words, previously generated by the research team and shown in red on the slide, was shown. After both the participants’ initial responses and the list of word choices were shown, each participant indicated their favorite term for that particular sentence or concept. Due to time constraints, not all sentences were discussed in every city.

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Figure 10. Topic Slide (Slide 8)

Figure 11. Sentence 1 (Slide 9). The list of words below the sentence was shown after participants contributed their initial responses to promote further discussion.

Chance and possibility were the two terms most preferred by participants in all cities for the sentence shown in Figure 11. Several suggested that chance was broad and should be qualified by saying X% chance, slight chance or good chance. Other popular terms included certainty, likelihood, and probability.

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Referring to Figure 12, varies, changes and increases/decreases were the preferred terms to complete this sentence describing variability by day. Words such as congested, fluctuates, lightens, and stinks were also suggested.


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There was no specific term with overwhelming support to fill in the blank for the sentence seen in Figure 13. In most cities, no word or phrase was voted on by more than three people. In Seattle, the phrases is most congested, is slow and gets better/worse were each preferred by two individuals. Other suggestions were is historically bad, peaks, or fluctuates. Three participants in Houston thought that increases is the word to best complete the sentence. Atlanta had the most variability as nine terms received multiple votes. Is terrible and is worst were the top two choices while lousy, awful, horrible, is longer/shorter, congested, and chaos rounded out the group. Washington DC preferred congested or is longer/shorter by a narrow margin and Minneapolis felt that increases/decreases was the best term to describe traffic in that time window.


Congested, possible, and likely were the most used terms to fill in the blank shown in Figure 14. Horrible, grid lock, certain, expected, extremely slow, and unpredictable were also mentioned as words to describe this situation.

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Figure 15. Topic Slide (Slide 13)


Particpants thought that the terms faster and more reliable were the best descriptors to fit the scenario in Figure 16.

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Unprompted, the majority of terms provided by participants for the sentence in Figure 17 dealt with time. For example, faster, slower, easier, and quicker were mentioned. After participants viewed the prompts, they still believed those terms to be the best. More consistent was also liked after it was shown.

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In Figure 18, likely and unlikely were chosen by the majority of participants that viewed this sentence as the word that best verbalized the uncertainty. Doubtful, probable, and typical were also mentioned as options.


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There was a variety of responses to the question in Figure 19 and it was dependent on personal preference. Words that were mentioned that were not prompted were: additional time, traffic time, parking time, wiggle room, leeway, window, driving time, just in case time, gap time, fluff time, flex time, human error, allowance, lead time, and additional drive time. Leeway was mentioned in several groups and was well liked in Seattle, Washington D.C. and Minneapolis. Extra time seemed to be the most popular term among all cities.


The sentence in Figure 20 also resulted in a variety of answers. Know, expect, and predict appear to the three most preferred responses. One participant even recommended using the phrase know from experience. Other well-liked answers were believe and assume.

Value and Understanding of the System To conclude the session, participants were asked several questions about the overall value of the system and who the users of the system may be. Participants said that primary users of the system would be individuals that drive in new locations on a regular basis. Specific occupations mentioned in the groups were salesman, delivery drivers and businessmen who travel to new places regularly. Another target audience identified by participants was drivers who are new to a city or area. The system could be used in determining how and when to leave for work or appointments or to help in decisions about where to buy a house or accept a job.

When asked which element of the system would be most understood by users of the travel time reliability system, all of the participants expressed concern that drivers would assume they were being

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presented with real time information. They felt that the concept of historical travel time data would confuse drivers, especially once they realized there was no real-time component. Some participants said that without a firm grip on reliability information, drivers would not understand what made this system different from any of the other options currently available. However, this misunderstanding could be rectified with driver education and clear explanations on the site. Others were concerned with presenting information in terms of percentages because they feel the average driver does not understand what a percentage is telling them or where the data came from.

In trying to understand the value provided by a travel time reliability system, participants were asked if they would pay to use the system. Overwhelmingly, drivers said that they would not pay for the use of a website. There are other free options available that are working well for them right now, and they could justify the expense. However, most said that they may pay a single or annual nominal fee for the convenience of a cell phone application or an additional upgrade to their GPS package. A few people said that they would pay for separate software, and one participant mentioned that companies may be willing to pay for use of the system if they employed a large number of people who drove to new places often. In that case, the time and money savings would justify the expense of the information. When asked whether they would pay for use during a certain situation or circumstance, several said that they would.

The final question asked whether the public Department of Transportation should provide this travel time reliability information or whether it should be provided by a private company. Initially, participants verbalized no strong opinion on this topic but by the end of the discussion, were leaning towards private companies. They felt that private companies would have the resources to respond more quickly to demands and more motivation to maintain and improve the system because it was their source of income. When prompted, participants were open to the idea of a private company charging for use of the travel time data because it must make a profit. While they felt that the government would have more access to information about construction, they were not confident that the system would be as user friendly or well maintained. A few participants still felt that it was the government’s responsibility to provide this information.

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Figure 21. Conclusion (Slide 19)

Next Steps Upon the completion of Task A1 – Focus Groups, the project team will move into the second phase of the Human Factors Experiments, the Usability Studies. Following the initial focus groups, the research team developed candidate displays and terms to be used in subsequent user acceptance testing. This set of terms included typical messages that could be used for both freeway and transit operations. This draft lexicon (A2) will form the framework of the usability testing task (A3). The tests of user acceptance will include open-ended surveys, a computer survey, and a travel behavior laboratory experiment intended to simulate daily trips. Each method has advantages and disadvantages. Each method produces different types of data which when added together provide converging evidence to support conclusions about a particular set of terms and display methods. This integrated approach to hypothesis testing, is a cornerstone of an inter-disciplinary Cognitive Science paradigm utilized by TTI Human Factors researchers. If the set of terms and displays are shown to be well understood using a variety of testing methods, it is a more robust test than many observations using a single method.

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Appendix A – Focus Group Script

Hello, my name is _____________. We are here today to conduct a group discussion for the

National Academies of Sciences. Our objective is to learn how people think and talk about

uncertainty in knowing how long things take; things like delivery times, how long it takes to

drive somewhere, how long it takes to wait for appointments. This discussion will also focus on

a new kind of travel information that could be used by drivers to make better driving decisions

and how you would like to obtain this new information. Before we get started, if you have not

turned in the forms you were given as you arrived, please turn them in at this time.

You will notice that we are recording this session. The recording will be used as a

backup to the notes we will be taking. In addition, it will allow us to concentrate on what you

are saying in the group. I want to assure you that you will not be quoted by name. We would

like you to remember that this discussion group session is to obtain your personal opinion as a

driver. We need to know what you think and how you personally feel about the topics we’re

going to be discussing. Beyond your own initial responses and impressions, I want you to feel

free to respond to whatever anyone else says. Remember, you do not have to agree with us or

with one another.

Now, I’d like to go over a few items before we begin.

Show slide 2

Now, I’d like to take just a few minutes and go around the room and have you introduce

yourselves. Please state your first name only and tell us what type of transportation you typically

use during your commute (trips to work and other places). Also, please mention 1-2 of the items

from the questionnaire where you indicated that it’s important for you to arrive on time.

Show Slide 3

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1) Traffic Impacts brainstorming activity, use whiteboard or type into Excel, mark whether they are +/-

- What things make you early or late?

Prompt with: weather, traffic congestion, construction, an incident

- OK, so those are day to day things, what things affect the time it takes to make a regular, repeating trip?

Prompt with: what time I leave, holidays, day of the week, train breakdowns

- How do these repeating factors change by time of day, day of week, etc?

- prompt with holidays, school schedules, midday vs. rush hour, major employer schedules

- keep focus on reliability and variability

- By how many minutes could these affect your regular trip?

- In your introductions, you said how long your commute was. How did you arrive at that number?

- prompt with: typical, most of the time, average, best case, worst case

2) How do you make adjustments in departure time, route, mode based on these factors?

- How did you decide what time to leave to get here today?

- Where do you seek information?

• Prompt with: my own experience, ask a friend, Google maps, nav system

- Where do you think that info / data come from?

- do you trust it?

3) NEW TOPIC. One way you might seek information is in on-line mapping tools or navigation systems in your car or on your phone. How many people use Mapquest, Google Maps, etc.? Did anyone use it to plan their trip here today?

a. How do you think it calculates the travel time?

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b. Mapquest tells you the same travel time all the time. Is travel time always the same at different times of day? Days of week?

c. Is Mapquest estimate of time accurate?

d. Does Mapquest (or any other online mapping tool) use any of the variables we’ve talked about? (weather, construction, holidays, rush hour etc.)

- How do you know if the route suggested the best one at all times of day, etc?

e. Do you make adjustments in your head about how long you think it will take to make that trip?

Prompt: pad it, leave earlier, allow more time if bad weather, rush hour, etc.

f. What words or phrases would you use to describe this information (or fluctuation or the different times it takes to make your trip)? For example if a trip takes about 20 minutes, what other words or phrases could you use to describe the uncertainty? (allow to answer before showing slide 4)

i. Slide 4 fill in the blank (prompts: “about 20 minutes”, “20 minutes, give or

take”, “10‐20 minutes”, “20 minutes plus or minus 5”, “roughly 20 minutes”, 75% of the time it takes 20 minutes, 3 out of 5 days it takes 20 minutes, 95% chance option b will be 30 minutes every day.

4) Explain system. I’d like you to envision a system that could make better predictions about your expected travel time by considering all of these factors we listed. This type of system is still a concept right now, but this research will help identify how useful people think such a system would be and what features they’d like to see in it. So I don’t want to get too bogged down in talking about exactly how the system would work, I’d like to keep it at a high level.

But let me tell you this much:

- you could use it much like you use Mapquest or a nav system now where you get to enter a specific “to” and “from” address

- but instead of calculating the trip time based only on how many miles it is and what the speed limit is, it would use more factors in the calculations

- the system would have sensors in the road that recorded information about speeds and level of traffic for all trips taken on a particular roadway. So, for instance, the system would know that for the last 5 years on Mondays at 9:00 AM such and such number of people were driving on the road and it would know what speed each vehicle traveled at.

- the system would also have a record of weather conditions

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- The system would also have a record of road construction and accidents.

- So the system is sort of like your own memory of all the trips you’ve ever taken, plus the memory of everyone else who drove on that road for the last 5 years.

A) Would a system like this be valuable? (Let them generate)

Would it be more valuable right during your trip or before you leave?

B) When would you want to access this kind of information? What types of situations could you see this system being useful in?

Prompt: new city

New destination

Decide what time to leave for work, which shift to take

Decide which road to take

Decide whether to take the train

C) Where would you want to access this kind of information? (computer, phone, nav system)

D) Do you think the travel time estimates would be more accurate than current systems? Why or why not?

E) So, here’s a simple input screen, its just concept: SHOW SLIDE 5; what would you like to be able to input/personalize? Is “what time to you want to arrive” the right question?

F) What type of information would you like our new system to provide you with?

Prompt: Best case, worst case

Information about the range of times

Suggest different or better route or departure time

Do you want the system to tell you how sure it is of its estimate?

For instance, if you put in you want to know about a trip on rainy Tuesdays during Spring Break, it may only have a handful of trips in its memory to base its estimate on and it’s more likely that it could be wrong. So you would you want to know how certain it thinks it is? What words or phrases could the system use to convey that?

G) What should the output look like? Just words, a graph, a map?

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BREAK

5) Scenarios. Now we are going to talk about some specific examples where you may or may not want to use the New System.

A) Constrained / Unfamiliar - Appointment with new doctor


- Currently, How would you decide what time to leave work to be at the appointment on time?

- Would you use the New System in this situation? Why or why not?

B) Constrained / Familiar - Aerobics Class

You are trying to decide whether to sign up for the Monday/Wednesday or the Tuesday/Thursday aerobics class at your new gym. Class starts at 6pm and you can’t leave work until 5pm each day.

- What type of information would you like to know to help with this decision?

- Where would you go to find that out?


C) Unconstrained / Unfamiliar – Going to Party locally

You are going to a friend’s birthday. The party starts at 7pm and is at a house you have not been to before.

-What kind of information would you want to know?

- When would you want that information?


D) Unconstrained / Unfamiliar – Traveling out of home city

You are taking a trip to Eagle Mountain Lake, which is northwest of Fort Worth, to go boating and have to drive through Fort Worth to get there. You are not familiar with Fort Worth, but have heard that there are times where the traffic is heavy and travel times are slow.

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-Would you use a system like the one we discussed to determine what time of day or day of the week you want to drive through Fort Worth to get to your destination? Or would just leave in the morning and take what comes?

E) Unconstrained / Familiar – Feed neighbors cat - Task insertion

Your neighbor is attending overseas training for their job and will be gone for 3 months. The families on your street are volunteering to take care of the cat one day a week. You are asked to pick a morning you are available to feed the cat every week. You realize that traffic typically is worse on some days than others.

- Would you prefer to find the morning that was least likely to require you to change your morning routine or would you pick any morning and change some part of your routine?

- Would the New System help you choose a morning? In what ways?

F) Unconstrained/Familiar- pick up produce

You participate in a food co-op and have to go pick your box up every Saturday morning sometime between 8am and 2pm. The produce is distributed in a church parking lot 20 minutes from your house.

- What type of information would you like to know to decide what time you should go pick up your box?

- Would you go the same time each week?

- Would a New System be valuable in this situation? In what ways?

- What information would you like the system to give you (prompt: window of time, morning vs. afternoon)

6) NEW TOPIC. Want to talk now about the words you would use when talking about these types of trips and the kind of information the New System would give. (Trip Logs example)

- Bob and Fred are neighbors who work at the same office building but they take different routes to work. They constantly argue about whose route is better, so they decide to keep track of their arrival times for 2 weeks. They leave their houses at the same time every morning. Here are the results: Show slide 7

- Whose is better? They’re each early 5 times and late 5 times.

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- What would you say about the routes? What words would you use to describe them?-

Fill in the blank questions on how to describe the routes they take: show slide 8

Bob’s way is _______ than Fred’s Way

(Prompt: more reliable, less variable, better)

Take Bob’s way because it’s ___________.

(Prompt: better, more likely you’ll be on time)

7) NEW TOPIC. I want to spend the rest of our time talking with you about what words or phrases we can use to explain the New System.

Now I’m going to show you some more fill in the blank examples. Hand out paper.

For each slide ask:

- What word or phrase would you insert here? Have them jot down.

- What do other people think of that idea?

- Here are some words we thought of (click mouse to reveal our list)

- How many of these did we think of today?

- What do you think of our words? Do you like your list better? If you like one of ours better, please mark it.

8) NEW TOPIC. Do you have any last thoughts about this system?

- What kind of person would or would not use this system?

- What do you think people will misunderstand about the system?

- What would help clear up those misunderstandings?

- Would people pay to use this system?

- Who do you think should provide this information, the DOT or some company?

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Appendix B – Focus Group Transcripts

Atlanta Focus Group Transcription 1 Facilitator: Please state your first name only; tell me what type of transportation you typically use during your commute- whether it’s to work or school or other places but where you commute on a daily basis. Also please mention 1 or 2 items from the questionnaire where you indicated that it’s important for you to arrive on time and finally, how long it took you to get here today.

1. I usually drive my own vehicle. Work is important for me to arrive on time and so is if I have a plane to catch. To get here, it took me about 20 minutes.

2. I use my personal car for transportation. The 2 items that are important to me are work of course and then appointments and personal things. It took me about 20 minutes to get here.

3. The type of transportation I use is a pickup truck. The 2 most important things to me are getting to appointments on time and leaving in the right amount of time to get there. And how long did it take me to get here today? About 35 minutes.

4. Transportation is my personal vehicle. One or 2 items: I would go with the airport and work. It took me about 25 minutes to get here.

5. I use my own personal car. It is very important to get to work on time and doctors appointments or any other type of appointment I might attend. And it took me about 25 minutes today

6. I use my own personal car and it’s important for me to get to work on time and pick up my children on time and it took me about an hour to get here today.

7. I use my own personal car and the 2 items: to get to work on time and my personal appointment and it took me about 15 minutes to get here

8. Two items that are important: picking up my kids and getting to work. I use my personal car and it took me 30 minutes to get here.

9. I use a personal car as well. My 2 most important things are going to work and catching a flight and it took me about 15 minutes.

Facilitator: What things make you early or late? Now we’re going to do a group discussion. Everybody can talk- we won’t be going around the room, anyone can just holler out. What things make you early or late?

(f) traffic

(m) accidents

(f) weather

(m) construction

(m) oversleeping

(m) police

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(m) slow drivers

(m) people texting while driving

(f) car problems

(f) alarm clock

(m) I guess events. Here in Atlanta you have multiple events going downtown if you’re going in that particular area

Facilitator: So special events? That’s a good one. Most of these are day to day things. What things affect the time it takes you to make a regular/repeating trip? Some of those could be special like traffic or special events, things that happen all the time that affect the time it take you to make a regular repeating trip. Like you know that it normally takes you 20 min but on occasion it could take you longer because of what?

(m) someone riding with you

Facilitator: You have to pick somebody up. What about holidays?

(f) you have to get there early if it’s a holiday. Either early or late, it depends

(m) school’s out (several people agree)

Facilitator: I think the alarm would be one where the time you leave could make a difference. Any other ones?

(f) wouldn’t accidents be under there too?

Facilitator: These are things you could expect, not things that jump up like “oh, crud. I didn’t know it was going to rain today” or there’s a traffic accident. So what are things you could expect like “I know school’s out today o I don’t have to leave as early”? How about the day of the week like Sundays maybe?

Fridays (all say)

(m) Fridays are horrible

Facilitator: Okay, well I’m glad we didn’t have this on Friday, especially for you

(m) My Fridays are light because people don’t work Fridays and have a 4 day week.

Facilitator: A lot of them have 4 day weekends? With these things in mind, how many minutes could these types of situations affect your regular trip?

(m) It could be anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes

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(m) Depending on where you’re at and where you’re going

(m) If you know alternative routes you can navigate your way if you’re in the right area to get to those routes so about 10-45 minutes is pretty much on the head

Facilitator: Does everybody agree with that?

All agree

Facilitator: In your introduction, y’all said how long your commute was. How did you arrive at that number? You evidently knew it was going to take you an hour, how did you arrive at that number?

(f) I know what time I left and there was actually no traffic coming but there is construction and I sat close to 400 and I should have gotten off before

Facilitator: Did you plan ahead for that construction that you knew you were going to encounter?

(f) I did. I did because I know school is out and there wasn’t any until I hit 285 kind of in the Roswell area.

Facilitator: So how did everybody else plan for their trip? How did you know that it was going to take you 15 or 20 minutes?

(m) Well if you do it all the time

Facilitator: It was someplace you were familiar with

(m) but what I do when I’m getting myself together, I’m watching TV or listening to the radio because I’ve got to know what’s going on around me because from where I live at to where I’m coming, there are a lot of things going on, know what I mean? And all it takes is a tractor trailer to flip over and that’s the whole game

Facilitator: So you look beforehand to make sure?

(m) Yeah, I make sure. I mean, like he was talking about the back roads, you’ve got to know the back roads around here. If you don’t you’re in big trouble.

Facilitator: Okay, and what were you saying?

(f) I came from work so I just kind of used my GPS

Facilitator: So you used your navigation system. How many people have a navigation system? Did you trust the time your navigation system told you?

(f) I did because since it was only 10 minutes away I’ve been in this area around this same time frame so I kind of know the traffic is like

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Facilitator: Does everybody else? Do you trust it every time? Do you trust in general the time it gave you?

(f) No, because it depends on where I’m going. If it’s 8:00 in the morning you kind of have to put in some fluff time.

Facilitator: Okay, How about you? Do you trust the information it gives you?

(f) Uh, not during the rush hours. If you drive the same distance at 11:00 than you do at 8:00 you can get there at 11:00 you can there pretty much according to the GPS but if you drive at 8:00 you have to add in some, I like that term, fluff time because you never know. It took me 15 minutes to get from Costco down to here and that’s like a half mile because it was backed up on Peachtree Dunwoody. It’s crazy, but I knew because it’s rush hour now so I built in some fluff time.

(m) Certain parts of town you know that it’s going to take you. Like 400, if you come anywhere near 400 you have to build in some extra time

Facilitator: So did you get your information from any other place? You said you got yours basically from past experience.

(m) Yeah

Facilitator: The rest of y’all used a navigation system. Was there any other thing?

(m) Google maps (a few people agree)

Facilitator: Do y’all trust that?

(f) Not all the time

(m) MapQuest

(f) You can listen to different radio stations and they’ll tell you what’s going on

Facilitator: Where do you think that this information or this data is coming from that they use on your navigation system or on MapQuest?

(f) Satellites

(m) Satellites for the navigation system

Facilitator: Okay, but where is the information that tells you how long it’s going to take- where do you think that comes from?

(m) They got cameras out there on the interstate

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Facilitator: So do you think that the information they give you is for right then or do you think it’s for a standard trip?

Several say standard

(m) It depends. Sometimes it says with traffic and sometimes it says without traffic

Facilitator: Okay, and which system would that be?

(m) On my phone, I think the Google maps sometimes have traffic with it. It might say give or take however many minutes with traffic or standard time

Facilitator: As we’ve talked about some might seek information online with the mapping tools or the navigation systems in your car and we’ve already gone through that and I already asked you, how do you think it calculates the travel time?

(m) Based on the speed limit I guess, however many miles you’re going and the speed

Several agree

Facilitator: And I already asked you if MapQuest tells you the same travel time all the time but is travel time always the same at different times or days of the week? Do you think it’s the same at 5 as it is at 3?

All say no

(m) Like I said, around here, its nuts. You don’t know what’s going on. You can come out of your house and look down the interstate and if you look down the interstate and see it jammed up 8 or 9 blocks you’ve got to go down somewhere and come back to a street that’s parallel and that’s the only way you’re going to get around it because it’s all around 285.

Facilitator: Do you think MapQuest or any of the other mapping tools use any of the variables we’ve talked about such as weather, construction, holidays, rush hour?

(m) Probably

(f) I don’t think so

(m) I haven’t seen MapQuest- MapQuest just gives you standard direction and speed based on how far you have to go. I haven’t seen anything real time

(f) Miles and speed

(m) Its not real time

Several agree

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Facilitator: How about navigational systems? Do they consider any of the variables that we’ve talked about?

(m) Yeah

(f) The Georgia electronic thing online- if you go online it’ll give you a time on there

Facilitator: But on the one that you have?

Most say no

Facilitator: So you actually have to make these types of adjustments in your head about how long it’s going to take you?

All say yes

Facilitator: So you take what they tell you and then kind of adjust it. How would you word it? What adjustments would you use? How long would it take you to make that trip? What kind of adjustments would you use?

(f) Leave earlier

(M) depends on what time and the day

Facilitator: Depends on the time so you would maybe adjust?

(m) Exactly

(f) I would adjust it based on traffic reports either on TV or the radio

Facilitator: Now I’m going to ask you what words or phrases would you use to describe this information. The different times it takes you to make a trip. For example, if a trip takes you 20 minutes what other words or phrases could you use to describe this uncertainty?

(f) Unknown

(f) Approximately

(f) Unpredictable

(m) Estimated

(m) A complete guess

(m) Approximately

Facilitator: It will take ____ minutes to make your trip. What words would you use to describe this sentence? We used some of them but what words could you use?

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(m) About

Most agree

(m) A good

(f) More or less

(f) Around

(m) At least

(m) Maybe

Facilitator: How about this one: It will take 10-20 minutes to make your trip. What words could you use to describe that?

Give or take

(m) Perhaps

(m) I’m thinking’

(f) About

(m) Way more

(f) At least

Facilitator: Here we have ___ of the time it takes 20 minutes to make your trip.

All say most

(m) Some

(f) Half

(m) a lot more

(m) Majority

Facilitator: I’d like you to imagine a system that could make better predictions about your travel time by considering all the factors we’ve listed. This type of system is still a concept right now but this type research will help identify how useful people would be and the features they’d like to see in it. So I don’t want you to get too bogged down in how the system would work, I’d like to keep in more light and the terminology and what you would want. You could use it much like you would MapQuest or the navigation system where you can enter a specific to and from address but instead of calculating the trip based only on how many miles it is and what the speed is it would use more factors in the

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calculation- similar to a work day at 8:00 or a holiday. The system would have information in the road that recorded information about speed and level of traffic for all trips taken on a particular roadway. So for instance, the system would know that for the last 5 years on Mondays at 9:00am, such and such numbers of people were driving on the road and it would know the speed each vehicle traveled at. The system would also have a record of the weather conditions, the road construction and the accidents so they system would be sort of like your own memory of all the trips you’ve ever taken plus the memory of everyone else who drove on that road in the past 5 years. Now, o y’all think this type of system would be valuable?

All say yes

Facilitator: Do you think it’d be more valuable during your trip or before you leave?

All say before

Facilitator: Does everybody agree with that?

All say yes, they agree

Facilitator: When would you want to assess this type of information? What types of situations could this type of information be useful in?

(m) If you’re going on a trip

Facilitator: So in an area you’re not familiar with.

(f) The route to the airport

Facilitator: What other situations?

(m) Alternate routes

Facilitator: Do you think it could help you determine to take your own vehicle or a different type of transportation? Do any of you travel on a different type of transportation like the subway or bus?

(m) I guess if you were going to a sporting event downtown like a football game or something like that you might want to take the monorail system

Facilitator: So you could use it to determine that?

Several say yes

Facilitator: And where would you want to access this type of information? Where would you want to get it?

(m) Internet

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(f) Phone

Facilitator: Do you think that travel time estimates would be more correct or accurate than the current ones?

Several say yes

Facilitator: Why do you think that would be? Or why not?

(m) Real time

(f) Its taking a lot of different things and factoring it in

(m) I got a question- you said it keeps a record of travel times. At what point on a Monday when it rains when you have a huge influx of people that moved into the area. Does it take that information from a year back, 5 years back or what?

Facilitator: Well, the example that we’re using is going to be like taking that information every Monday for 5 years and it will take whether it was rainy, whether it was a special event, whether it was Sunday or Monday, whether it was peak period or off peak

(f) So it’s going to give you all that information?

Facilitator: Well, what would you want it to give you? See it’s going to be just like your memory. So it has all this information and for every Easter Sunday for the last 5 years, it’s taking this amount of time to get to church. Then you could say its Easter and I know it’s going to be crowded and we’re going to go to a new church. And it would have that memory and say for the past 10 year its taken so-and-so amount of time. So you all agree that you would like this type of information, and you all agree why it would be more accurate. (Several agree, yes) And I explained why, but why do you think it would be more accurate?

(m) More results

Facilitator: Okay, more data results

(m) taking the information of what we do already when we say okay Monday mornings are usually bad on traffic so we add extra time so that’s pretty much a system that’s doing that work for us

(m) I think a lot of that stuff I don’t know if you could know. Like if I wanted to go to work and take a certain route that for some reason if it was raining it was better, maybe it was 4 lanes instead of 2 lanes, that I would not know that because I don’t take that route every day. I don’t know what factors are influencing that route versus a different route. If it knew all that and could say go this way if it’s raining and this way if it’s not raining.

Facilitator: What type of information would you like this new system to provide you with? This is an example we came up with. It’s just a concept- nothing hard. What would you like to be able to input

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to make it personalized for you? Like this is where you’re starting from and going to and this is the time it takes to get there.

(m) I see round trip, you need to have round trip.

(f) Starting time

(m) Option of you had multiple trips you put from one location to the next location

(m) time zones, because remember you can go from one spot and the time zone changes

(m) Alternative routes

Facilitator: What else would you want?

(f) I would want to know if there’s like an accident on the way

Facilitator: Now this would not actually tell you. It could tell you how many accidents were on Monday in the last 5 years, but it could not tell you that there was an accident right then and there.

(m) I’m not feeling this. Looking at it in the concept that you’re using, me personally, I mean what benefit as far as accidents at that particular point- that has no bearing at a certain time to me

Facilitator: Correct. You still have to consider that there is something day to day that they don’t have in there in the memory yet, but you don’t have that either. Like he said, it’s taking out past stuff from its memory and providing that as a summary but it can’t provide you the day to day information.

(m) I need present

(m) Yeah, we need to human error

Several agree

Facilitator: So you want the real time right?

All say yes

Facilitator: That is the question and why we’re asking, do you think this type of system would even help?

(m) Not really

(m) No, not really

3 people agree

(m) I think we’ve already got that with GPS systems and everything else and that’s good enough between the radio

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Facilitator: So you wouldn’t want to know that on a holiday you’d have to take this one?

(m) Its too vague

(m) Especially in Atlanta

Facilitator: So none of you think you would want it?

Several say no

(m) I think it would be useful in this format right here as an example you put in what time you need to be there. Now I just do a blanket and plan to leave an hour and a half early to be there. Sometimes traffic is good and I get there extremely early and I have to waste time doing other things so yeah, I think it would be useful.

Facilitator: Would you want it to have information that you could put in like its raining or that it is a Sunday?

(m) Yeah

Facilitator: So you would want those specific things and would to say okay on a rainy day on Mondays at 4:00?

(m) Yeah, I would definitely like to have that information in there. It’s like what I do anyway and if it’s raining I know I have to leave early because there are going to be accidents and slow traffic so if I could put that information into a system or something to give me an idea

(m) it’s probably like a navigational upgrade it’s just more result driven and that’s cool if it’s free. I wouldn’t pay for it though.

Facilitator: That’s going to be one of our questions. Does everybody agree that it’s cool if it’s free? Would y’all pay for this type of service?

All say no

(m) I think it sounds like it’s kind of an enhancement to what Google Maps does. They give you an estimated time but if it was enhanced and it was better somebody would probably pay for it.

Several agree

(m) One thing that’s missing too- you need to have something about where the speed traps are and stuff like that

Facilitator: I have an example and I t may make it clearer for you. Let’s say you put in that you want to make a trip on a rainy Tuesday in Spring Break it may only have a handful of trips in its memory to base its estimates on and it’s more likely to be wrong because it only has a handful of trips in its

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memory. Do you want to know how certain this information is? Do you want to know how certain they are that it would take you 40 minutes on this particular day when it’s raining?

(f) Well it’s all an estimation guess anyway because the one day you decided to go from point A to point B, you know there are 3 wrecks and the drippy rain turns into a storm so it’s all guesswork anyway

Facilitator: So would you want to know about how certain it is?

No

Facilitator: And if so, what type of words would you use if you were trying to find out how certain it was?

(f) Like a percentage

Facilitator: Okay, you could use a percentage like about 70% of the time. Anything else?

(f) 9 times out of 10

(m) Percentage would work for me

All agree percentage works the best

Facilitator: What do you think the output should look like? Should it be a graph, a map, or just words?

(f) I think just words

Several agree

(m) I like the map so I’d have to go both. Maps and words

BREAK

Facilitator: Would any of y’all use this if it was someplace unfamiliar like if you moved into a new neighborhood or just got a new job or new town?

(f) I think it would be helpful

Facilitator: But nobody would pay for it?

All say no

(f) Because I can do the free stuff

(m) If you’re just riding around you’re going to watch what’s going on around you and so you’re going to see everything repetitiously if you watch it

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Facilitator: After our break, we’re going to have some scenarios we’re going to go through and I’m going to ask you about some wording that you would use. Our first one, we’re going to talk about an appointment with a specialist you have never met before on Thursday and you are not familiar with the area of town the office is located in. you have to tell your boss by Tuesday what time you will need to leave work on Thursday so you need to plan ahead. How would you decide what time to leave work to get to the appointment on time currently?

(m) What time is the appointment?

(f) The location

Facilitator: How would you determine what time you should leave?

(m) This is your first time right?

Facilitator: This is your first time and you’ve never been there before and it’s in an area you’re not familiar with

(m) I’d get the driving directions off of Google or MapQuest and just take an approximation like if it’s telling me 20-30 miles just go off of that

Facilitator: So if it said 10-20 miles, how long would you give it?

(m) Are you talking street or highway?

(m) Just say for instance if I was in Norcross and had to go to downtown Atlanta 17 or 20 miles I knew the route that I was going to take would be 85 South I’d give myself maybe 30 minutes as leeway, you know 17 miles. And that’s more than what I need because I’d be going 65-75 and I’d get there quicker than that

Facilitator: Does it make a difference if it’s on off streets or highways?

All say yes

Facilitator: How would it make a difference than if it was a highway?

(m) Streets are usually longer depending on how many turns I have to make

(m) Continuous driving instead of stopping

Facilitator: Anything else anybody would include? Would you consider the weather?

(f) Well you don’t know what the weather is going to be on Tuesday for Thursday

(m) You don’t know what it’s going to be

A few agree

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Facilitator: Would you consider the day it was on- like if it was on Friday?

All say yes

(f) Because if it was morning, like if its mid morning you may be okay

Facilitator: So how would you consider that? Would you add more time or less?

(f) I may add less time

Facilitator: Less time because it’s morning.

(m) And the destination- I told you from Norcross going to Atlanta going down south, if it was on the opposite at 4:00 in the afternoon knowing that time of day 85 North is crazy I’d have to factor in more time

Facilitator: So it would definitely depend on where the location is. What if you weren’t familiar with where the location is?

(m) You leave early

Facilitator: How much earlier would you leave?

(m) Probably about 20 minutes

(f) About half an hour

(m) About 20-30 min

(f) I would leave an hour. If it was 20 minutes to where I was going, I would leave an hour

(m) it’s better to be early than late

Facilitator: So would all of y’all?

All say yes

(f) I would rather be there early versus late so I’m going to factor in more time.

Facilitator: Would you use the new system in this situation? And I know it’s got to be free so if it was free would you use it?

(m) I don’t know

(f) Yes, it’s more information in an unfamiliar area so I don’t see why it would hurt

(f) I would use it to give me more information. Like she said, if I had never been there, I would need something to go by so yes, I would use it

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Facilitator: So something that tells you more of the history?

(f) Yes

(f) I would use it as one of the things I would consider but I would that, I would use Google maps or MapQuest and then still factor in more time especially if I was in a new area and you don’t want to make a bad impression even if it is just the doctor so allow yourself enough time

Facilitator: How much time would you factor in?

(f) To go what distance? The 10-20 minutes he was talking about?

Facilitator: Yeah

(f) I’d leave closer to an hour

(m) I would say maybe an hour, maybe 30 minutes

Facilitator: Okay, everybody agrees?

All say yes

Facilitator: Say you really had a narrow window and you had a lot going on at the office. Would you trust this system more than you do the systems right now or would you be making the same decision?

All say same decision

Facilitator: So you wouldn’t trust the information any more than the other?

(m) I wouldn’t because it’s going to change. Are we talking about this city or are we talking about any city?

Facilitator: Any city

(m) Okay, see that’s when it varies because if you’re talking about a small town

Facilitator: Well a big city like Atlanta

(m) Okay, well you would have to basically leave early and if you’ve been on that side of town before you know what’s going on

Facilitator: But its somewhere you’ve never been. You’re not familiar there. Let’s say you had to go to a different state to see this specialist and you’re going from the airport to the doctor’s office. Would you trust this information more than you would your normal?

(m) No, because a while back you said that if that the bottom gauge was for 5 years ago and that’s calculated on

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Facilitator: No it’s calculated not 5 years, but in the last 5 years. So all of the information in the last 5 years until yesterday and every day it’s updated.

(f) I think you could use it as a guide especially if you’re going someplace you’re not familiar with as a guide but I’m still going to factor in some extra time just in case. Maybe not as much as if I knew Atlanta from point a to point b it could be 10 minutes or 2 hours and 10 min

Facilitator: But would you trust it more?

All say no

(f) it’s just a tool

(m) Can I ask a question? What relevance does historical data have in driving? For instance, if its last may in Stockford they had the Nascar motor speed way and if it happens every year at the same time and that’s great but as far as the patterns and stuff like that, I’m not seeing it.

(m) Population increases and trends. With 5 years you’ll get a curve. I live in Cherokee county and when I moved out there wasn’t a lot going on and now everyday it’s hard getting around

Facilitator: Its just the past history helping you to see more of the trends for that particular day so if it’s a holiday or special event so that you can say that there’s a festival every at the same time and you want to know that on that day every year the traffic is really, really, really slow and takes you 5 hours to get through it. I think what we’re trying to get you to think about you’ve already said. When we were doing this activity I heard someone say Fridays are really bad so you kind of have that knowledge or maybe on this unfamiliar road you’re going to Tuesdays are always bad. There could be a plant that let out at 3:00 and your appointment is at 3:20 and I think that’s the kind of information we are trying to get at. On this unfamiliar route to this doctor, Tuesdays are really bad and you do need an extra hour. Would you listen to this information and say Wednesdays okay.

(f) I think for me it would just be an extra tool, just something extra to have.

Facilitator: You wouldn’t consider looking at it and saying well Wednesdays are really good and Tuesdays are really bad, make my appointment on Wednesday so I don’t have to go through that

(f) Oh yeah

Several agree

(m) See they keep a lot of construction around here so I don’t know

Facilitator: You said this that you’re not sure you would do it in familiar areas so we’re looking at unfamiliar areas now. Places you are not familiar with

(m) Yeah, in unfamiliar areas for me I would definitely use it because the more information I could get the better. Just to verify the information I would use a couple of different sources like maybe MapQuest

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and Google Maps and if it’s going to give me an estimation and it’s all saying about the same amount of time then I’ll go with that information, especially in an unfamiliar area.

Facilitator: So some of y’all would use it in an unfamiliar area then?

Several say yes

(f) I would definitely

Facilitator: And would you trust it more than the MapQuest?

(f) Because it has all that factored in, I would

(m) I would use but I wouldn’t trust it. I’m all about human error. It could tell me I’ll be there in 20 minutes exactly but all it does is take 21 minutes and I’m upset

Facilitator: Okay, let’s go to another scenario. You’re trying to decide whether to sign up for the Monday/Wednesday or the Tuesday/Thursday aerobics class at your new gym. Classes start at 6pm and you can’t leave work before 5 pm each day. This is more of a familiar are. What type of information would you like to know to help with this decision?

(m) Tuesday/Thursday traffic pattern versus Monday/Wednesday traffic pattern

Facilitator: You could sign up for your gym class either M/W or T/Th and they start at 6pm and you can’t leave work until 5pm. So what type of information would you like to know to decide what days?

(m) Is there a festival on those?

Facilitator: I don’t know, you’d have to look in the history. You’re going to do this for a lot of weeks in a row. You’re doing it for like 10 weeks in a row.

(m) But you said earlier that on this device it could have the festivals and parades and everything and that’s what I would want to know going down that road on those particular days.

Facilitator: So you would use this type of system to look at Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday for the past history for those days.

(m) How far is it from?

Facilitator: Well we are trying to use 5 years

(m) No, what is the distance from my house to the gym?

Facilitator: 25 miles

(m) Weather, events

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Facilitator: But what information would you want to know to make your decision on those days. You said special events.

(m) Weather conditions for the past 5 years

(f) I would just want to know the traffic pattern, weather is irrelevant. Just because it rained the Tuesday the year before doesn’t mean it’s going to. Weather is so unpredictable but the traffic pattern and trends

Facilitator: Trends so that if there was a school that got out at a certain on Tuesdays

(f) Or like you mentioned earlier. Like if there was a plant that closed on Tuesday, so traffic only for me

(m) I guess kind of picking back up on what she said, the job situation around there. How many businesses and stuff are around there because if you have a lot people may be getting off so those types of things factor in to the job situation around here

Facilitator: Where would you go to find that out if we didn’t have this type of system? Would you ask a friend or would you call the gym?

(m) The gym wouldn’t know because they wouldn’t know where you are coming from

Facilitator: Well, if you told them where you were coming from

(m) Trial and error

A few agree

(m) Just speed down there and see what happens

Facilitator: Do you think this type of new system would help you?

All say yes, they think so

Facilitator: And again, you had said why was because you could track different events and stuff. Okay, now we’re going to a friend’s birthday. The party starts at 7pm and he’s at a house you have not been before. What type of information would you like to know? Now again, this is not where you have been before, where he lives

(f) Its on the weekend right? If it’s on the weekend, it’s fine and no big deal. I’ll just go to Google and find out where he lives and just go

Facilitator: Does everybody feel that way?

Yes

Facilitator: Would you use this new system in this situation?

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All say no

(f) If you’re a couple of minutes late in this situation it’s not as critical as catching a plane or work or appointment

Facilitator: Now you are making a trip to Mt. Bachelor to go skiing and you have to drive through Portland to get there. You are not familiar with Portland but have heard that there are times where the traffic is heavy and travel times are slow. Would you use this type of system to determine what time of day or week you would want to drive through?

All say yes

Facilitator: Would any of y’all just leave in the morning and take what comes?

All say no

(f) Because you could be in traffic forever. I’ve left Savannah one morning and got stuck in traffic at 9:00 and I got home at like 2:00. If I had know that, I would have never left or I would have come behind the traffic

(m) The reason I would use it for that situation is because you have all these other variables. You may have your kids in there and you don’t want to get trapped in traffic with kids

Facilitator: I know all of you drive your personal car, but let’s say you weren’t going to drive. Would you use this type of system to decide what train or bus to take?

Most say no

Facilitator: To say well the traffic is going to take 5 hours, so I’ll take the train or the bus or other type of transportation

Several say no

(m) I’m kind of confused. You mean this thing would tell me whether the train or the car- which one is the best to go?

Facilitator: Well if you looked and it said it’s going to take you 5 hours the past history that day because they have a musical festival that day would you decided well I’m just going to go ahead and take the train there.

(m) Does it tell you either/or on the device?

Facilitator: Would you want it to tell you that?

(m) Yeah, if I’m going to be riding that

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Facilitator: So you would want it to tell you alternative modes of transportation and how long it would take?

Some say yes

Facilitator: Okay, now to the next one. Your neighbor is attending an overseas training for their job and will be gone for 3 months. The families on your street are volunteering to take care of the cat one day a week. You are asked to pick a morning to feed the cat every week. You realize that traffic is typically worse on some days than others. Would you prefer to find the morning that is least likely to require you to change your morning routine or would you pick and morning and change part of your routine? You’d like to know?

(m) Yes, I’d like to know

(m) I don’t like cats

(f) They pretty much take care of themselves

Facilitator: Would the new system help you choose a morning?

(m) No

(f) I think it depends- I may ask the person who has the cat “what’s traffic like in your area?”

Facilitator: So you don’t think it could tell you if there was more traffic on Mondays than on Fridays?

(f) Well yeah, but that’s what it does

Facilitator: So would you want to know that?

(f) Yeah, I would

(m) If you’re serious about feeding your neighbor’s cat you might would

Facilitator: We maybe should have used something a little more extreme. Watering their lawn? Do care more about grass than cats? How about feeding somebody that’s bed rested? Now this is going to be our last scenario we’re going to do. You participate in a food co-op and have to pick up your box every Saturday morning sometime between 8:00 and 2:00. The produce is distributes in a church parking lot 20 minutes from your house. What type of information would you like to know to decide what time you should go pick up your food?

(m) How many people are planning to go pick up? Give me an estimate

Facilitator: So how crowded it was for the different times of day. Anything else you’d like to know? So if there’s more traffic at 8, you’d want to go at 2? Would you go the same time each week?

(f) If the traffic was good

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(m) in that situation, that’s when I’d like to have the multiple locations because if you’re going North to pick up the package and you have to come back South then the traffic may be fine going North but coming back South maybe everyone is coming that direction, so having that option of having multiple locations would definitely help out.

Facilitator: When you say multiple locations are you talking about alternate routes? So for this route it will take me 20 minutes or for different trips?

(m) Different trips- for instance if you’re leaving your house and you have to go up north to pick up the box and then come back down to the church or something

Facilitator: So you’d want to know for that leg of the trip and then the other leg of the trip?

(m) Yes

Facilitator: Do you think this new system would be valuable n this type of situation if it could do both ways?

Some say yes

(m) Not for me. It depends on where I spend that Friday night and then it would depend on what time I wake up?

Facilitator: Well what information would you like the system to provide you with?

I wouldn’t even use it; I’d go when I woke up.

Facilitator: So you’d want a window of time

(m) I have a window of 6 hours so I’m good.

(f) Well, did you say it was a place I was familiar with or not?

Facilitator: Well you go every Saturday so you’re familiar with it

(f) Maybe if I chose it one time and there was a lot of traffic then the next week I’d try an alternate time so to find out if it would cut my trip time down

Facilitator: Well would you like the system to provide you time and say at 8:00 it’s going to take you 45 minutes and at 10:00 it’s going to take you 30 minutes?

(f) That’d be great, sure

Facilitator: So that’s the type of information you’d like it to provide you with based on the past history?

(f) Yes,

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Facilitator: Anything else anybody would like? Okay, now we’re going to talk about words you would use when talking about these types of trips and the kind of information the system would give. Bob and Fred are neighbors who work at the same office building but they take different routes to work. They constantly argue about who’s route is better so they decide to keep track of their arrival time for 2 weeks. They leave their houses at the same time every morning and here are the results: there’s Bob’s way and then there’s Fred’s way. Whose is better?

(m) Bob

(m) Yeah, looks like Bob

Several agree

(m) Because Fred is late more often

Facilitator: Who thinks Bob’s way is better?

(f) I don’t know

(m) Its close

(m) Fred’s got some problems

Facilitator: Who likes Bob?

9 people like Bob

(f) But it’s the same to me because late is late and early is early. They’re both late on 5 occasions and early on 5 so it’s the same. You’re either on time or you’re late.

(m) Bob’s more consistent. He’s just a little early or a little late whereas Fred is either way early or way late

(f) He’s all over the place

Facilitator: So Bob is more consistent?

Some say yes

Facilitator: What would say about the routes they are taking? Bob’s way would be what?

(f) More predictable

(m) If Bob sped up just a little bit more he’d be alright. Bob’s either lagging or he’s…

Facilitator: So Fred drives to slow?

(m) Fred is either taking the wrong route or he’s just trippin’

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(m) I think they should come to a compromise and look at the travel destinations all together. Bob blows him away with minutes early. On all those numbers, he gets there early; 8 minutes on a particular day. But also, he gets there later too. So they need to come together and reach some type of compromise

(f) He needs to take Bob’s way on certain days

(m) Because the number of minutes early, I didn’t really look at that. I just looked at the number of minutes late

Facilitator: So you think they need to work together and combine which days they were early at?

All say yes

Facilitator: You said that Bob’s way is more predictable. What words would you use to describe Fred’s way?

(m) Unpredictable

(m) Inconsistent

(m) He’s been hanging out to much. Fred looks like he’s going to get fired

Facilitator: Now we’re going to fill in some blanks. Bob’s way is ___ than Fred’s way.

(f) Better

(m) Safer

(f) Shorter

(m) More efficient

Facilitator: More efficient, more direct

(m) More consistent and more predictable

Facilitator: How about Take Bob’s way because it’s _________.

(m) Better for job security

(f) Consistent

(f) A better way

(m) Dependable

(f) Precise

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Facilitator: We’re going to spend the rest of our time talking about what words or phrases we can use to explain this new system. Do you all have a blank piece of paper in front of you? Please number 1-6. This one tells you about the time of day of your trip so this is what we’re going to focus on. There is a _____ that travel time will be worse at 4pm than to 2pm on Fridays. Write them down on your own and then we’ll talk about them.

(m) Possibility and chance

(f) Preconception

(f) Sure thing

(m) I’ve got possibility and chance

Facilitator: These are some words we thought of. What do you think of our words and do you like your words better? If you like one in particular, which one would you like?

(m) Chance

Several say yes

(m) 80% chance

Facilitator: How many of you like chance?

5 like chance

Facilitator: And how many like 80%chance?

4 people like

Facilitator: Is there any other one y’all like? We put those as the top 2. Here’s our next one: Travel time on Main street __ from Monday to Tuesday. Jot that down as number 2.

Several say varies

(m) Varies and changes

Facilitator: Okay, varies and changes. Does anyone have anything else? This is what we came up with.

(m) I was thinking fluctuate but I didn’t know how to spell it

Facilitator: Which one does you like the best out of all of them?

(m) Fluctuates

Several agree

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(m) Fluctuates and varies

Facilitator: How many like fluctuate?

3 people

Facilitator: What about the rest of y’all? What do you like?

(f) Varies?

Facilitator: How many like varies?

5 people

(m) I was going to say either gets better or gets worse because varies can go either way

Facilitator: Okay, gets better or gets worse

(m) Yeah, breaks it down more

Facilitator: Travel time on the road is ___ on Friday afternoons at 4:30pm. What’d we think on this one?

(f) Terrible

() horrible

(f) I said bad

(m) Awful

(m) The worst

(m) Consistent

(m) longer/shorter

(m) Nuts

(f) I said bad, worse or busy

Facilitator: Including the words you used, which ones do y’all like the best?

5 people say “the worst”

(m) I like at a standstill

Facilitator: Okay, how many people like “at a standstill”?

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4 at a standstill

Facilitator: Now this is where the system would tell you about other ways to travel. A friend tells you it will take 20-45 minutes to get to the airport. It is _____ that it will take you 25 minutes.

(f) Possible

(f) More likely

(m) For certain

(m) For sure

(m) I put that too

(m) I said unlikely

(m) I got likely and possible

Facilitator: So including the words that y’all mentioned, which words do you like the best?

(m) Likely

Several agree

Facilitator: Who likes likely?

6 people like likely

Facilitator: Expected?

2 people like

Facilitator: What about you? What do you like?

(m) I’m not sure I like any of them. It’s possible it would take 25 minutes. It’s just at the low end

(m) Yeah, the “it is” at the end flips the whole last sentence around. There are only certain words you could use in there. If took the it is out and put whatever, but that it is kind of boxes you into certain words.

Facilitator: So if you just said “it”?

(f) Maybe

(m) Might

Facilitator: So if you took the “it is” out, what would you put?

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(f) It might

(m) No, that isn’t going to work either

(m) Its probable

Facilitator: It doesn’t have to say it might take you 25 minutes, so what other word would you like if we change the wording a little?

(m) It could

(f) Possibility

Facilitator: So y’all don’t really like the wording of the second sentence, is that correct?

(m) It kind of boxes you in a corner

Facilitator: Your neighbor told you it would take 20 minutes to get there, but you added 10 minutes of ______ and left 30 minutes early.

(m) I put travel time then I put just in case stuff happens

(f) Fluff time

(m) Traffic congestion

(m) Construction delays

(f) Extra time

(m) I had to go back to my “human error”

(m) I had cushion, buffer

Facilitator: This is what we had; a lot of the same ones that y’all came up with.

(m) What is buffer time?

Facilitator: A buffer is just another way of saying that you add a little bit of space in there

(m) A buffer is?

Facilitator: A buffer is a spacer. You gave it a little bit of extra time is a buffer. So of those, which ones do y’all like the best?

All say extra time (9)

Facilitator: I ____ that travel time will be worse Monday than it will Tuesday.

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(f) Know, think

(f) Predict

(m) Understand

(m) Bet you

(m) Guarantee, expect

(f) Expect

(f) Know, predict

(f) Predict

Facilitator: We have some overlap with the same words that y’all suggested and, based on the ones that y’all came up with along with these, which one would you prefer?

Facilitator: How many liked expect?

4 people

Facilitator: How many liked predict?

5 people

Facilitator: Do y’all have any last thoughts about this system? Anything that you’d like to make comments on?

(m) What I want to know is do y’all have a prototype of this device?

Facilitator: The 2nd web link up there is the same type of system that the Washington State Department of transportation has come up with. You put in where you’re going and then it uses historic data that it has and it says “if you’re going from here to here on Tuesday morning during rush hour, it will take you this long”.

(m) Okay, so you have to punch into it, it’s not a device you put in your car

Facilitator: It’s an internet site

(m) Its an internet site so it can be an attachment to your phone or whatever. It’s an option.

Facilitator: What type of people do you think would use this system?

Several say travelers

(m) Salespeople

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(f) Truckers

(m) Delivery drivers

Facilitator: Maybe people on vacation in unfamiliar areas?

(f) Yes, definitely

Facilitator: What do you think people will misunderstand about this system? This is really important because we’re having a hard time explaining this system

(m) The way the results are broken down probably and where the information is coming from

(m) How does it compare amongst the other devices as far as which one you want to sue because you have a lot of options out there. What would make this more unique when I’m choosing to find out information over a short period of time? I’m trying to determine which one I’m going to go to first because I’m late, so I’m figuring out my options

(m) I think initially, people pretty much assume or think its real time. I guess the present right now when you get traffic reports on the radio, you put information and it gives you what’s going on right now

Facilitator: The misunderstanding is what’s out there right now compared to this based on past historical data. How do you think we could clear this misunderstanding up?

(m) Traffic trends or something like that. A trend would have you figuring on something that has been going on and past occurrences or something like that as opposed to right now

Facilitator: Do you think people would pay to use this system if they were on vacation or in certain areas?

(f) I think so

(m) Maybe vacation

Facilitator: On certain circumstances or situations? Not on a day to day basis?

Several; say yes

(m) If it was at the hotel for free and it was included with your stay just like you get a certain channel on the TV

(m) I just think the internet can get so much information now with Google Earth and such that I don’t think I would be willing to pay for it

Facilitator: But that doesn’t help you plan in advance

(f) Would you pay for it on a time use?

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Facilitator: Would you pay for specific situations just not all the time?

(f) Maybe for specific situations depending on what the cost is. I would need more information

Facilitator: What cost would be too much and what would you want to pay for it?

(f) I have no idea

(m) Businesses might be willing to pay for it if you could direct traffic on a street past their business they might pay for it

(m) that’d be good if you could have car rental places instead of having GPS and if you’re in an unfamiliar city it’s not really going to help you it’s just going to get you from Point A to Point B but if you had it as an extra option, people in the car rental place could tell you how to use it and you could punch it in an say oh I can get to the civic center in 10 minutes from the hotel. You have a more effective trip and you can know how to get around.

Facilitator: Who do you think should provide this information- the DOT or a private company?

(m) If it’s the government it ought to be free

Facilitator: Would you trust the government more than a private company?

Several say no

Facilitator: Who do you really think should be responsible for it?

(m) Well what are the pros and cons from a private or the government?

Facilitator: I’m asking y’all what you think. What would be your expectation? If I told you that I had this system, what would be your first thought as to where I got it?

(m) Private owner and you’d expect to pay form a private company

(m) A private company because you know a private industry they are going to do what it takes to keep this system up and running because it’s their revenue stream. If it’s working properly it’s more profit.

Facilitator: So you would have more confidence in it if it were private because that is there revenue?

Some say yes

It would probably benefit government services more than it would the average individual- Emergency 911. In that case, yeah, but with us, we have enough stuff.

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Atlanta Focus Group Transcription 2

I use my own personal truck to get around, arrive to work on time and definitely to arrive to catch a flight on time, about 30 minutes

Drive around my personal car and I generally try to get to work on time and the airport to make my flight. To get here from the restaurant I was at was like 5 minutes.

I drive my own personal vehicle. Arriving to work and the airport are very important in terms of arriving on time and it took me probably about 5 minutes to get here today also.

I use my personal car arriving to work on time and I prefer to get to my family on time. It took me about 20 minutes to get here today

I use my vehicle; I also use the bus and rail. I go out of the airport often so if I’m going out of the airport I do it that way. Picking up family on time is probably the #1 important thing to me and to get to the airport on time to catch a flight. And it took me about 35 minutes to get here today.

I drive my own personal vehicle. The questions important to me are getting to the airport and also getting to work on time. It took me about 5 or 10 minutes to get here.

I drive my own personal car. The one that was a 5 to me was the airport- I’ve got a cool boss. It took me about 10 minutes to get here today, I work pretty close.

I use my own personal vehicle. Two things important to arrive on time to would be work and to catch a flight and it took me about 35 minutes to get here.

I drive my own personal vehicle. The two places I need to be on time are the airport and daycare. It took about 25 minutes to get here.

I use my own car. The two places are class and going home and it took me about 45 minutes today.

Facilitator: What things make you early or late when you’re trying to get somewhere?

Traffic

Weather

Just leaving my house late

Constructions

Takes too long to get ready

Oversleep

School bus

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Having to get gas- whenever I’m in a hurry, I’m always out of gas

Get breakfast or something

Facilitator: so running errands of some sort

Yeah (several others agree)

Kids (2 or 3 people agree)

My dog- if he doesn’t feel like making #2 then...

Facilitator: so these are all things that happen day to day. What things affect the time it takes you to make a regular repeating trip? Something that’s regular and repeats.

Traffic (several people say this)

Facilitator: let’s say something like the day of the week. Is there a day of the week that takes you longer?

All say Friday

Friday after 3:30 (1 agrees)

In the morning traffic is lighter on Fridays (several agree)

Sometimes at lunch, in the morning it’s fine

I think Mondays

But in Atlanta everybody either doesn’t work on Fridays or they get off work early so traffic really starts around 2 or 2:30

Facilitator: So Fridays is a day where things change so it could take you longer or shorter depending on the time of day

(Most agree)

Facilitator: What else would be something?

Weather

Is it something that happens every day?

Facilitator: something that could happen every day? Every time, like every Friday this happened

There’s usually working on the road a lot

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Construction

Facilitator: these are changing things. I guess we’re trying to find out this you can plan for, things you can expect

Facilitator: How about when school’s out during the summer is there less traffic?

Oh yeah (all agree)

Facilitator: so it depends on if there’s a school zone or not. Locations?

Holiday weekend

Facilitator: Holiday weekend? That’s a good one

If there are events in town at the dome or the World___center you can just forget it

Braves game

Facilitator: How do these repeating factors change by time of day or day of the week?

Sometimes if you leave early you can actually miss a lot of this. Or late. (1 or 2 people agree)

I leave early to avoid the school traffic every morning (1 person agrees)

Time change, too. Now it gets dark at 5:30 as opposed to getting dark at 8:30

Facilitator: By how many minutes could these affect your regular trip?

All say hours

30 min to an hour

I would say 30 minutes to 3 hours. I mean I don’t know if any of you guys caught the zebra

A zebra got loose on the interstate

And it shut down 75/85

Facilitator: was that today?

All say no

None of us would be here if it was

He outran them for 45 min to an hour

Down the side of the highway and they couldn’t catch him

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Facilitator: So what timeframe would y’all think?

5 minutes to 2 hours, depending on if there’s a bad accident

Facilitator: so you said 5 minutes to 2 hours- would everybody agree?

Well are we talking about all the reoccurring things that we can expect?

All others say 30 minutes to an hour

Facilitator: y’all agree on these types of things?

All say yes

Facilitator: in your introductions you said how long your commute was. How did you arrive at that number? How did you decide that it was to take you that long to get here?

That’s what I allow myself. From repetition of doing it, I just know that it’s going to take me about that long.

Facilitator: so you’re familiar with this area?

Right (all agree)

You mean to get here or like everyday going to work?

Facilitator: Every day

That’s just based on a normal route to work with no issues (several agree)

Facilitator: that’s how long it would take you?

Yes

During rush hour, that same route during late evening is a lot different

It could be quicker

Facilitator: so you’re saying if you leave later it could take you longer? You said you left earlier to miss the school traffic

Well I know that o rush hour, it will probably take me 30-45 minutes to get to work but if I go at 9 rush hour time, it’s about 20-25 minutes

Facilitator: when you first got your job did you plan on that? Or how did you determine that?

(f) I did

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(m) I actually did, so I knew how many miles each route was and compared the interstate vs. the back roads, that kind of thing.

Facilitator: what did everybody else do?

(f) I asked people that already worked there and that lived near me what routes they were taking and found out different shortcuts

(f) MapQuest

(m) I tend to never want to be late always give myself plenty of time, so 20- 30 minutes extra

(f) You have to know different routes living in Atlanta, you cannot rely on one road

(f) Always a detour

Facilitator: how do you make adjustments in departure time or your route? (To 5) I know sometimes you said you take the train or the rail. How do you decide?

(m) I’ve done the park and ride so you drive to the parking lot and the bus takes you. It’s pretty structured with the schedule and it takes the HOV on the side of the road so even if it’s backed up

(m) Georgianavigator.com is a pretty helpful website. It’s a website that lets you see updates of traffic and traffic cams to see if there are accidents. I’ll take off early if it looks like it’s already stacked up.

Facilitator: so that’s pretty much how you decide when you’re going to leave?

(f) I watch the news- it’s telling you what’s going on starting at like 5am and then you know whether or not you’re going to be getting out of the house late.

Facilitator: What time did you decide what time to leave to get here today?

(f) See it wasn’t raining initially when I decided what time to leave, but when I went to leave it was pouring rain which means there’s more traffic so a 5 min drive, maybe 10, took 30 minutes.

(Can’t understand this comment)

Facilitator: so you added 20 minutes? (Answered yes)

(m) Yeah I added like 30 minutes

Facilitator: Did you know where or did you do it on MapQuest also?

(m) Yeah, I’m familiar with this area down here

(m) I was a mile and half so I figured it would be about 20 minutes per mile so I left with 30 minutes

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I actually left right at 5 o’clock. It usually take me probably 20 min to get home and I live around this area so it added an extra maybe 10 or 15 minutes once I got to this area.

(m) I actually wanted to wait. If you’ve ever noticed there’s 15 minute window from spaghetti junction up to McDuffy (?) if you miss that window, if you let the cars kind of just go, you might be able to escape sometimes you can get through it.

(f) Sometimes

Facilitator: Did all of y’all get your information from MapQuest? Did all of y’all use MapQuest? I know one of you said you used another navigational system

(m) You mean to find this place?

Facilitator: Yes, today.

(m) Oh, I just know where this is. But every day I use GeorgiaNavigator.com

(f) I just use the navigator/GPS

(f) I knew where it was but sometimes I use Google Maps just in case

(m) They have a 511 number you can call too, now (several agree)

(m) Its terrible, awful

(f) Does it work?

Facilitator: Do you trust the information that you’re getting from Mapquest?

All say No

(m) Not all the time

(f) MapQuest can send you the long way around sometimes

(m) It does

(m) It’s possible that sometimes their maps aren’t updated. You’ll be going around the same loop and it will say turn left and you’re going “turn left?” there’s nowhere to turn left. It’s the same loop. (Several people agree)

(m) (14:48) Well what is good about here is you can actually pull up the satellite picture and you can see that there is a (hotel)

Facilitator: But do you trust the 511?

(m) Yeah, I do. (A few agree)

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Facilitator: Okay, one way you might seek information is online mapping tools or navigational systems in your car or as 5 had mentioned, a 511 and several of y’all mentioned that you’re all over. How did you calculate the travel time? You just went by what the MapQuest told you?

(f) Yeah, plus 20 minutes

(f) And just knowing the area- if you’re familiar with the area

(m) In this area you can at least add 10-15 minutes, at the most 30 (several agree)

Facilitator: MapQuest tells you the same travel time all the time. Is the travel time always the same at different times of the day or days of the week?

All agree No

(m) So like she said, she added 20 minutes because it’s around traffic time where during 2:00 or 1:00 she might add 10 minutes or so

Facilitator: so you don’t think MapQuest uses any of the variables we’ve mentioned?

All say no

(m) I think Google maps does- you have to be doing it at that time of day. Like if I were to get on now and plan my course or 4 hours ago it would d give me two different times and it might even take me two different ways

(m) One of them uses real time doesn’t it?

(f) I think Google maps

(m) Georgia Navigator doesn’t let you plug in coordinates it just lets you see what traffic looks like

(m) (16:20) GADOT (?) they just have cameras up and down

(m) it’s more of a highway geared tool as opposed to a street by street

Facilitator: I was going to ask you, how do you know if the route suggested is the best one at all times of the day? But y’all have already said it doesn’t always give you the best one

(f) Because normally once we go on MapQuest or Google maps and look up the address we’re trying to get to, we become familiar with the other streets that take you there so then we learn other shortcuts of how to get there

(m) There’s for some folks and I don’t know exactly 285, I take 480, or 75/85 but for me coming home in the afternoon on Georgia 400, and sometime the do it but sometimes they don’t, right before you hit the last exit before it merges they have these signs up that will tell you what to expect traffic wise so

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they’ll give you how many miles ahead it is and how long it is and going to take you and that lets me get off at city market and take different ways (a few people agree)

(m) I never knew how they did that but apparently they have speed sensors all up and down the highway so you can tell how fast the traffic is flowing (several agree)

Facilitator: Do you trust the information they give you?

All agree yes

(m) You trust it but what you realize is that everyone else is getting that same information so if it says a wreck 4 miles ahead, all lanes are closed, get off on Kyle parkway, everybody’s getting off on Kyle parkway. (All agree)

(f) They help thought because they show them sometimes 5 miles ahead before you get to the wreck or whatever so you have several exits to choose from

Facilitator: so what words or phrases would you use to describe this information?

(m) Helpful

Facilitator: For example, if a trip takes 20 minutes what words could you use to describe the uncertainty?

(m) Depends on how far

(m) Atlanta

Facilitator: what could you say to describe it?

(f) Aggravating

(f) Frustrating

(f) Inconvenient

Facilitator: If it says 20 minutes, you added 20 minutes so would you say plus or minus 20 minutes?

(m) Plus or minus (several agree)

Facilitator: What other words could you use?

(m) Variable

(m) Average

(m) Approximately

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(f) Planning

(m) Estimated

(m) Aggressive

(m) Generally, if it says 20 it says 20+ which generally is not very helpful at all

Facilitator: so if I say, it will take ___ 20 minutes to make your trip what would you say?

(m) About (several people)

(f) Approximately (several people)

(m) Around

(m) Close to

(f) Estimated

(f) Over (several people agree)

(f) a lot longer

(m) 20 plus 20

(m) Probably I’d say estimated

Facilitator: It will take _____ 10-30 minutes to make your trip

Approximately (several people)

(m) About

(m) Between (several people agree)

(f) From

(m) Around about

Facilitator: did I miss anybody?

What about between

Probably

From

Unfortunately

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That’s a wide gap between 10 and 30 minutes (several agree)

Likely

On average

Facilitator: ____ of the time it takes 20 minutes to make your trip

Most (several say)

Some of the time (a few agree)

(f) Seldom

(m) Majority

(m) Often

Facilitator: now I’m going to explain to you what we’re actually doing. I want you to envision a system that could make better predictions about your expected travel time by considering all of these factors we have listed. This type of system is still a concept right now but this research will help identify how useful people think such a system would be and what features people would like to see in it. I don’t want you to get too bogged down in talking about how exactly the system would work. I want to focus on what type of words and how you would like it and if you would want to use it. You can sue this system much like you use MapQuest or a navigation system where you would enter a specific to and from address. But instead of calculating a trip time only on how many miles it is and what speed you’re traveling, it would use more factors in the calculation. The system would have sensors in the road that recorded information about speeds and level of traffic for all trips taken on a particular roadway. So for instance, the system would know that for the last 5 years on Monday at 9am, such and such numbers of people were driving on the road and it would know what speed each vehicle traveled at. The system would also have a record of the weather conditions on that particular day. It would road conditions and accidents. So the system would be kind of like your own memory of all the trips you have taken plus the memory of everyone else who drove on that road for the last 5 years. So it would know for the last 5 years that this amount of accidents had happened on a Monday at 9 and so forth. Do you think that this system would be valuable?

All say yes.

Facilitator: Would you think it would be valuable prior to your trip or do you think it would be valuable during your trip or both?

All say both

Facilitator: Does everybody agree?

All say yes

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(m) Now will it be updated real time or what’s the frequency of updating?

Facilitator: It would be updated for each day. Like yesterday’s information would be added to it for today.

(m) So you’re saying it only accounts for the past it doesn’t account for what’s going on that day?

Facilitator: Correct.

All say No

(f) Oh no, that’s not going to help

(m) I don’t think that’s helpful at all actually

Facilitator: So what you’re saying is that you wouldn’t want to access this type of information?

Several people say yes, they would still want access to the information

Facilitator: So what type of situation do you think you could use this type of information in?

Several say real time

Facilitator: Well that would be real time is what you want but what type of information could you use this historical data in?

(f) Let’s say you were leaving to go on vacation and you decided to leave on a Monday, you typically may not go this route down 75 south but you want to see what the traffic is like on Monday mornings at 9 o’clock.

Facilitator: So unfamiliar areas?

(f) Yes (several agree)

(m) I might even use it to make a decision on a job. I mean, you know you live in Kennesaw and the job is in Alpharetta you can make a decision based off of that information whether it’s worth your time or not to make that drive every day.

Facilitator: Any other situations?

(m) If you’re going to move and buy a new house in a different part of town you might use it (several agree)

(m) I think that information would be really helpful if you could combine it with real time data. Especially maybe cleanup times in certain part of the roads with accidents- how long it takes to get it cleaned up.

(m) I know you said not to get bogged down, but how would you receive this information though?

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Facilitator: Well that’s a question I’m going to ask you. How would you like to receive this type of information?

(m) this is all relevant so if you’re throwing in all the variables, if you get it on an email that’s one thing, maybe like a text on your phone and then what time you’re receiving it if you set that time.

(m) See it doesn’t matter because it’s historical data

(f) We’re not talking about real time

(m) Even with historical data if you get it at a certain time like 8:00, you already know the variable already set for 8:00. I’m assuming that’s how it would be set up.

(Several waver, say I don’t know)

(m) the problem is let’s say for instance you have days and the school year calendar changes every year so you’ll have weeks where it will be completely skewed because of that.

Facilitator: Well don’t read too much into the fine details

(f) I think how it would use it would be for some type of research. If I were going somewhere where I was unfamiliar and I was trying to plan that out. I could see myself getting at a computer and looking at that.

Facilitator: So when you said that you would expect to get this type of information off your phone or off a computer?

Several say yes

Facilitator: Well those are two very valuable ways that they could use it

(m) If that was available yesterday I could have just said I want to go from point A down to the Hilton gardens at this address on Tuesday at 5:00. How long is it going to take?

(m) See I don’t know that I would use it for that type of purposes only because it’s just historical. Unless you could mix it in with real time data there would be no need for me to check that in the morning before I went to work. It would be useless. (One person agrees)

(m) Its Google maps plus

(m) A whole lot of tax dollars demanded

Facilitator: Do you think that the travel time estimates would be more accurate than the current systems?

Most say no

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Facilitator: Like MapQuest because MapQuest doesn’t have any of those factors?

(f) I think so (several agree)

(m) Than MapQuest: yes, but Google: no

(f) The historical data is taking some kind of accuracy

Facilitator: So how many people think yes?

(m) Than MapQuest: yes, but Google: no (several people agree)

Facilitator: And how many people say no?

(m) Only MapQuest but not all search engines or navigation tools

Facilitator: What about Google maps?

(f) Google maps is pretty good

(m) Google maps you could trust for sure

Facilitator: Google maps are using just estimates on speed limit and historic conditions.

(m) I was about to say that it kind of depends on what algorithm they used to come up with that. If you’re saying your system is going to incorporate accidents, construction, weather delays. If all of that is taken into account, then yes, your system would be better.

(f) So how does that happen? They’re going to take into consideration accidents from 5 years ago

Facilitator: Well to date, yeah, 5 years

(m) It has to be important; it can’t collect data that’s not important

Facilitator: Right

(m) Well that’s even more misleading then. If you’re factoring in accidents- let’s say there were 6 accidents out of 1500 days (that’s 5 years) on Sept 22 so now that factors in those 6 days that skewed the data

(m) Its not skewing the data, that’s actually the average

(m) But the probability of that is 5 days out of 1500

(m) We’re not looking at probability; all we’re looking for is average

(m) I’m looking for probability because when you’re driving...

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Facilitator: So would you want it to tell you the probability?

(m) Absolutely

(m) But let’s say you’re looking at a Saturday for instance which I imagine on a Saturday if you’re looking at old data anywhere in Atlanta it’s probably going to be a real short trip but there are so many little factors in Atlanta that could completely throw it off

Facilitator: It could be that on Saturday morning there is a big quilt convention on September 14 for the last 5 times on that date,

(m) Well here’s what I would say though, yeah okay so maybe sometime this would be helpful, but rarely. And those few times this type of information might be helpful, I wouldn’t because I would use a real time function. I’d use my GPS, I’d use my phone, and I’d use something else. And I’m already so into that that it would take something very new

Facilitator: But your GPS doesn’t give you real time information

(m) My Garmin does

(f) Some do (several agree)

(m) But it doesn’t take into consideration wrecks or anything

(m) Well, yeah

(f) Mine tells me where there’s congestion and to detour somewhere else

(m) But if someone has a flat tire on the side of the road…

(m) And you’re making that decision in the morning first thing before you go to work versus plotting again where you might want to live in the city, where you might work in the city – it’s kind of two different things we are measuring

(f) Again, it’s for research

(f) I just see this tool for planning purposes instead of real time

(m) I wouldn’t check this every morning before went to work

(m) That’s why I said just like if you’ve got to go to a doctor’s appointment on another side of town that you’re not familiar with. That’s different- I wouldn’t use that to go to work every day.

Facilitator: We have an example of something we could use as an input screen (and this is just a concept) but what would you like to be able to input?

(f) The exact address

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(f) Alternate route

(f) Use the highway or not

(m) Maybe approximate miles

Facilitator: Do you think “what time do you need to get there?” is an appropriate thing to have on there? This is an input, so this is what you’re telling it not what it’s telling you

(f) I wouldn’t want it all the time but I would like to have it sometime

(m) I think you should have more than just what time you need to get there

Facilitator: What else do you think should be there?

(f) Miles

Facilitator: How far something is?

(f) Yes, some people look at miles more than the time

(m) I just like the first 2 questions

Facilitator: Okay, what would you want on the output?

(m) On the output, I’d like to know how far it is and long it’s going to take me to get there now. Not the average, again it depends on what I’m looking for but I want to know how many miles it is and how long it’s going to take me right now.

(m) I like miles. (Can’t understand the rest (33:10))

(f) Since we have all this historical data would we are able to set the data to see that in this particular day it would take this long?

Facilitator: So you’d need the date and then the day?

Facilitator: So would you like to be able to put in that I’m traveling on Tuesday?

All say yes

Facilitator: Tuesday at 9 am and that you need to be there by 11am?

Several say yes

(m) Maybe there could be a function for the last few Tuesdays. As opposed to having the whole 5 year data input but maybe just the last few weeks

Facilitator: In other words, you’d like to determine how far back

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(m) Right

(f) That would be great, like a date range

(m) Maybe you just put in the last couple of weeks or something just so you can see recently. That would also help weed out if there were nay long term construction projects you know when the lines get smaller

(f) Or school traffic

(m) That was my question- are we looking at surface streets or are we looking at expressway? I would like those options as well

Okay, you’d like to know what type of facility it is

(m) Maybe a little bit of _____ (34:30)

Facilitator: Would you like information about the range of times?

(f) I would say yes based on what Andrew said a minute ago because if you put what time do I need to get there, that’s 8:00 in the morning but I may have done this at 10:00 the night before and be able to put in I’m leaving the house now

Facilitator: Let me explain a little bit more. This would be a planning tool so you could go to this yesterday and say tomorrow I want to go to the Hilton suites, I need to arrive there by 5:45, what time do I need to leave from my office?

(m) I just think having the other option of I’m leaving now, I didn’t have any foresight but I just want to, you know. For instance, when you asked on the questionnaire in terms of where you care about getting to, I’m not going really put this in to go to a friend’s birthday party. I might put in what time I’m leaving at and say hey I’m leaving right now, how long is it going to take me to get there?

Facilitator: But you also said you wanted it to tell you different or better routes?

(m) That might be good too. You know a different flight on a Sunday afternoon at 2:00 drive to the airport but you have a flight at 2:00 on a Thursday or Friday in traffic

Facilitator: So you would want it to tell you the range of time or departure time

(m) I would look at different days. I may have the option to fly out on a Thursday or Friday and if I did something like that and save 2 hours on a Thursday rather than Friday. What she was saying- that’s researching your travel time?

(m) If they head peak AM time and peak PM time and then everything else is off-peak you can go ahead and factor those different time periods. That’s what I’d want.

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Facilitator: So you’d want to see if you left during the peak period and then re-calculate if you left off peak?

(m) Yes

(f) And it also would be nice to know how those times were impacted by construction. Meaning if it could somehow indicate, I don’t know how that would happen, but if could somehow factor in

Facilitator: You mean if it could apply some real time information?

Several say yes

(f) Yeah, take that into consideration

(f) Or check boxes if you know it’s going to be construction

(m) Or take those out. Like the 7585 project- be able to take that out. I mean if it’s not going on anymore then maybe that average time would be 5 or 10 minutes less during a two year period

(f) You need to know about long term construction projects like the one that’s going on 20

Facilitator: Right, if it could calculate when it’s going on

(f) Or somehow indicate that because your result would be impacted by that. Say there was a 2 year project and you’re looking at historical data over that 2 years I would want to know well the times you’re looking at, there was construction going on

Calculated based on

(f) Or it could have a footnote: this time is based on 2008 there was a 2 hour delay due to re-pavement on I20.

Facilitator: and that is anticipated as what this system would do. It would know that if you’re planning to go next Tuesday, there is a project and I’m going to look back through all my files of when traffic happens on this road and this is what the traffic looks like if there’s construction going on.

Facilitator: And this is how long it would take

Facilitator: So that’s what we’re trying to see. Do you think that would be useful for the system to go back through all of the old data it knows and say okay, we have the information on when construction is going on, I know it happened on these 10 days compared to your day so this is what’s going to happen

(m) We’re talking about the opposite event though. That’s what I was going to bring up. Right now there’s no construction but you’ve had, for instance in Atlanta we had a long term project on the downtown connector

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Facilitator: So it would do the opposite

(m) So it would pull that data out and just account for...

Facilitator: and the system would do that. It would that I can’t use any of this data because it was construction and today is not construction

Facilitator: N: so you would want to be able to put the input to say only non construction

(m) No, I’d want it to do that on its own

(f) I don’t. I would still want to see with or without construction. I wonder if construction is going on at the time I’m planning to travel

Facilitator: So you want to know if there’s construction and it to tell you when there’s construction.

(f) Yes, that’s what I want to know

(m) The thing though is you’d want to know if there’s construction but a tool like this probably isn’t going to be for your every day. I can’t imagine someone checking this every morning before they’re going to the same place they’ve been going to for a long time

(f) Exactly, like a trip planner

(m) This would be somewhere where you probably wouldn’t know if there was construction going on

(f) Sure you would. If I was planning to go o Tennessee right now I would want to know on 75 how long it’s going to take. And there seems to be always construction going on 75 North. I would want to know.

(m) See, I wouldn’t

(f) but not every day before you go to work

(f) No, I’m talking about planning (several agree)

(m) I’m different though, I know.

Facilitator: Did you want the system to tell you how sure it is of its estimate?

(All say yes)

(f) But I have a question. Is it necessary to go back 5 years? What are we going to do with data from 5 years ago?

(m) The longer the data the more accurate.

Facilitator: That’s just an example. And y’all had mentioned that you would like to have the time on it. We only want the last 2 years or we only want the last 6 years

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Several agree

Facilitator: So if you put in that you want to know about a trip on a rainy Tuesday during spring break, it may only have a handful of trips in its memory to base its estimates on and it may be more likely to be wrong, so would you want to know how certain it thinks it is?

Several say yes, one says no

What words or phrases could the system use to convey that to you?

(f) A color thing- like red, yellow, green

Facilitator: So you’d like a graph?

(m) Yeah, that wouldn’t be bad. Green means its real sure, yellow means maybe not and red means I don’t think so

(m) But if I got on there and it said yellow or red I’d say okay, this is the last time I use this thing

(f) I would want it to tell me that this is based on 5 trips over the past month. That would be nice

So what it’s basing on?

(f) Yeah

Facilitator: You would want it in words and you would want it in like a graph of some sort.

(m) I’d want a guarantee next to it

Facilitator: So you would want the estimate?

(m) I would want a number scale of 1-5 saying this is what I think my accuracy is

(f) I like those reviews where it says reviews based upon how many people reviewed that part

(m) Based on how much data you have

(f) Yeah, so you can like make your own decisions

(m) We” promise” or we “sorta promise” or we’re crossing our fingers

Facilitator: What other words could you use?

(f) Accurate

(m) Can we ask- This is the Texas Institute or whatever but are you guys being contracted by a private company or by the government?

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Facilitator: Government- The National academy of Sciences

Okay, I guess I feel like the private sector is going to use

Facilitator: We’re going to ask you some questions about that too. Does anybody have any more phrases or comments that they would like to make on the words to convey this? Y’all said estimate and what else did you say in this last part that we’ve talked about?

(f) Accurate

Facilitator: Accurate, how accurate it is. How many people would like to see a map?

(m) Actually both would probably work well. A map color code and then a graph at the same time. A color coded graph together would probably work well

(m) And then a coded map that would show historical conditions, reds, construction

Facilitator: Would anybody just use words?

All but one person says no

(f) You need a picture because people may not be familiar with the area

(m) I think for something like that if that’s what you’re putting in and it’s spitting out what time you need to leave I think you could probably save yourself little trouble but just putting “do you need directions?”. That makes a difference- which way are you taking? There’s 20 different ways you can take

(f) Or show me a map and check the box or something

(m) Just to have the directions pop up at the bottom

Facilitator: We’re about halfway and I think it’s 7:00 so we’re going to take a few minutes to stretch. If you need to go to the restrooms they’re around the corner….

BREAK

Facilitator: Before we get going, I want to explain the whole system so you quite understand it more clearly. Is there anybody confused by what we’re talking about? (No one is confused) Okay, then I won’t. We’re going to talk about specific examples where you may or may not want to use this device. The first one is that you have an appointment with a specialist (and some of y’all have even mentioned this) you have never seen before on a Thursday and you are not familiar with the area of town their office is located in. you have to tell your boss by Tuesday what time you will leave work on Thursday so you need to plan ahead. So currently, how would you decide what time to leave work to be at your appointment on time?

(m) Guesstimate and overshoot it (several agree)

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Facilitator: Anybody else have anything?

Facilitator: So when you say overshoot it you mean add extra time?

(m) Yes (all say yes)

Facilitator: How much extra time would you give?

(m) At least 15-20 minutes

(m) 30 minutes

(m) Depends on where you go (several agree)

(m) Take what you think it’s going to be and add 15 minutes

(m) 45 min

(f) Hour

(f) But you know there are some spots

(m) And you know you’re going from point A to point B. you be unfamiliar with exactly where point B is

(m) This is one of the areas. This buck head here and downtown those are the 3 area outside of the highways that you really have to watch out for. You’ll hit some but it’s not the worth noting

(F) and the airport

Facilitator: Would any of y’all use the new system we have been talking about in this type of instance?

Most say yes, one maybe

(f) When you’re deciding what time to leave work or what time to take off work

(m) And where would I find this?

Facilitator: Well let’s say you could find it on the computer or on your phone

(m) So I’d go to Google and look at maps or something like that

Similar to that. How many of y’all would’ve used it?

8 say yes

Facilitator: How many would not?

2 say no

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Facilitator: For those that would use it, why would you use it?

(m) Because it’s going to give me an estimate. A good estimate and it should say there’s a 90% probability you’re going to make it here in XX minutes

(m) Wait, are we still talking about incorporating real time in it here or are we talking about only past data? Because for something like this it would be only past data that it could give, correct?

Facilitator: Well if you’re going to look at it 2 days before it couldn’t be real time

(m) I would still use it because as opposed to the other map engines I guess we can call them, you guys do incorporate some historical data as far as getting accidents, construction that kind of thinking. There are some other things as opposed to mileage and that kind of thing

Facilitator: And the 2 that said no they wouldn’t -why would you not use it?

(f) Because in metro Atlanta, you’re already in the metro area and it’s 20 minutes to get anywhere,

Facilitator: But what if you had to go to another state to a specialist

(f) Oh, well that’s different

(m) What website would you use?

Facilitator: That’s what we’re trying to find out- it’s some place you’re unfamiliar

(m) So based on that example, it would be a national website? Because Georgia wouldn’t do that for Alabama

Facilitator: You’re getting caught up in the details. Lets its private, let’s say Google Maps put it out. If you don’t like it that’s okay, that’s what we’re trying to find out.

(m) I could jump on the bandwagon and tell you but I wouldn’t use it

Facilitator: But why?

(f) I just wouldn’t use it to get to an appointment when you get off of work. Now we’re talking about going out of state

Facilitator: Just an unfamiliar place

(f) I just wouldn’t use it

(m) Bing the website is better than Google but I still use Google because I’m so set in that way. This website would have to blow me out of the water for me to get off

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(f) I wouldn’t use it because all I need to know is how many miles it takes to get there. I know on average what those miles equate to in time and overshoot it

Facilitator: Alright, now we’re going to have another scenario. You’re trying to decide whether to sign up for the Monday/Wednesday or the Tuesday/Thursday aerobics class. Class starts at 6pm and you can’t leave work until 5pm each day. What type of information would you like to know to help you with your decision?

(m) Do not take that class

(m) This would be the last variable in what they would choose

(f) How many miles

(f) You said what would we want to know- we want to know how many miles.

(m) This example is enough where you could be cutting it close

(m) I would want to know historically how long, on average, that route it

(f) Yeah, how long the drive would be

Facilitator: On Mondays and Wednesdays compared to Tuesdays and Thursdays?

(m) If on Monday and Wednesday on average I can make it in 45 minutes and that still leaves me another 15 to play with, then I’d probably go ahead and sign up for that class. But if it takes definitely an hour and 10 min, there’s no need for me to sign up for that class.

(f) If it takes 45 minutes I’m not going

Facilitator: So where would you go to find that information now?

(m) You couldn’t because there’s no historical data involved in any of the engines that determine routes

(m) I don’t think the question is where you would go, it’s would you go.

Facilitator: No, I want to know where you would go to find it and then would you go

(m) Frankly, for something like that that would probably be the last thing that would factor in. It would be like what else is going on in my schedule, do I have the time to commit to this. That would be a function that I just feel like wouldn’t bring a lot of value to my life.

(m) I think where I would go right now is to someone who’s making that same drive every day right now. So it would kind of be almost the same thing. If I could get that information from something that has historical averages because right now I would go to somebody else who makes that same ride from my job to that same area to the gym or class or whatever and ask how long does it take you?

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(m) And what you’re talking about is just based on that person you’re asking.

Facilitator: And that’s the next question, how many of you would use this system for this type of thing?

(m) For a gym membership?

Facilitator: To decide which days to take your class

(f) Oh, I would. For a regular something I needed to be at

6 people raise hand and would use and 4 people wouldn’t

Facilitator: For the ones that wouldn’t, why wouldn’t you use it?

(m) Kind of what he was saying, I don’t think commute time would be a factor for me on which day I would take it. It would be other factors that would be more important. However, if that destination was childcare, whether or not I make it by the cutoff time for that I probably would use that to see if I would have to make arrangements with my boss to be able to leave early

Facilitator: So for childcare you would use that type of system to make sure that you could pick up your children on time?

(m) Right. It would be a factor that I would factor in

(m) For that instance though, instead of cutting it close, wouldn’t you just choose a closer daycare?

(m) Right, that’s what I was saying. I would use that to help determine that

(m) So what about in the case that you sign up for this class and it’s a $3,000 project management class that’s crucial to your job. Would you sign up for a class that it tells you on average would take an hour and 10 min when you only have an hour to get there so you’re going not sign up and pay that much money for something you’re going to be late for every day?

(f) If it’s for your job…

(m) They would probably let you leave early for that

(m) That’s something you need to know that information before you can make a decision

(m) Yes, that would be a factor that would help you negotiate that

(m) The one other thing I’d like to point out is that this being a government thing I’d like my government dollars going towards something like repairing roads or something

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Facilitator: We’ll go into that later. You are taking a trip to Mt. Bachelor and have to go through Portland to get there. Now, I’m not familiar with Portland but I have heard that there are times when traffic is heavy and travel times are slow.

(f) Is Mt. Bachelor real?

(m) No

Facilitator: I don’t think so. I didn’t write this, but I don’t think so. Would you use a system like this is that type of situation?

RECORDING ENDS

Notes:

Vacation example

-Use new system? 4 no; 6 yes

-Not if for vacation, but use for airport

-System good if to new city

Pet example

-Pick morning least inconvenient but not for travel time

-No one would use new system for this

Food Example

-Time everybody else is going

-Factor in other errands to run

-Type of roads to use

-Wouldn’t consider travel time here (all)

Bob/Fred example

Better? Bob

Bob:

More predictable, better probability, more consistent, late less, even minutes

Fred:

100

Missing variable, Fred fired

Bob conservative, Fred less

SL7

More consistent, reliable, predictable, secure

Consistent, reliable, closer to time of needed arrival, less noticeable

7)

1. Initial list: probability, chance, indication, prediction, possibility, certainty

After: certainty (1), possibility (2), 80%chance (2), probability (2), good chance (1), likelihood (1), possibility/80%chance (1)

2. Initial: changes, fluctuates, caries, shifts, the same

After: is 20% worse/better (3), varies (2), fluctuates (5), gets better/worse (talked out of it)

Initial: worse, longer, delayed, frustrating, congested, increased, difficult, heinous

After: at a standstill (8), really variable (1), the worst (1)

-really varies not variable

- don’t understand Level 5~ explained

4. Initial: uncertain, unlikely/likely, possible, untrue

After: typical/atypical (3), likely/unlikely (7)

5. Initial: window time, traffic time, flex time, extra time, safe time, drive time, freeway time, wiggle room, slack

After: extra (9), buffer (1)

6. Initial: expect, predict, anticipate, know

After: expect (8), anticipate (2)

8. People use?

-planner (personality)

- Work in transportation

- Courier service

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- Frequent traveler

Misunderstand? Not real time

Pay? No (all)

Would pay? Delivery companies

-yes: phone app or pay per use

Provider?

DOT- more data, not give bad information

-Private (6), DOT (3), don’t care (1)

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Washington, D.C. Focus Group Transcription 1 1-Margaret

2- Aldo

3-Carolina

4-Anna

5-Michael

6-Alfonso

7-Paul

8-Jeff

9-Mary

Facilitator: What things make you early or late?

6- Traffic, but I usually try to arrive places an hour to a half hour early.

Weather

Kids

Snooze Alarm

Depends on the event, whether it is ok to show up late.

The random truck on a one way street that goes 35 miles an hour in a 55 mph.

Facilitator: So slow drivers?

Yes!

7- Getting packed ahead of time, like if I don’t get everything ready the night before.

Facilitator: Does anybody else have anything? How about an accident?

All- Yes

Construction

All- Agree

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Facilitator: So those are things that happen day to day, what are things that affect the time it takes to make a regular repeating trip? Something like the event you are going to? What else could affect the time it took you to make a regular repeating trip?

The type of route you are taking, like if it is close to your house then you are usually familiar with the roads

6- Construction?

Is Friday any different than a Monday?

Facilitator: Oh yeah

Time of year too.

All- Agree

Facilitator: So the time of the year and the day of the week?

That is because Friday is Flex day for a lot of people and since school is out a lot of people are on vacation.

Also school.

And people’s different work schedule.

Yeah, I have gotten stuck behind school busses before.

Facilitator: By how many minutes could these affect your trip?

About 15 minutes.

Anywhere from 10-30 minutes.

Many Say- an hour

For me, I work really close to where I live and so my everyday commute is like 10 minutes, and I don’t even get on the highway. But normally if I’m going somewhere I will give myself an hour to an hour and a half to get there.

7- I always try to avoid the highway, but anything like a school bus might delay me 5 to 10 minutes at the most.

Facilitator: in your introductions ya’ll all told us how long your commute was, now how did you arrive at that number?

Facilitator: (talking to 6) - you said you used map quest to predict the time?

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6- Yes but I also added a half hour onto that time.

Facilitator: how did everyone else judge the time on how they would get here today?

I judged it would be about 15 minutes because I knew about the construction in the area.

Yeah I just live right down the street and I knew about the construction so I just gave myself extra time.

Facilitator: so ya’ll are familiar with the area?

Both- Agree

I took the metro and you can look up your pick up and drop off time, and it was pretty accurate.

4- I just gave myself an hour to get here.

8- I work in Vienna so it does not take me too long to get here

Facilitator: How do you make adjustments in departure times and routes that you change based on the factors we just talked about? How do you decide what time to leave to get to places? Where do you seek this type of information?

It depends on where I’m going, if I’m going anywhere north of Springfield then I will give myself an additional half hour, maybe an hour depending on the day?

Facilitator: Where do you look to see how long it’s going to take you?

8- I sometimes look at my GPS, but it can be inaccurate because it does not really tell you how long you will be stopping. Even if you have a traffic advisory that tells you which way to go or not to go.

I like to listen to this radio station (WTOP) they give weather and traffic updates, sometimes I keep it on because it can change.

Facilitator: But you couldn’t really use that to plan, so what do you use to plan your trip?

You can look online at traffic cameras, like if we are heading south, then we will look online at the traffic cameras and that will determine when we will leave and which way we will go.

Facilitator: and that is what is happening right now?

Yes it’s on VDOT.

Facilitator: so if you were all planning a trip two days in advance, would you all use something like map quest or your GPS?

I will sometimes call the place I’m going to and ask them.

Facilitator: Where do you think that the information from map quest or the GPS comes from?

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Police reports.

Sometimes when you go to map quest they will give you some bad information, that’s because somebody gave them directions and it was not accurate, they give you the direct route.

Many say- they use Google maps.

Wouldn’t most of that be based off of mathematics? Like speed limits and stuff?

Facilitator: so I take it you don’t trust map quest?

Many say-no

Facilitator: what about Google earth? Do ya’ll trust it more?

Many say- yes

I like to follow the roads by scrolling through.

I can’t do that I have to have step by step directions.

You said you used it to get here today? Did it tell you the arrival times and stuff?

Yes, but it was not right because of the construction. But it was not too far off.

Facilitator: they calculate these times by the speed limits and distances, do you think that they factor in any of the other things we talk about?

The one I use does, I have a map on my I phone that I use. It told me 38 minutes with traffic, and it shows me on the map different colors, the different colors represent the flow of traffic

I would guess that the GPS gets its information from satellite imagery or something and possibly just use a real time estimate.

Facilitator: So ya’ll pretty much agree that the travel times change at different times of the day, and different days of the week.

All agree

They actually have a toll that they send people out and clock the times at different times of the day.

Facilitator: (talking to 8) - you said that your map makes adjustments [depending on the flow of traffic], do you still make adjustments in your head?

8- Yes, sometimes, it depends on the time of day. I left my office at 4o’clock and I was going towards Tyson’s and usually in the evening it alternates. In the evening coming from Springfield to Tyson’s the beltway is not so bad, but coming from Tyson’s to Springfield is the heavy side of the beltway. Coming

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from Springfield to Tyson’s it’s not that heavy, because it’s the opposite side of the road because most people are leaving Tyson’s to go back home at that point.

Facilitator: So did you adjust by leaving a little bit earlier?

8- I didn’t, I planned on leaving an hour, I knew that there was construction in the area and I didn’t know how bad the traffic was going to be because I don’t usually come down this way this time of day. The traffic wasn’t so bad, but on the other side of the road it was at a standstill.

Facilitator: how about the rest of you, when you look at Google Earth do you still adjust the time?

Depends on how familiar I am with the area.

Many agree

It depends on if I have been there before.

Also if you know there will be construction, like if I drive there the weekend before and I see a sign that warns of an upcoming event, you learn how to avoid certain areas.

Facilitator: What words or phrases would you use to describe this information or this fluctuation or the different times it takes to make your trip? For example if your trip takes about 20 minutes, what words or phrases could you use to describe that uncertainty?

Variables.

Flex Time, Flexible travel time

I would say instinctual

7- I would say variable

1- Things beyond your control

Facilitator: So what word would you put in this sentence? “It will take ______ 20 minutes to make your trip”

Many say- “approximately”

Facilitator: anything else?

Many say-“at least”

At a minimum/ Greater than

Maybe

Usually

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Roughly

Facilitator: “it will take _____ 10 to 30 minutes to make your trip”

Around

About

Anywhere from

If you are fortunate

Between

Almost

Facilitator: Which one did ya’ll like the most?

About

Approximately

Facilitator: “______of the time it takes 20 minutes to make your trip”

Some

Most

Usually

A good portion

All

“Some of the time” makes it sound like you have no idea, I would use most.

Facilitator: I would like you to envision or imagine a system that would make predictions of your expected travel time by considering all of the factors that we just mentioned. This type of system is still a concept, but this research will help identify how useful people would think such a system would be and what features they would like to see in it. Don’t get too bogged down on how it will work just give me the type of information you would want and if you would use this device. You could use it much like you use map quest or as a navigation system where you could enter a specific to and from address. But instead of calculating the trip time based only on how many miles it is and what the speed limit is, it would use a lot more of the factors in the calculation. The system would have sensors in the road that recorded information about speed and level of traffic for all trips taken on a particular roadway. So for instance the system would know that for the last five years that on Monday at 9A.M. that ____ vehicles were driving on the road and it would know the speed that each vehicle was

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traveling. It would also record the weather conditions on those days, the measure of the road construction, and accidents. So in other words it’s kind of like a memory of all the trips. With that in mind, would a system like that be of value to you?

Many say yes!

Could switch off with the color coded traffic thing.

Facilitator: Let me remind you that it is not real time things that are out there, it is the averages of what has happened over the years to give you the best prediction.

I think it would put too much of a strain on the concept, because these variables, pretty much 9/10 times, are not going to be able to tell. It would add more time to your trip and probably is not even necessary.

Facilitator: so you don’t think that it would be very necessary?

Not the weather thing.

Facilitator: it would not necessarily be weather, but it would let you know about events in the city on the different days of the week that cause traffic.

Many say that they think that it would be beneficial.

Especially if you are planning a trip.

And if you are unfamiliar with the area, in DC there are a lot of events that close down the streets and if you are not familiar with the area then something like that would be beneficial.

Facilitator: so do you think something like that would be beneficial before your trip or during your trip?

All say both before and during

Facilitator: when and how would you want this information?

Before you leave the house.

A couple of days before you leave so that you know what you are getting into.

Facilitator: what type of situation could you use this in, you had mentioned in a place you are unfamiliar with, is there anything else?

If you are planning a weekend trip you would want to know if you should RSVP or not.

Or to give your guests a heads up that are coming to your house.

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Many agree

Facilitator: where would you want to get this information?

All say internet

Make it a part of your GPS system

All agree

An iPhone application

Facilitator: Do you think that the travel time estimates would be more accurate than what you are using now, like from Mapquest and Google maps?

Anything will help

Possibly

Like you said, traffic around here just stops, and there is no rhyme or reason to it, so something like that could be useful so that you know that certain times of the day that certain areas will have a lot of traffic.

Facilitator: Would any of you use it to determine what type/mode of transportation you would use?

Many say definitely

I would use the metro

My family does not really use public transportation that much.

I hate the metro so I don’t think I would really use it anyways

7- I don’t know if I would use the information there, I have lived here my whole life, and I’m familiar with what routes to take to avoid the metro, and I’ll never drive into DC I definitely have to look up directions to be accurate

Facilitator: now we are going to look at what you want to put on as far as input onto the screen. What type of information would you like to personalize this system for you?

The town as well as the routes you are taking

Special events

Street addresses

Some way of informing people of parking, because in DC you base a lot of the extra time you give yourself on where you will park and possibly how much certain places cost to park.

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You have to know if there are any major restrictions on the parking lot, like how long the meters last and specific dates that certain places can and can’t be used.

I don’t like the “what times you need to get there” I would rather it give me its best guess, it gives me a false sense of confidence. I mean I can sometimes eyeball it and sometimes say that estimate is right or wrong. If it just does the math for me I would not trust that.

Facilitator: would you want it to tell you the range?

Or something like a confidence interval, like they are 90% confident that the trip will take this long.

Facilitator: so you would want a percentage?

Yes

Maybe instead of saying a specific time it would give a range, like give you a two hour window. That would give you a little bit more flexibility with your travel time.

I think I would rather hear that it takes about a specific time to get there (it takes about 50 min. to get to this place)

I think some of you are getting confused, it will be a thing were you will tell it what time you want to arrive at your destination, and it will factor in traffic and then it will tell you what time to leave.

Many say that they like that.

Now does it matter what route you take?

Well it could if you wanted.

Yes because like on map quest you can tell it to avoid toll roads and construction, and it will recalculate to find another route around it. It will also tell you the fastest and shortest trip.

Yeah my GPS tells me the most fuel efficient route.

Facilitator: so is that something you would like to know?

Most say no

Only if it was for a long trip

On map quest you can tell it how many miles to the gallon your car gets and it can give you an estimated monetary amount for your gas. Something like that would be very helpful.

Facilitator: if you put in that you wanted to know about a trip on a rainy Tuesday on spring break, it may only have a few trips in its memory to base its estimate on and it, and there is a big chance it

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could be wrong, you will want to know how certain it thinks it could be. What words or phrases could be used to convey that?

Yeah, but I would want it to give me it’s “confidence level” in percentage form. Like, it would say that, “this information is 95% accurate”

7-percents would only be useful if it was giving a range. If it gave a best time, I would maybe want something like, “the longest this trip has taken historically is…” Sort of a worst case scenario

I would maybe want a best case scenario as well as the worst case scenario

Facilitator: what would you like this information to look like? How would you want it to be presented? Would you want it to just be in words? In a map? In a graph?

Different colors

Use an icon to describe it. Like, if you’re upset, make different facial expressions. Happy, sad, etc

8-an emoticon of some sort

A bar line with a color code

An icon that you can wave your mouse over and it pops up with extra information

I would like not a ton of information there, but something that you can click on to display more information

Because if you give people too much information on a screen, they’re going to shut it down. It would be overstimulation. Whereas, if you have one basic piece of information on the home screen, and then below it have different options (like, you can look at best case scenario, worst case scenario, etc). Have the basic information, and then it should go more in depth.

Have something like map quest does, where you have the option to only print directions, only print map, or print both. So that when you go to print, you have options there also.

I don’t think you should print the map because you can’t read the map while you’re driving. At least I can’t. I need directions that talk to me.

Facilitator: but, would you want a map if you were pre-planning?

If I was in a place where I couldn’t recognize where I was, I would consider using a turn by turn option, but outside of that, I’m not using a map

Facilitator: We’re going to do some scenarios, and I’m going to talk about specific examples where you may or may not want to use the new system. I want you to tell me whether you think you would benefit from the new system or not. The first scenario is that you have an appointment with a

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specialist you have never seen before on a Thursday, and you are not familiar with the area of town the office is located in. You have to tell your boss by Tuesday what time you will need to get off work on Thursday so you need to plan ahead. Currently, how would you decide what time to leave work to be at the appointment on time?

I would take the whole afternoon off.

I would take at least two hours ahead of the appointment time off

Facilitator: So ya’ll would all take off about half a day’s work?

Yeah, at least half a day

Facilitator: Would you use the new system in this situation?

Yeah, I don’t see why not.

Facilitator: So you all agree that you would use it?

Yeah

Facilitator: Why would you use it?

It can’t be any worse than the way we were planning it before

It’s better than the current mapping software. I would probably want to use mapping software in the first place, so I would want to use the best one

Facilitator: Anyone have any other reasons to why they would want to use it?

The distance. I would want more details the further distance I have to go. If it were local, I would use the more trusted ones. If it was a further distance, I would want to know more about parking.

Facilitator: Next, you’re trying to decide whether to sign up for the Monday/Wednesday or the Tuesday/Thursday aerobics class at your new gym. Class starts at 6pm and you can’t leave work until 5pm each day. What type of information would you like to know to help with this decision?

Which days is traffic typically the lightest

Facilitator: Currently, where would you find that out?

As you’re driving the roads.

Facilitator: So you really couldn’t find out right now?

No

Facilitator: So, would ya’ll use the system in this situation?

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Yeah

Facilitator: OK. The next one, you are going to friend’s birthday. The party starts at 7pm and is at a house that you have not been to before. What kind of information would you want to know?

I would like to know if they have parking again because that would determine how far I would have to walk to this place.

The major roads you have to take. A lot of the traffic that you run into that slows you down is not on the neighborhood roads. Usually, it’s the major highways.

You might want to know if the road that your friend’s house is on is a one way because there are a lot of one ways around here. Being in Virginia, the town has a lot of “no left turn” and “no right turn” roads. Or they say, “parking by permit only” in certain places. So, I would want to know where these places may be so that I know ahead of time.

Facilitator: So, would you use the new system in this type of situation?

Oh yes. Of course

Facilitator: What type of information would you want out of it? You said parking, one way streets, permits…?

A lot of detail. This would be where the pop up screen comes in. You can get the information from the pop up screen if you want the more detailed information, as opposed to the basics that would be on the screen at all times.

Or the main screen should have little buttons where you could punch. Like a button entitled “parking”, “gas mileage”… And then you would click it and it would open up a new page and you could see everything

Or a drop down box

Facilitator: Ok. Next, you’re taking a trip to mount bachelor to go skiing and have to drive through Portland to get there. You are not familiar with Portland, but have heard that there are times when traffic is heavy and travel times are slow. Would you use a system like the one we discussed to determine what time of day or day of the week you want to drive through Portland to get to your destination? Or would you just leave in the morning and take what comes?

I would use the system

Facilitator: Let’s say you don’t have to drive. Would you use this system to decide which train or bus to use?

It depends on the urgency of the trip

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If you’re going far away or you have to go through cities I would like to know what the traffic is like in the city at this time, just so you know. Like, you wouldn’t want to go through Baltimore at 6pm. You wouldn’t want to be there at rush hour.

Facilitator: Here’s our next one. Your neighbor is attending overseas training for their job and will be gone for three months. The families on your street are volunteering to take care of the cat one day a week. You are asked to pick a morning you are available to feed the cat every week. You realize that traffic typically is worse on some days than others. Would you prefer to find the morning that was least likely to require you to change your morning routine or would you pick any morning and change some part of your routine?

The less my routine is changed the better. I’m pretty flexible, but when it comes to being to work on time, I try to eliminate things that would make me late.

Facilitator: So, would you use the system for this type of situation?

Some say yes

I don’t think it would make that much difference to me because I would just pick a day and just go with it, and if I had to change things I would. I would just make sure that I went over before. Like 5 minutes before I was usually going to leave for work. I mean, how long is it going to take to put food out for a cat?

Facilitator: And the rest of ya’ll, would you use this type of system?

I would use it because if it hedges on my time that I need to utilize to get there, than yes I would use it. But if I could just walk across the street than I wouldn’t

Facilitator: Well, say they live several blocks down, and on some days, the streets are more crowded than they are on other days.

I’m guessing Friday morning is probably a good time to go. I just think that for something that local I would just use my feeling on it

I would probably just pick a random day it doesn’t really matter to me

I can always just move stuff around in my day or wake up that much earlier

Facilitator: No one would use it in this type of situation

If I thought it would affect my time to work, I would.

Facilitator: You participate in a food Co-op and you have to pick your box up every Saturday morning somewhere between 8 and two p.m., the products are distributed in a church parking lot that is located 20 minutes from your house. What type of information do you want to know to decide what time to pick up your box?

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What time to leave to get my box?

The flow of traffic

With that type of time gap I would not really care.

Many agree

Unless I’m working

Unless you have plans

Unless I’m going somewhere afterwards then it does not really matter

Facilitator: what type of information would you like it to give?

The heaviest traffic flow

If there is parking concerns

Facilitator: what if one Saturday there was a festival that caused a lot of traffic problems?

Well if it’s local we would typically know about it.

Good thing if you could find out road closures along those routes

It would be good to have app on your phone that could send you a text message about traffic in the direction you were going

Facilitator: So overall yes or no in this situation?

All say no

There’s such a wide window

With something like a vegetable co-op you need to pick up early so they’re not sitting in the heat

Facilitator: Want to talk about the words you would use when talking about these types of trips and the kind of information this type of system would give. Bob and Fred are neighbors who work in the same office building but they take different routes to work. They constantly argue about which route is the best and which one is the shortest so they decide to keep track of their arrival time for 2 weeks. They leave their house at the same time every morning and here are the results. Who do you think is better? (Stop at 1:07:31)

Bob (all agree)

Fred is way off

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They’re each early 5 times and late 5 times.

Yes, but you could take Bob’s way and leave 3 minutes earlier and you’re safe not to be late. Whereas the other one you’d have to leave way earlier

Bob way is more stable

More consistent

It’s a more reliable route to take

More traffic Fred’s way

Or red lights

More predictable

The gap is shorter

Facilitator: You’ve already said Bob’s way is more reliable, consistent and predictable. Any other things we’ve missed?

Facilitator: Take Bob’s way because it’s ____.

More consistent

I’ve figured out that if I leave my house at the 4 minute of the hour, I leave my house and hit all green lights

Facilitator: I want to spend the rest of the time talking about what words and phrases you would use when talking about this system. The first tells you about the time of day of your trip.

Facilitator: There is a ______ that travel time will be worse at 4 than at 2pm on Fridays.

Chance-

Good/slight chance- 9

Possibility-1

Likely

Probably

Period of the day

Distinct possibility

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Certainty

Facilitator: Travel time on main street ____ from Monday to Tuesday.

Very busy

Slow

Increases/decreases

Worsens

Terrible

Unpredictable

Varies

Changes-1

Differs

Gets better/worse- 1

Fluctuates- 6

% worse- 1

Facilitator: Travel time on that road is ____ on Friday afternoons at 4:30 pm.

Hell

Longer

Horrible

Standstill

Unbearable

Stop and go

Predictable

Almost stopped

Non existent

Horrendous

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Heavy

Outrageous

Bumper to bumper

Clear

Increase/decrease

At a standstill- 3

At its worst- 5

Facilitator: This is where the system would tell you about other ways to travel. A friend tells you it will take 20-45 minutes to get to the airport. It is ____ that it will take you 25 minutes.

Likely-2

Not accurate

Guaranteed

Expected-3

Great

Fantastic

Possible-1

Feasible

Almost certain

Should

More/less certain- 4

Facilitator: Your neighbor told you it would take 20 minutes to get there but you added 10 minutes of ___ and left 30 minutes early.

Extra time-7

Flex time

Lag time-1

Leeway

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Cushion

Buffer

Me time

Safety net- 1

Facilitator: I ____ that travel time will worse Monday than it will on Tuesday.

Guarantee

Predict

Expect-2

Anticipate

Uncertain

I bet

Think

I know

Fear

I know from experience

Anticipate-7

Facilitator: Any last thoughts or questions about the system?

Why isn’t it real time?

Facilitator: It’s based on time that they have accumulated in the past or past experience. What kind of person would or would not use this system?

Planner

Older people would not

People who use public transportation. If you live in DC you can call directly to metro and get bus routes and bus times so they wouldn’t need it

People who travel consistently all the time- 60% of the year

Delivery service, salesman

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We’re always traveling. This year at Spring Break we drove down to Florida and it would have been nice to know that Georgia had construction and it was one lane through the entire state but it would have been nice to know. Especially driving around Disney it would have been nice to know that Friday’s traffic is heavier than Tuesday because if you have flexible travel plans you may be able to alter your plans accordingly based on that type of information

From rural part of country and going to big city- use to make plans

Facilitator: What do you think people will misunderstand about this system?

That it’s not real time (all agree)

They might forget all of the features it has

Facilitator: How could you help clear that misunderstanding?

It needs a scrolling bar across the top of the website that says that it’s not real time. Make sure that it’s clear that it’s not today’s traffic

Use the name so that you can understand that it’s not real time

Maybe have a hyperlink to state website with real time

Facilitator: What would you name it?

I said leisure traffic off the top of my head

Traffic Almanac- most people understand that it is historical data

Facilitator: Would people pay for this type of information?

(2 people say yes, everyone else says no)

I wouldn’t want to- there are too many places to get it for free

If it’s a website, no, but if you manifest into like a GPS form

Or an app on your iPhone

Or GPS update inclusions

I think people would pay but not for a website

You could get business people to contribute

The minutes I knew it wasn’t real time I wouldn’t pay (several agree)

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Facilitator: What would be the most you would pay?

$9.99 update fee to your GPS. Most people update every year or every other year

When I bought my GOS the salesman tried to sell me weather on my GPS but I didn’t do it

Facilitator: How many would use it as a onetime fee?

2 people would not, but others would

If it was a low enough onetime fee with a free trial

It depends on how accurate it is

Facilitator: Who do you think should provide this information? Should it be the DOT or a private company?

Each state’s DOT maybe

DOT

I think the consumers because they would know that we’re going to have a parade for our church every year that the DOT wouldn’t know about so I think the consumers could add more detail that the DOT

(Several think private)

I think it should be a little of everybody

The DOT could run it but maybe the community of users or the local chamber of commerce could update it

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Washington, D.C. Focus Group Transcription 2 10 participants

Facilitator: We’ll start off by going around the table and ask you for information about you and then open up for discussion. We’ll start by going around the room and have you introduce yourself by your first name only, type of transportation you use during your commute, whether to and from work or to and from school or wherever you go, and one or two items from the questionnaire that you indicated were important to arrive on time on and how long it actually took you to get here today.

I drive a Honda CRV, to arrive on time- one of them is work and to pick up somebody from the airport, we left at 6:00 and just got here so an 1.5hr on the dot, we were going to take 495 through Silver Spring but that was too much so we cut through DC and went through Georgetown to up here and took the bridge up here. Was trying to avoid traffic and again, that was going through GPS, it was way too much. Needed to get on 495 and drive straight but that was too much traffic, I would’ve never made it.

I have an SUV; I guess the two things that are important to arrive on time as my husband’s always getting on me about, that is work and arriving to the airport on time so I can catch a flight. How long did it take me to here? It probably took me a good 30 minutes and that’s leaving from Alexandria.

I have a Honda Civic Hybrid that I love, work and picking up someone from airport, 20 minutes to drive 5.3 miles from Falls Church.

Metro, Drive, and Walk. Getting to work on time and getting to airport on time. Took 35 minutes to get to FG.

Nissan Versa/Work and getting Airport on time/Little less than 20 minutes to FG

SUV/work and daycare/ took 30 minutes

Saturn/hates being late to anything – work and everything, took 1hr to get to FG

Volvo/work and picking someone up from airport/took just about an 1hr from Charles Co/Used Mapquest

Chevy Cavalier/be on time for work and pick up kids from daycare/20 min from Centreville

Nissan Sentra/get to work on time and pick up people from airport/took 1.50 from Germantown


Traffic

Myself

Unfamiliar with roads

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Construction (on 495 for example)

GPS instructions wrong

Metro late or doesn’t show up

Emergencies (accident)

Weather

Car Problems

Facilitator: So these are day to day things that happen. What things affect the time it takes you to make a regular day to day trip (when repeated said day to day things that could make you late or early)?

Flat tire

Speeding

Construction (unexpected)

Accident

Police enforcement

Facilitator: How about on Holidays?

Roads shut down

Police

Facilitator: These are things that don’t happen every day, but could happen periodically?

President blocks off??

Special events

Excessive traffic or crowds at holidays, concerts,

Facilitator: Is it different to drive to work on Monday than it is on Friday?

Yes

Facilitator: So day of week makes a difference?

You can be on 270 at 6am and it’s bumper to bumper

Facilitator: How do these repeating factors change by time of day or day of the week?

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Rush hour

Work schedule (some people don’t work on Fridays)

Traffic lighter on Fridays (in summer)

Always busy on Friday evenings

Direction traveling and time of day

Lighter traffic going to work on Friday, but heavier traffic going to “The District” on Friday nights

Facilitator: About how many minutes could this affect your travel time?

1.5 hour- 2 miles at 4:30pm at Duke Street **notes say 10 but I swear she said TWO**

But what was the reason, accident or something?

There was some kind of construction and it had rained earlier in the day and some streets were flooded.

What day was that on, a Friday?

Tuesday night, two weeks previously, there was flash flooding in the area. Couldn’t get to destination because street was flooded

Facilitator: For everybody else? What does it take?

Well the route I take (hwy 78), it could take 1.5hr for 10 miles

When I go to Cleveland that happens

Facilitator: You think it could change up to an hour and a half?

Yes

It’s happened to me on that same route going to work

It’s horrible and even though it’s a wide highway and has local exits, everything is completely crowded in both directions. It’s a mess. If it rains, forget it.

Have you ever figured out why? Is there always like one car that broke down and so it backs things up?

Part of it that there are so many companies?? And also a lot of military trucks go that way

Coming from Virginia or Springville, sometimes rush hour takes 3-3.5 hours, almost 4 just to go across the bridge (395)

Traffic backed up from the Springfield exit

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Facilitator: Ya’ll have said how long it took you to commute, and then you told us how long it took ya’ll to actually drive here. How did ya’ll come up with the time you left your house to get here in time?

I always leave 1 hour, just decided if I had to be somewhere, regardless of mileage, live in Alexandria. Leave an hour ahead of time, no matter what.

I gave it twice as long as it should take

I did the same thing

Facilitator: How did you find out originally how long it was going to take?

I know because I’ve been to Tysons Corner. If it took me more than 20 minutes, I knew that something was wrong. I left at 7pm, got here at 7:20pm.

Google Maps and then I added in 15 minutes, in case of traffic

I left at 6 because I knew traffic would be out of control. I gave an extra hour more than what I thought would take

I know how long it typically takes for me to get here anyway so I knew what the traffic was like at this time of day (that it wouldn’t be as bad as it is at rush hour)

I gave myself an hour earlier, looked at Mapquest

I used yahoo maps and it told me 30 minutes so I just scheduled an hour

Facilitator: How do you usually make adjustments in your departure time or the routes that you’re going to take or the type of transportation you’re going to use? How do you determine those things?

Facilitator: You said you use Mapquest, do you use those frequently?

Yes, that’s typically what I use

I use my GPS

My phone

Google Maps

Mapquest

GPS

GPS or Mapquest

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Google Maps

Facilitator: Where do you think these traffic engines or information (Google maps, navigation systems) where do you think they get their information?

People

Satellite

Government statistics

Accident data

Facilitator: Do ya’ll trust it?

I trust my new one

Don’t always trust the routes they do but I do trust the data

Problem with GPS, programmed year before you buy your car, so data is old

GPS, will route me immediately, tell me there is traffic and ask if I want different route

Facilitator: I heard a lot of you say that you use these mapping tools, or you use GPS to get an estimated time but you added in some more time to it, so it tells you a travel time on there when you look at the map. Are you saying you don’t trust that travel time?

No, the traffic

It doesn’t know DC

Facilitator: So none of the tools you used accounted for traffic today?

No

Mine did but there was no other route

Mine accounts for traffic and gives me an alternate route

Facilitator: As you have mentioned, one way of seeking information is an online mapping tool, how do you think it calculates the travel time?

They test it

Previous mileage

Takes into account the speed limit – that’s how they calculate and why it’s never accurate

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It changes as you go along

Facilitator: So ya’ll are saying the travel time is always the same at different times?

GPS gives different times

Depends on the driver

Mapquest was right on time

Very accurate in Phoenix, totally off here

Facilitator: So do you think the travel time is always the same at different times of the day or on different days?

No

Yes, I’ve seen my GPS give me different travel times at different times

Facilitator: So you’re saying your GPS gives you different travel times at different times?

It gives me different routes

Going to Indiana- first it gave me 584 miles but coming back was 600 miles

Facilitator: Do you think that these are estimates of time when they give you how long it’s going to take?

Estimated time

Yes

Yes

Depends if you go faster/slower, or if traffic

Facilitator: Is there any way to know if the way they gave you is the best?

It gives you choices, it has 6 different choices (easy route/minimize frwys/maximize frwys)

Fastest route

They have it by mileage or times

One that says no tolls

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Facilitator: Do you think that Mapquest or any of these tools that we’ve been talking about uses any of the variables that we have talked about today? That we have up there, such as construction? Do you think it uses any of those types?

Sometimes they put in construction if they know

Facilitator: How many think that they do consider any of these types? And if you do, what types do you think it considers? Ya’ll have said construction, anything else?

Construction/Traffic

Construction/Traffic

Road closures too

Facilitator: Do you think it uses some of the things we talked about like the time of day or day of week?

No

I think so

I think so

Mine does

It probably does- if you get a Sunday night with no traffic

Who reports road closures and stuff and where do they get that information from? (From Satellite.) Okay, satellite but road closure or traffic jam somewhere or an accident. Like down on 95, how do they know? Other than the satellite. (It’s on the blotter if it’s an accident)

Facilitator: How do ya’ll make adjustments? Do ya’ll make adjustments in your head prior to what the information that this tool is giving you? Do you think “okay, it’s telling me this, I’m going to adjust it?”

Yeah

Yes

Yeah

Yeah

Yes,

We make adjustments

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Facilitator: What words or phrases would you use to determine this information? For example, if a trip takes about 20 minutes, what other words or phrases could you use to describe the uncertainty?

Stressful

Annoying

Headache

Leary in the Washington DC/Metro area

Facilitator: We’re looking at how to describe the different times it takes to make your trip? How time changes?

How we would react to it?

Facilitator: So it takes you about 20 minutes, what other words could you use to describe “about 20 minutes”?

Not very much time

Time variables

Average

Average traffic time/average mileage

Time variable like am/pm

Facilitator: What word would you use here? “It will take ______ 20 minutes to make your trip”

About

Approximately

About

Estimate

“A good”

Average of

Short

Depending on traffic

Average

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Facilitator: Okay, “it will take ____ 10 to 30 minutes to make your trip”

Between

Approximately

Average

Could take

Anywhere from

Facilitator: “_____ of the time it takes 20 minutes to make your trip”

Most

Usually

Most

Some

Some

All

Half of the time – 75% of the time

Some

XX % of the time

1/8th of the time

Facilitator: I’m going to tell you about this system and I want you to imagine a system that could make better predictions about your expected travel time by considering all of these factors that we’ve listed. This type of system is still a concept right now, but this research will help identify how useful people think such a system would be and what features they would like to see in it. So I don’t want you to get too bogged down on talking about exactly how the system would work, we’re really focusing more on terms and whether you would use it and what you want it to provide. You could use it much like Mapquest or any type of navigation system or tool, or you could get to enter a specific to and from address, but instead of calculating the trip based only on how many miles (which are what they normally do now) and what the speed limit is, it would use more factors in the calculation. The system would have sensors in the road that recorded information about speed, level of traffic, for all trips taken on a particular roadway. So for instance, this system would know that in the last five years on Monday at 9am such and such number of people were driving on the road and it would know what speed each vehicle traveled at. It would also record weather conditions for that

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Monday over the last 5 years, road construction and accidents, it’s sort of like a memory of all the trips you’ve ever taken down that road plus the memory of everyone else who had drove down that road for the last five years. Based on what I just told you about this system, do you think this system would be valuable?

Does it include timing of lights? (No)

Facilitator: Do you think that it would be valuable? (30:51)

I do

I would

I do

Facilitator: It would have historical data for five years

That would be nice

Facilitator: We’re just saying that there are sensors in the road, that can say that, you know ya’ll probably look at real time maps that say “it’s really slow over there”, well they keep all that information so that’s all there. So they can say “you know, on Mondays at 8am it’s a lot slower than on Tuesdays at 8am” or “when an accident happens usually it ends up being this much longer”. And they can put all this stuff in a database so that they can give you an estimate, an amount of time that it could possibly take you to get there. This would not account for what’s happening that day. This would be all exactly like historical data that they had. Like if every third Monday in September there is a festival that you may not know about on the other side of town, they could calculate that third Monday on Wednesday based on the last five years, your time could take longer.

It would be helpful data but not perfect, there’s no perfect system b/c it can’t predict an accident

It’s an accident where the parade is going through

Facilitator: If you did want this type of thing, where would you want to receive this type of information?

Phone

Navigator

Mapquest

Google

Facilitator: What type of situation do you want to see, where do you think this type of system would be useful at?

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Can you download it perhaps from your computer to the car? (No)

Facilitator: What type of situation could you use this type of system in?

If you’re in an unfamiliar place

Everywhere

In the middle of a traffic jam, and you want to get out

Facilitator: Do you think this travel time estimate would be more accurate (better) than the current systems? (34:05)

Yes

Maybe

Yes

I think it would

All depends if it has sensors in every road

How often the data is……

Facilitator: Let’s just say that in this situation it does happen, so do you think it would be more accurate than what you get now?

Yes

I think so, would need to take into account how much data you have. Yes over five years maybe, but it you have like over 40 years it’s just too much

Facilitator: So what length of time do you think would be good? Would you want that capability for it? Do you want the last 5 years or the last 3 months?

I would want something that could shorten the time maybe. You might have new roads, new neighborhoods being built

Do traffic flow

Or new traffic lights and timing

Facilitator: This is just an example and this is very simple. This is the type of information that you would want to put inputted to get the information you want. For example, they would have any one of these devices or tools. What would you like to add to this to be able to input and to make it more?? Towards your needs?

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If you want to make a pit-stop on the way to your final destination

Tab that allows you to type in an address instead of just putting in a city, different tabs like city or address, different choices

Facilitator: And this is what we want to know from you, not what’s out there, but what you would think that you would want on there, so

What time you’re leaving

What type of traffic flow is between here and there?

Facilitator: It couldn’t tell you what was happening then, but it could tell you what happened in the past

What day of the week will make a difference?

Facilitator: Would you want to know the worst case and best case scenario?

Yes

Accident situation

Traffic

Yeah

Facilitator: Would you want it to suggest different routes?

Yes

Yeah

Yeah, suggest alternate routes

Facilitator: Would you want it to suggest maybe a different departure time?

Sounds good

Yes

Facilitator: If you go at 9, you could make it shorter than if you went at 8.

Yes

Yes

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Yeah

Facilitator: Anything else?

Weather conditions

Would it give you real time as far as traffic conditions? (They have the weather on TV)

Facilitator: They can have the historical data, what the weather was like in the past, but not that day

Well but it would be good if they could have it for that day, I could care less what happened in the past

If you’re going to a certain street, they can tell you it’s wet so there must be rain there

Facilitator: But that’s back to real-time. Do you want the system to tell you how sure it is of its estimates?

Yeah

I’m a 100% sure

No, that would make me mad

No, what are you going to do, fire it?

That wouldn’t be helpful

It’s a tool

If it says it’s a 100% accurate, it’s not

Facilitator: Would you make a different decision if the tool told you it’s going to take 20 minutes and I’m 90% sure that’s right versus if it says it’s going to take 20 minutes and I’m 10% sure of that?

Don’t tell what percentage if you know, period

Don’t bother

Facilitator: So would you want it to tell you, it’s between 75 and 85% of the time, this is how long it will take you?

I’d rather it be programmed to that much before you all even put that out, I’d rather not have to deal with 10%

I need to trust what I’ve bought – everyone agrees

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Facilitator: Let’s say, if you put in and you want to know about a trip on a rainy Tuesday during spring break. It may only have a handful of trips in its memory because based on the estimates it has, and it’s more than likely that it could be wrong. So would you like to know how certain it was?

No

I don’t think I’d want to know but I’d want that straightened out before I needed it, I can’t be perfect but I want that straightened out before I even need it

Facilitator: What words or phrases would you want it to use to convey that to you?

Approximately

About

Accuracy

Around About

Pending Unforeseen Circumstances

Estimate

Facilitator: Would you want the output to be in words or do you think it should be in a graph form or a map or words?

Both

Both

People learn differently

Some people understand things better than others

Facilitator: So a graph, or a map, or words?

A graph with picture

A graph with words

A voice

Facilitator: So you wanted words, a map with words or a graph with words?

I like voice

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Not going to have time to read a graph

Facilitator: Now we’re going to talk about some specific examples or scenarios where you may or may not want to use the system. In our first one, you have an appointment with a specialist you have never seen before on Thursday and you’re not familiar with the area of town the office is located in. You have to tell your boss by Tuesday what time you will need to get off work on Thursday, so you will need to plan ahead. Currently, how would you decide what time to leave work to make that appointment?

Take the day off

Take the day off

Would take off depending on time of appointment (If your appointment was in the morning, would you take the whole morning off?) probably

Take an extra hour, if it’s something nearby that would normally be 2 hours I would take 3 hours to allow for traffic

Try to schedule it early morning so don’t have to take a day off. Try to schedule appointment outside of work hours.

Facilitator: But this is an area that you’re not familiar with.

Even if I’m not familiar with it if I can get there early.

Facilitator: So what if it was in the middle of the day?

I wouldn’t do it, for me I wouldn’t.

Facilitator: If he’s a specialist, and you have to see him, and the only time you can see him is at 3:00 o’clock?

I don’t like to conform so I would find another specialist.

If it’s in the morning, then I’d take a day off, if it’s at noon- I’d take a half day. If it’s at 3pm, I’d take an hour or two b/c I don’t know the doctor or how long the wait is. Not considering traffic, just considering stay at doctor’s office.

I would just work it into schedule.

Facilitator: Would you take a half a day or an hour earlier or?

I would probably do half a day

I would too

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Facilitator: Would you use the system we’ve talked about for something like that? (45:47)

Yes- all agreed

Would do Mapquest and all of that

It will give me at least some numbers I could work with to plan. To at least get a remote sense of if it could work, half a day or whole day or what.

If it was in the morning and I took the day off I wouldn’t use it, but if it was at noon and I was leaving a couple of hours before noon, yes. In the evening, no. Middle of day, yes.

Would probably use it, because of historical data and it knows the area better than I do.

Everyone agrees

Facilitator: You’re trying to decide whether to sign up for the M/W or T/TH aerobics class at the gym. Class starts at 6pm and you cannot leave work until 5:00pm. So, what type of information would you like to know to help you make the right decision for you?

How close is the gym?

How many miles is the gym from me

What major routes is it off of

Does the gym have metro access?

Facilitator: Where would you go find this type of information?

GPS/Mapquest – everyone agrees

Facilitator: Would you use the new system for something like this?

Yes

The system would tell you which days are most congested, so you could pick the best days for the class

Initially I would just want to know how many miles it is, so I would not use that system, I would just put it into Google maps or something.

Facilitator: So how would you determine whether you wanted to go M/W or T/TH?

If the gym itself is too far away I wouldn’t do either one.

Facilitator: It’s your regular gym, the one you go to all the time.

Well I guess I could use the system to determine which days are more congested.

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If I go to the gym all the time, I already know that.

Facilitator: So you would just use your past experience?

Which the system would have.

Facilitator: Yeah, it would have your past experience and everybody else’s.

I would use it

Facilitator: You’re going to a friend’s birthday, the party starts at 7pm and it’s at a house that you have not been to before. What kind of information would you want to know?

Address

How is the parking

Major thoroughfares

Traffic Trends (how much time do I need to get there)

What time do I need to leave (is it better to leave really early or wait depending on time of party?)

Facilitator: When would you want this type of information?

Last minute

Several days ahead

Couple of days beforehand, and check traffic day of

Facilitator: Would you use the new system?

Yes- all agree

Facilitator: Would you use it the day of?

Yes- all

Facilitator: Would you use it beforehand?

Yes- 6

Facilitator: How many would do both?

5

Facilitator: Here’s the next scenario, you’re taking a trip to Mt. Bachelor and you’re going to go skiing and you have to drive through Portland to get there. You are not familiar with Portland but have

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heard that there are times when the traffic is heavy and travel times are slow. Would you use the system that we just discussed to determine what day or what time of day you would want to drive through Portland?

Yes- all agree

Facilitator: Why?

Weather

Facilitator: The question was, how many people would use this system to determine what day and what time of day they should drive through Portland

Yes- all agree

When I did my trip, I was searching for gas prices and that changed where I went or how I went before I did the plan.

Facilitator: Let’s say you decided not to drive, would you use it to pick which train or bus to take?

Maybe

Facilitator: Would you use it to determine an alternate mode of transportation?

No- if I’m taking a bus or a train I could really care less because I’m not.

Facilitator: So you wouldn’t care if you go on Monday, it would take you 5 hours but if you went on Wednesday it would take you 2 hours?

I’m sure there’s more than one bus line but for me personally I wouldn’t.

So buses are counted along with cars?

Facilitator: Well, it’s a mode of transportation and so it can tell you on Wednesdays that the train took long comparably.

Everyone agrees they would use it.

Facilitator: So everyone would use it to check the different times of transportation?

Yes- everyone.

Facilitator: Your neighbor is attending overseas training for their job and will be gone for 3 months. The families on your street are volunteering to take care of their pet one day a week. You are asked to pick a morning you are available to feed the pet every week. You realize that the traffic typically is worse on some days than others. Would you prefer to find the morning that was least likely to require you to change your routine or would you just pick any morning and change your routine?

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Will just pick a day, it’s going to consume time anyway

Facilitator: So would you use the system to find out what day would best fit your routine?

Yes I would use system to pick best day

I would use system to pick best day

I would probably do that (use system to pick best day)

No, I’d just pick a day

Just wouldn’t pick Monday mornings

I would pick a day

Facilitator: <Half would use system, and half would pick a day>

Facilitator: For the ones that decided you would use the system, why would you use it?

I would use it to tell me which day is better during the week

Facilitator: Let’s just say the neighbor’s on the other side of the RR tracks and she’d have to go over the RR tracks and so it would be shorter for her to go another route that she isn’t familiar with than to turn around and come all the way back. So she says that she would use the system so that she could determine which one would be quickest or shortest.

Facilitator: For those that would not use it, why would you not use it?

I would just pick a day

If I were that busy, I wouldn’t bother to volunteer

Just don’t think it’s necessary

Facilitator: Our last scenario, you participate in a food co-op and have to pick your box up every Saturday morning between the hours of 8am – 2pm. The produce is distributed in a church parking lot 20 minutes from your house. What type of information would you like to know to decide what time you should go pick it up?

Go first thing in the morning

Would not use tool for that

Facilitator: Would you go the same time every week?

Yes

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No

Yes

Would like to know when there’s less traffic.

Facilitator: Would you use the new system then to help determine that?

I would just go

Facilitator: So, no one would use the new system for this?

No- everyone

Facilitator: So why would ya’ll not use it? (1:00)

Not necessary

I’m too flexible to need that

Facilitator: For the rest of the survey, we’re going to be talking about words you would use to talk about these types of trips and the kind of information the new system would give. Our first example is, Bob and Fred are neighbors who work at the same office building but they take different routes. They constantly argue that each of their routes is the best. They decide to keep track of it for 2 weeks. They leave their houses at the same time every morning and here are the results:

Bob is better – everyone

Bob is more consistent

Bob is not as erratic

Bob’s way is more efficient

Bob’s way is more accurate

Bob’s way is less risky

Facilitator: Take Bob’s way because…:

It’s efficient

Get there on time

More consistent and efficient

Facilitator: The rest of the focus group, we’re going to be talking similar to this trying to determine what types of words and phrases we use to explain this type of system. So if you have your pencils

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and your paper in front of you, if you would write 1-6. I’m going to show you some more fill in the blank examples and I’m going to ask your opinion. The first part we’re going to talk about are the system tells you about the time of day of your trip. There is a ____ that travel time will be worse at 4pm than at 2pm on Fridays.

Slight Chance

Possibility

Strong Chance

Likelihood

Varies

Pattern

Prediction

Chance

80% chance

Facilitator: Based on what everyone said and our list, what do you like the best?

80% chance - 4

Certainty - 3

Good chance – 3

Travel time on _____ street Monday or Tuesday.

More congested

Heavier

Varies – 3

Congested

Busy

Heavy

Fluctuates

Increases/decreases

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Facilitator: So based on all the ones you heard that you came up and the ones that are on this screen, which ones do you like the best?

Varies – 7

Fluctuates – 3

Facilitator: Travel time on that road is ______ on Friday afternoons at 4:30pm. (1:09)

Busiest

Congested -2

Painful

Horrendous

Swifter

Slow/fast

Longer or shorter

Easy

Heavy

Facilitator: (In response to comments about what is Level 5) It’s intended to be the same type of system (participant commented if it was the same as category 5 for hurricanes) If this system is telling you what the traffic was like, well the 1 would be really nice and easy, middle of the night. Level 5 would be…

Facilitator: Based on everything ya’ll have heard and based on what’s on the screen, which one do ya’ll like the best?

The Worst - 4

Really Long - 1

Stand Still - 5

Facilitator: We’re going to focus on something different now, looking at where the system will tell you about other ways to travel. A friend tells you it will take 20-25 minutes to get to the airport. It is _____ that it will take you 25 minutes. (1:13:45)

A fact

Certain-3

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Not true

Not likely

It is an average

100% chance

Estimate- 4

Insane

Likely-2

Typical-1

Not possible, I don’t think you can estimate a number so I don’t like any

Facilitator: Your neighbor told you it would take 10 minutes to get there, but you added 10 minutes of ____ and left early.

Travel time

Traffic time-1

Extra time-3

Leeway

Buffer-5

Comfort time

(1 person not in the room)

Facilitator: I ___ that travel time will be worse Monday than it will be Tuesday.

Think

Believe

Foresee

I know

I heard

Predict-6

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Forecast

Bet

Estimate-1

Understand

Anticipate -1

Expect-1

(1 person not in the room)

Facilitator: Do you have any thoughts about this system before we go further?

You can’t expect it to be perfect, just a helpful tool

Facilitator: What kind of person would or would not use this tool?

A planner

Someone who has lived in the area for a long time wouldn’t use it

A new person to the area needs all the help they can get

Someone who is tech savvy

Geographically challenged

Travels a lot for their job- sales, delivery

Facilitator: What do you think people will misunderstand about this system?

That it is historical data not real time (all agree that very confusing)

Facilitator: What would help clear those misunderstandings?

Should be put at the beginning of the blotter to say based on historical

Put a warning

That should be your sell point- this product will give you historical data and make it clear that it’s

Not a real time thing

Also stress that it’s not current

Marketing

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Facilitator: If you came up with a name for it, what would you call it?

Columbus

Vector (some think taken)

Facilitator: Would people pay to use this system?

All say no

I don’t want to pay to know what happened in the past

There are so many others out there

This seems like something that students could use first of all for projects and could be on the

College’s website

I think some people would pay a certain amount for it to add to the navigation on their car but I

Don’t know what amount

I’d pay for it as an app or something

It could be something on the almanac page

Or you could go the other way and sell it to Google or Bing and sell it to search engines

People in the south probably wouldn’t use it as much as people in the North because there’s not

As much traffic

Facilitator: Who should provide this information DOT or private company?

It should be a partnership

That’s how it would end up anyway

If you think about it, this is sensitive information so you have to be careful with it; so it is not

Widely available and can be abused

Make sure patterns can’t be used for terrorism

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Minneapolis Focus Group Transcription 1 Introductions:

2: Alonna, bus and drive, getting to work and the airport, from Minneapolis half an hour to get here from downtown

3: Kari, own car, work and picking up kids, hour and 5 minutes from Oakdale

4: Julie, drive, bus and bike, airport, 40 -45 minutes

5: Jill, car, airport and work, 35 minutes

6: Sam, 20 minutes

7: Shane, work and picking up kids and airport, 25 minutes

8: Becky, car, picking up kids, 45 minutes

9: Jennifer, personal car, getting to work and getting to the airport, 40 minutes from New Brighton

10: Vataly from St. Paul, personal car, 20 minutes to get here, takes 35 usually, work is important and airport

11: Sharon, own car, took 45 minutes

Facilitator: List things that make you early or late

Oversleep

Nonmoving, dead zones on the freeway

Weather

Left lane cruisers, going below the speed limit driving in the left passing lane

Accidents

Construction

Someone pulled over

New stadium, games, concerts

Snow removal

Facilitator: All of these things make you late, anything that makes you early?

Holidays

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Earlier start to the day

Lack of normal traffic

Take route that’s not as busy

Watch traffic on the news in the morning

Listen to the radio to find out about traffic

Facilitator: Predictable things you plan on

State fair

Major employer schedules don’t really play a part

Weather

Salt trucks in the winter can slow down your commute

Driving in the summer

Sun up, sun down, slow down

Facilitator: Incidents, you can’t really perceive. Today we are going to spend more time talking about things that you can do that might make adjustments that might affect the traffic. Might still be an accident or salt truck on your route but you made a decision that might control it?

Do snow removal around the bridges, that creates a major slowdown when they are trying to clean up the side area

Facilitator: How many minutes, looking at the column on the right, so holidays, school calendar, state fair, predictable sporting events? How many minutes, what kind of variation would you see? How much would it affect you?

5: 15 to 20 minutes

4: 15- 30 minutes

11: approx one hour

6: Depends

If you are biking too, biking is worse

Facilitator: So, when we went around earlier, how do you arrive at that number?

11: average MapQuest and Google

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5: assume the best

6: usually 5 minutes after I leave

7: average of mine, longer to get home than get there, how long it should take

10: always add on an extra 15 to 20 minutes depending on where I’m going, if I’m going downtown I add on an extra 25 minutes because parking can be an issue

Facilitator: So some people use average, some people use what it should be. So, we talked a little about MapQuest, how do other people seek information, even about today and coming here? How many people looks it up?

4: Google Maps

6: knows whole area

3: called husband and uses Mapbook to see different route

All have used MapQuest

Ask a friend, call the hotel?

Well halfway through I called my husband who drives all day so he prefers his map book

Facilitator: Where do you think Map Quest and Google Maps gets their information?

6: that’s a really good question

9: Well with the construction I think that you couldn’t rely on it. You’d really have to check alternate routes and actually look at the map and if you’re someone who drives a lot and you’ve been somewhere close to it you can get a sort of idea of where it is.

10: You kind of have to know the area a little bit

11: Exit 213 is after exit 217. I had to call the precinct

6: Like 88.5 (traffic radio), Hear that there’s been an accident

8: I use my satellite radio, it’s got a channel

10: when I rent a car I have a navigation system

Facilitator: Where do you think that Map Quest or Google Maps how do you think they are estimating how long it will take you?

7: surveys (four people agree)

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Have people out driving

3: by the distance, if it’s freeway or regular road, on average

10: how we measure traffic congestion somehow based on population

2: assume do without delays

11: done at 5 am

6: suspect numbers don’t change (several agree)

Facilitator: do you trust that?

No

Facilitator: Jill mentioned something about how it doesn’t change. 6:00 will be the same as 2 am, it always says 22 minutes. Is your real travel time always 22 minutes?

No

10: I always check on…I’ve realized after years of driving I always tack on an extra 20-25 minutes because I realized that number is not an accurate condition sometime, from experience I’ve found that out. I’m never late to appointments, in fact I’m usually early 10-15 minutes because I allot that extra time

6: I just think for a less stressful life…

7: Do they factor in speed limits?

8: I think they have a math problem where they do the mileage, going 55 this is how many minutes it will take you

Facilitator: You mentioned that sometimes you use both Map Quest and Google, so if they suggest different routes, how do you decide which one you take?

I kind of compare all the coordinates, it’s very important for me to get there as soon as possible

Facilitator: What other adjustments do people make?

Leave early

8: speed

If you’re stuck in traffic and you have to be somewhere else I abort my trip and take a different route

5: I sat there for 25 minutes in traffic and I could see the exit, but sometimes it’s not easy to abort the trip

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6: rather have guaranteed 40 minute drive on local streets than the freeway (#9 agrees)

Facilitator: We’re interested in knowing what words people use to make…I think I heard Jennifer say “tack on”, so what kind of words would you use to fill in that…

About

Approximately

11: an additional

At least

And just for that last question, I’d rather sometimes plan the hour of the day have a guarantee than drive on multiple streets then…

Surface road even though it’s slower and hit a lot of stop signs…more accidents on surface road, I’d rather take the freeway

Facilitator: Match game, what other word would we put in there?

Approximately

Between

11: over

Facilitator: Here’s another way we might say the same thing

9: most

3: majority

Some

7: half

Facilitator: If someone asks you how long it takes to get some place and the answer is about 20 minutes, which one of these kinds of phrases would you use?

I like the range (most all agree)

Especially now because of the road work, tornadoes, hail

Flooding

The construction it’s almost worse in the summer

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Facilitator: As we move on now, I’m going to talk about a new system. Visualize a system like MapQuest or Google Maps. This is still a concept right now and we are trying to decide logistics about the system. You would use it a lot like the before mentioned systems, but instead of calculating it based on mileage and speed limit there will be a technology that knows about construction and the game that lets out on Saturdays. All of those repeating predictable things that we know, people have already perfected all that. Sensors in the road and the information from the electronic signs, all that information is being stored so it has the collective history of that road and it’s factored in. So, would a system like that be valuable?

Yes (all agree)

Facilitator: More valuable during the trip or before?

Both

6: I would want an option to put in your telephone number and have it be something that’s continually updated and send in text updates

5: -Before to plan

10: Before you started the trip that might be a few key cameras to see what’s going on

9: Kind of like road analytics you’d have that information before you started out, so you could choose different routes. But say you are really already in the middle of it, you might still be able to access it and say “how do I get out of here?” because you are already stuck, so I think I would like to have that real time capability but I’d also like to say that I know that on Monday morning I have to be at such and such place at such and such time, if I could put that in, it would tell me exactly what time with those kind of historical analytics involved, it would get me where I wanted to be at least somewhat close, I’d still check just because I’m a skeptic, I don’t ever believe what’s set in stone that that’s what it’s going to be because there are so many unknown factors when you’re driving on a freeway

8: Then when people see those signs they brake, oh my gosh what did that say?

9: Or they close the entire lane on our freeway and there is no one working on them, why did they create this mayhem when there is no one here to work?

Facilitator: So what other types of specific trips would you use it for?

Shopping

5: Airport

8: job interview

To get to work in the morning

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11: Appointments

6: Going out of town, just being out of town you could be like this is the type of road where I will run into this kind of traffic

9: Directing out of towners, we have a lot of out of towners who are staying somewhere and want to get somewhere else. They are confused on where to stay, and I think having access to that kind of system would be helpful. Being the newbie in Minnesota without that kind of knowledge is really frustrated on the freeway

Facilitator: Do you think that kind of information would make you decide one way or another if you are going to take the bus or not today? Do you change that frequently now or do you have a regular schedule?

Oh yeah

2: I don’t know I think I would probably still take the bus if I had been planning on it, but I might take the bus that leaves a half hour earlier than the one I’d usually take

In the winter I’ve changed it

Facilitator: You like that guaranteed time, if the system could say it’s going to be 10-20 minutes if you leave at 7:30, but if you leave at 8:00 it’s going to be 13-16 minutes. It’s a narrower window, is that?

6: you know for most things you have to be on time for I’m not going to leave that much leeway, I’m going to leave early and get there early

Facilitator: And that’s something I think, how many people have a set work time where they really have to be there a certain time?

Most do

Facilitator: With kids…things that are more, soccer at 6:00 or whatever, would you use this to help you decide when to leave?

Yeah, definitely

My son is on a travelling soccer team and plays in this whole area and it’s so hard because games are at 5, 6, and 7 it’s really hard to pinpoint a good time to leave

Facilitator: Ok, so we talked a little bit about where you want to access this information, text message, TV screen, so where would you want to get this? Is having it at home on a website enough, FM radio?

4: I have a blackberry

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11: a phone browser or app

Facilitator: Do you think that the travel time estimates on a system like that would be more accurate?

Yes (all agree)

Facilitator: what would it take how many trips until it believed it?

Every time

4: 10 trips to believe

9: I’d do it at different times a day to see how, between the Twins game and the weather, it would be interesting to see how narrowly close it is

11: If there is a way to get an accurate congestion level, color or number, cameras being able to somehow digitally analyze what’s happening, like a level

5: I think real time updates are essential

6: Based on history…statistical evidence…

What happens when the construction is all gone, if this is based on historical, how will it all adjust?

Facilitator: Here is just a real simple sample. What other things would you like to add?

5: How would you like to receive your real time updates?

9: What routes would you prefer? Highways or surface roads

Avoid highways

7: A couple routes

Time

Weather

Dates

6: Alternate arrival times

How does it know it’s today vs. tomorrow? I want to know tomorrow at 8 am

9: Date and time are equally important, I sometimes research things a week before the appointment, and I pick the times I guess are best. I set my meetings around the events but this would help a lot.

6: Select whether you want time to leave or time to arrive

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Facilitator: What would you like the new system to provide you with? What’s the output? What do you want the system to give you? Best or worst case scenario?

1: give me the most efficient route for the time you have, worst case scenario and a range

5: both

11: what if they gave you 2 or 3 different routes and times and whatever is happening on these routes

9: Would it make a recommendation? Narrow it down and I recommend this route based on all the information right now, to avoid this particular highway at all costs

Facilitator: Some people are saying they just want something really simple, I just want 12 minutes and a route. But do you want it to be able to know why it’s telling you?

Yes

Maybe

Then I can make my decision based on why they are making theirs

Make that choice

Longer than you expect it to be, then what is behind this

Facilitator: The system could tell you how sure it is, even though it will have years of historical data, there is going to be some odd combinations that only happen once. So it doesn’t have a lot to go on. The system might not be so sure it’s right on those days; do you want it to tell you how sure it is about itself?

4: yes

9: with a range of accuracy we can predict, I’ll tell you don’t take that exit and this is why

Facilitator: So what words or symbols or charts? How would the system tell you about its certainty?

1: percentage of accuracy, like if there were 10 days with your statistics, their criteria could say 9 out of 10 days or 90% accurate

9: or reliability factors are…, like this is based on 9 trips or something more historical

They are going to build up over time; it’s going to take a long time to get historical

1: I feel like you would trust a lot more if it was like 25 days

Facilitator: Is that kind of what you had in mind Sam? So is like phrases better than percentages?

7: ratio, plus or minus 10%

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9: I think that’s too difficult for the average person, I think they should come down to their level. Even an arrow or a scale to allow people to see it, not everyone can understand percentages

Facilitator: What other output?

10: colors

10: scores

10: map, put the routes and show you the entire route and where it’s congested it could be red

9: or even caution signs or stop signs, the universal language to know there is something going on

7: it would be helpful to even have construction signs

Facilitator: Anybody ever been to the construction website?

No

6: just a nightmare to navigate, finding what you’re looking for

Those symbols and they have this 1-800 number with a robot voice

It’s not organized well

It’s subject to change

You have to know already what you are looking for and what road is already closed and when it will be open

But then they change their minds

BREAK

Facilitator: I’m going to give you some specific scenarios and answer if you would use the system. The first one is you have an appointment with a new doctor; your appointment is on Thursday at 4. Let your boss know today what time you are going to be leaving.

How would you currently, without the system decide to leave work?

5: MapQuest and add 15 minutes (agree)

8: I’d give myself an hour

11: look at the weather

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Do you think the new system would help in a situation like that?

Yeah

Hope so

5: don’t know the destination, during rush hour

3: I would give myself a lot more time, like double, just to get in the area

Facilitator: Ok, anybody think they wouldn’t use it?

9: I don’t have a boss; I don’t have to ask for permission, I wouldn’t schedule it for that time

Facilitator: If you are deciding to sign up for a class, let’s say an aerobics class at the gym or even like soccer for your kids, your choices are Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday at 6, and you can’t leave work until 5. How would you make that decision now?

8: Tuesday/ Thursday better, Monday just seems like it would be busier

6: Monday traffic always seems so slow

8: Monday and Friday don’t even seem like an option because of the traffic.

Facilitator: Ok, so for this class, what other kind of information would you want to know to make this decision? Obviously y’all had a gut feeling about the traffic.

5: I probably wouldn’t even use it for that…because my class would be twice a week for 8 weeks or whatever and I just don’t trust that it would make a huge streaming difference

7: plan around my life, not traffic

4: usually more forgiving, so a few minutes isn’t a good idea

Facilitator: How much of a difference does it have to make to make an adjustment? If it told you to take this route or leave at this time and you will save 5 minutes, would you, is that enough to make you change your life?

No (couple agree)

Facilitator: How much time?

I think 15 minutes is the make or break for me

Or more

Because the amount of time you’re researching is quality time you are taking away accessing this tool, I would like it to benefit for things that are saving 15 minutes and beyond

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I would say I’m not going to make it on a Monday; an hour is not enough of a time window

Facilitator: How many people do you think would use it to choose a day of a week to do something?

____ Hands raised

Facilitator: Ok, how about going to your friend’s birthday party, it starts at 7:00 on a Saturday night and it’s at a mutual friend’s house you’ve never been to that is quite a ways a way. What kind of information would you want to know?

5: I’d just run a MapQuest and just get the general idea of where it’s at. It’s not super important to be on time.

Unless it’s a surprise party

3: I think I would use it just to know up until what time I can still plan other things that day

1: I think just to get a sense with MapQuest of what the general area is like; it wouldn’t be a big factor

6: I would want to know if a highway or something is closed, like are we going to get there and then find out that our route has been shut down

Facilitator: Kari made a good comment about what she could do up to that time.

you just have to fit so many things into the day so you need to know what time do I need to be ready, in the car, pulling out of the driveway

I have kids too, I have a schedule and there are things that I like to know more information so I can work right up to that point

Facilitator: Shane mentioned earlier about going out of town, let’s say you were going to go out of town for the weekend and you hadn’t ever been there before, but you know just from traffic reports that sometimes it can be heavy traffic on holiday weekends, would you use a system like that to help you decide what time to leave?

4: I would have included construction

Fishing and hunting

5: alternate routes

Especially going through like Chicago, because I would have no clue

6: Not to determine when I want to leave, just to know that there is already traffic there…

5 people want additional times to save tome

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Facilitator: So there’s value in knowing that you are going to get stuck?

If you leave at 2 or 1 save you a whole hour

Facilitator: Would you want the system to show you if you left an hour earlier, it would take you this long…

Yes

Yeah

Or what if you said I want to arrive at 2:00, what if it gave you the results first 1:30, and 2:30 and 2:00.

Like when you’re searching for an airplane flight…

Facilitator: So how big a window time do you want it to show you? Do you want to see the whole day?

5: at least half an hour

Facilitator: For a longer trip

10: Maybe see peak traffic times throughout the entire day, like a timeline

9: Or like Triple A, those trip text things, I’ve used those in the past when I’m travelling out of state or on long journeys, they help you kind of plan when you want to lodge and take your hotel, or when I travelled through metropolitan areas especially I wouldn’t want to be there during certain times of the day, during certain times of the week so I sort of do plan around that when I’m travelling in unknown regions and places.

7: It would be nice to have like cities along the way, where you’d want to stop for dinner

Sightseeing

Gas stations

Every bathroom along the way

3/4/9/1: say not change mode

6: may take train or plane

Facilitator: If you were going to go on a longer trip, Duluth, Chicago, would that change where you may plan to stay the night.

Or you plan other activities or other events, take in sightseeing

160

Would it change how you went, bus, train

No

What about fuel costs

Tolls

If I looked at my trip and figured out I’d be stuck in construction zones that would change how and when I did my trip

Facilitator: Ok, different scenario, neighbor is going to be out of the country for 3 months and all the neighbors have volunteered that one day a week they would take turns feeding the cat. You have to pick what day of the week you have to stop by this house because you need an extra 10 minutes. What’s the day I can still sleep or feed the cat?

Not much of a response

If it was a dog…

Facilitator: Ok, so what other kind of things…Jill you have a job that’s more flexible

Well I’m just all over the place, a lot of times I’ve never been there

Facilitator: Well is there a scenario where you would use the system to help you pick a day to do something?

9: I travel a lot from between St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis, but I also go to outlying areas like savage, Birdsville, and I’m in the north. I’d like to know, I mean I have a lot of different ways to get around the hook, I’d like to know, I’m not always up on Twins or Vikings games, or big giant concerts that come to town and stuff like that, so I kind of feel if I had that knowledge to avoid 35 or to avoid 694, or to avoid 100, I’d like to know that, or 94 is closed, I can’t keep up with all those closures and stuff, like if I had to go down to Woodbury and I had to get on 280, and I got on 280 and I had to get on 94 or some area and now it’s closed and I didn’t know that, I would be really in trouble, I would look bad to my clients and a lot of things hinge on that, I’m a grant writer and if I don’t show up early and ready to appraise their programs, I’m not helping them to raise their funds. I’m already starting out in a really bad light, and they retain me to do badly. I feel like I have to be a fortune teller to decide when to schedule my calendar, I have an electronic calendar but I also have a manual one that overrides my electronic one based on information that I gather. So this would help me a lot.

6: use to make appointment time

Facilitator: Would it help you, say, you are going to be in the Thursday karate class because it’s better than the Monday?

- Yes

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3: I think so many other things factor in besides that traffic, I mean you kind of just make do with the traffic.

9: I utilize my husband in those situations, like if I’m stuck. I make a phone call and say I can’t get to that game; you have to pick them up from that game. So there are a lot of communication factors that if you don’t have accurate information or can’t foresee certain events, this tool would help you to foresee some of those unknowns that we don’t have access to now

11: I think it would be vital, because if I have to get to locations I have to know the fastest way to get there

Facilitator: So here’s another example, say they dropped off groceries to support your local farms and you can go anytime from 8 and 2 on Saturday to a church 20 minutes away to pick up your bags, how would you decide when to get them.

5: I would structure it around other things going on that day, that wouldn’t be crucial

Vary certain times, a big window

6: do every week so you’re going to know

That’s not something that happens every day so it would be good to know what the conditions are like

Facilitator: What information could the system give you that would be helpful? When you talk about a window of time, would you like to be able to say I can go between 8 and 2 would you like it to show you the best time to go?

7: I’d like to see the latest

9: I think that the latest scenario is always better, because time management is always valued

10: Real time congestion reports

6: set up account with roads travelled with regular updates

10: Maybe some alerts

9: But would we be so inundated with accident reports, I don’t think I could manage that, which would just annoy me

3: If you drove the same commute 5 days a week and you just inputted that into the system and then signed up your cell phone for alerts during those time frames. Like if I work 8-5 and know I’m going to be on that road from 7:15 to 8, and it gave you alerts just during that time frame

1: subscribe to alerts

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9: I would rather rely on the highway crash ahead or the radio, but in terms of planning, I don’t know if I’d want that to be bombarding my media or smart phone

Facilitator: Would you want those alerts to be going to anyone else, like your boss or your spouse?

No (all agree)

Facilitator: We are going to talk a little bit more now about the words that we are using come up with some more words. One of the concepts we are going to talk about is kind of these ranges of times, so I’m going to give you an example here; Bob and Fred are neighbors and they work in the same offices but they take different routes to work and there is a long standing argument across about who has the best way to go to work. So they are always arguing about this so they decide to keep track, so for two weeks they pull out of their driveway at the same time every day and they go their separate routes and keep track of what time they get to the office. So here is there trip log for two weeks, so what do we notice about both. They are going different routes.

9: Fred has a lot of unreliable factors; he’s having some big problems

5: Bob speeds

I think Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are real big travel days for Fred

3: Bob is not consistent

7: Fred is consistent

4: Bob seems more efficient, he seems right on time, or barely early or barely late, he’s not wasting a lot of time sitting in his car

1: It seems like Bob plans more in advance

10: Fred has more variance

Fred kind of realizes freeway and surface routes

Facilitator: So if you had to fill in a blank about this, and say Bob’s way is _____

Reliable

More efficient

Predictable

Facilitator: I want to take bob’s way because it

- works

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- is reliable

Facilitator: More fill in the blanks. System is going to tell you, comparing different times. There is a _____ that travel time will be worse at 4 than it is at 2.

8: Becky- possibility

11; don’t think possibility is strong enough

Facilitator: What if I said there is a 25% possibility? Would that mean anything to you?

3: likelihood

5: indicator

1: prediction

6: percentage

Time tip

Facilitator: is there anyone you really like or hate

8: I think likelihood is a strong word, a very good chance

7: Certainty is pretty strong

Facilitator: Do you think the system should have some kind of descriptor like that, that tells you like how sure it is or have a little indicator.

Certain likelihood would be really good

Probabilities

7: I think that chance is like weathermen, chance of rain who knows what that means

Facilitator: Here’s the next one. Travel time on the street or highway _____ from Monday to Tuesday

Just sucks

I don’t see impossible on there

Time consuming, slow

Facilitator: If we had the system try and tell us something…sounds like there are some words up there like varies

9: fluctuates

164

Is different

5: I like the percentage

7: Increases or decreases

Facilitator: How is this percentage better than 20% chance?

Maybe you don’t want to go on Monday vs. Tuesday, it’s helping you in your decision making ability

6: 20% worse than what?

Increases or decreases from Monday to Tuesday

5: What difference? 5 minutes or 15 minutes

I like the percentage in this one

More definitive, 10 minutes longer

Yeah, a time would be good

Facilitator: Same day, same route how does it change across time of day?

2: increases or decreases

10: congested

Delayed

11: adjusted

5: like percent, how so put 30 % longer

1: I want numbers (5/11 others agree)

Facilitator: In terms of the system does it lessen the credibility using phrases like loosens up, maybe you want something more

4: if it were slang, for me but my mom would be like what?

5: I want some numbers to give me something of magnitude

1: I feel like if there’s numbers it will seem more valid, and people won’t feel like they are wasting time

Facilitator: That road is ______ on Friday afternoons.

4: at a dead stop or heavy

165

Untravellable

11: One hot mess

Facilitator: We thought about this idea of a level

Something like that

Completely flogged and you’re never going to move out of it

Expect long delays

Congestion is expected on this road

Facilitator: and so on that could I substitute there is construction expect long delay, you would want kind of the why

Yeah (most agree)

It’s a little more comforting knowing why

4: like those overhead signs, when they give the number of minutes

Facilitator: you think those signs should also have a why, right now they just say the number of minutes…

I like that

It usually says like crash

Proceed with caution, they’ll tell you what’s coming up

Facilitator: Ok, here’s a set of messages that might be about taking alternate routes, so now to comparing two types

Someone in New York in Brooklyn got in front of one of those traffic signs and they changed it to the politician’s name?

11: has less traffic

Facilitator: so on those, I’m hearing a lot of less congested type messages, is that specific enough?

5: well we’re also learning from the words you said before

So if they were heavily number oriented

4: 15 minutes fast

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9: Preferable

Facilitator: What if you put in your trip into the system and you could take highway A or highway B for your trip is 15 minutes longer, or preferable. What do you think people want?

15 minutes longer

Or a recommendation, maybe they are going to make a recommendation based on why

Based on time, the timeframe

Facilitator: Bob and Fred, we talked about how Bob was more predictable. Is that valuable to you?

I want a percentage

6: I want to know the variation

Facilitator: So would give you information about the range or variation…

Yeah, that’s something I want to know

1: if you’re planning a onetime trip, saying it’s consistent won’t really be helpful I feel like unless you’re planning for like every day of the week and what time I should leave in the morning, then it would be more helpful, not the onetime thing

Facilitator: risky, volatile

10: you just need something like a number or color code

9: I think if it were less volatile, I’d like to know why, Hwy A is less volatile than Hwy B because Hwy A contains no construction where Hwy B is just slammed with construction, bridge work, bridge cleaning, whatever. I’d like to know why.

Facilitator: Ok, here’s one about other…take the bus.

More dependable

Quicker

Faster

More comfortable

More reliable

More convenient

More dependable maybe instead of predictable

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Dependable, more like reliable

-numbers you know, not someone making the decision

I think with the numbers you are making your own decision, while with just dependable you are kind of letting them make your decision

Giving over you control

Facilitator: Still look at it and add some more based on your own criteria. Friend tells you he’s going to take 20-45 minutes to get to where you are so it is ______ that it will take you 20 minutes. If someone gave you a range, how would you talk…?

Probable

Certain

6: typical

7: on average

11: absolute

5: you gave the range of what it will be

Facilitator: You think it’s going to be 20 minutes but just to be safe you added 20 minutes, so what language would you use for that extra time you added?

6: drive time

5: buffer

Leeway

Transport

9: cushion

Facilitator: _____ the travel time will be worse on Monday than Tuesday.

3: guaranteed

Anticipated

More like a forecast

We don’t want to be reminded about the weather problems, avoid weather words

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What kind of people would or would not use a system like this? Julie you mentioned your mom might not like something like this…

4: she would use it when she came into town because she’s not familiar with the city at all, so it would have some reassurance with the road traffic and weather and all those variables would make her more comfortable driving here

7: I don’t think I would use it if didn’t work overnight

9: Truck drivers would really like it, dispatchers. We have a lot of truck drivers in our inner city areas here and if they were a little more knowledgeable, I think they account for some of our problems

Delivery people

4: Sales people

5: anyone with appointments set in advance

6: godsend for metro transit

Facilitator: Would this help to decide whether or not to take a job or what shift you would want to take?

5: absolutely I think it has a lot of stress relief to those who have a horrible commute

Facilitator: house hunting?

You would do that for your work location

7; that’s what I just did, 20 mile radius around the city, probably not more helpful than regular Mapquest.

1: I think it would be more helpful for people who are in sales and have been doing that for a while, they don’t really need the directions but the travel time would be really helpful

9: Even if I wasn’t doing the travelling I was, I’ve taken the backwards commute time and scheduled shifts because of that, also I was opposite the commute. I would choose a career or a job to avoid the traffic specifically especially in winter.

Facilitator: What do you think people would misunderstand about the system?

9: historical, if it doesn’t give me exactly the weight that they are utilizing, it’s going to take them a while to build up that, it would be nice to know what they are basing their recommendations or decisions on

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1: percents, if they’re based of nothing, if there aren’t any facts behind it people won’t understand where they are coming from, they have to be backed up somehow

6: if you put all of this information in just one page it’s going to be overwhelming and confusing, you need to be able to select a menu, need a basic summary

10: what users could check boxes of the information they would want

Home page or whatever

Preferences

9: I want to be able to print , I don’t want ads, I don’t want color, I like the user preferences, like topic buttons that could give me more information. I want more, more is better than less sometimes

7: Other languages?

Facilitator: Do you think you would pay to use this?

No (most agree)

6: some would if sold software

3: phone apps

Facilitator: What if there was Google maps plus? Annual subscription?

9: companies would pay for it, if it is going to save them money but I don’t think the average customer would pay in this economy

Facilitator: Would you pay to add on to the nav system or XM radio?

I go on and figure out what I need and I would like to know about the construction and if the road is closed, that’s it

6: Unless it’s included in your membership with Triple A or something like the Trip Ticket things, you’re paying for something but it’s just an additional add on, cushioned in one time a year or something

Facilitator: Who do you think should be providing this information?

I don’t think government should be in charge of it

Unless it’s coming through our excess stimulus money

It would be convenient if a smaller business would do it

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Minneapolis Focus Group Transcription 2 1: Patty- car, work on time and meet up with children, took 15 minutes for 25 miles

2: Todd- car, 20 miles for every trip

3: Karen- car, lot less time in the mornings, like to be punctual but it’s difficult to get to her soccer games at 6:30 when you can’t leave work early

4: Gary- car, 23 miles in a half hour, today 45 minutes because of all the stoplights, going to work is important, amateur baseball games can be hard to make it to

5: Wesley- personal car, 30 minutes to get to work in the morning, 35-40 minutes to get home from work, work

6: Jason- personal car, all time important, no traffic 10 minutes

7: Janine- personal car, 15-20 minutes, flight/ work/ kids

8: Faye- 15 min- 45 min, kids/work

9: -----

10: Cindy- personal car or bus

11: Elizabeth- drives then takes bus, flexible work time

Facilitator: Brainstorm about what kind of things make you early or late, traffic…

10: rain or snow

5: traffic

2: not having gas, so having to get off the freeway and get gas

6: accidents

8: oversleep

7: getting lost

7: other passengers that don’t care

1: distracted drivers

- 1: road construction

10: people reading while driving

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3: events

2: surprise road construction

1: cleaning the streets, peripheral stuff

5: detours

2: plowing/ snow removal

Ice

5: busses, don’t signal or anything

7: trains, light rail

Braking

5: leaving early

1: ignore lights

2: driving strategy

Facilitator: What things affect the time it takes to make regular, repeating trips?

7: carpool lanes

4: construction

10: a lot of those are knowable, like you know the weather so you plan your trip accordingly

2: Fridays going out to the lake

11: School schedule, summer is way easier. During the school year during the Gopher game at UMN it can get pretty bad

Students are a big issue because they don’t pay attention to the traffic laws so traffic goes much slower during the day when they are going back and forth from class

1: Avoid rush hour, plan the day and accommodate around rush hour

2: Communication when there is a traffic accident, radio, TV and freeway signs that let you know the details of the time it will take to work around the accidents

5: Watch the news for the traffic reports

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More repeating…

6: Holidays

1: State Fair traffic

2: What time of the day you are travelling

5: Weekends vs. weekdays

10: Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays are the worst days for traffic jams

7: I think it depends on the Time of the Day for Monday

Facilitator: By how many minutes does this affect your regular trip?

4: snow, easily add 45 minutes for accidents or people going slow. In the summer time we have horse racing so Saturday’s. Labor Day weekends can be horrible. Add nothing really for sports. Occasionally on weekends, yeah.

Facilitator: How did you arrive at your commute number?

1: normal, 75% of the time

10: best case, now tomorrow I’m going to Minneapolis, although it’s 25 miles it will only take me 20 minutes because it’s the middle of the day, I’m taking the freeway and I know how to squirrel around the streets to get where I’m going. But if it were an appointment at 8:00 then it would be around 45 minutes because I know the traffic is going to bog down.

6: I think we subconsciously think it will take this long or this long, so unless outside factors we use the best case scenario

2: Commute longer after work but I don’t have to be anywhere at a certain time so it’s more relaxed, so it might take me 40-45 minutes to get home I don’t really put that in the equation to what it takes to get to work. So I guess my time isn’t a true average just thinking how I process it.

10: Morning time is critical time because you have to get to work

3: I put a range because it’s 45 coming but always more going home

Facilitator: How did you decide what time to leave to come here today?

5: work right around the corner but I left a little bit earlier because I knew traffic would be bad on 159 and I got here right on the dot at 6:00. But I left at like 5:10, 5:15 so it took me longer to get here than it took to get to work

7: should have taken 5 minutes but it took 25

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4: took an hour, anticipated hitting all stoplights based on experience

2: asked someone who came yesterday, had an idea but he said it would only take t minutes

1: I assumed downtown would be tangled so I left 20 minutes early

10: I would have gotten here way early, it took me only 25 minutes but I kept missing the turnoff and had to keep going around until I called someone at home who used the computer on MapQuest

7: MapQuest was wrong, it told me to Betty Crocker but I didn’t see it

11: Google Maps told me 19 minutes but I knew it would be more than that because of rush hour

Facilitator: How do you think a Map System comes up with numbers like that?

11: I don’t know I always assumed that they did it assuming free flow traffic

8: On the site it says different things about the freeway and you can click on detour or something

I’ve never used that, but I’ve seen it

10: I Googled this time and it had a wrong map

I usually use Yahoo but that didn’t give actual street

7: I use a GPS but it’s an older model so I haven’t updated it and it’s not always right

Facilitator: Where do you think these systems are getting their information?

6: average speed mileage calculation

7: best case scenario

11: same trip at night it wouldn’t have taken me 19 minutes

some of those GPS have the mileage as your going rate on the system, you left at 5:30 at whatever miles an hour you’ll get there 10 minutes to 6:00

Facilitator: Mapquest tells you the same travel time all the time. Is the travel time always the same?

5: don’t trust what they say I just get the address from the site

7: GPS does adjust because it knows how fast you are driving

2: A few years ago I took public transportation bus and there is a new system that they have like a Real Time that says if the bus is on schedule it must be some type of interactive GPS system that they have

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10: Busses are almost right on the money from pick up to when they drop you off, it has to be a pretty bad traffic to make them late because they use the shoulders and things

Facilitator: Do you think any of these systems take into account the things we mentioned earlier?

Yeah

8: even if the GPS I might still get lost but it will detour you as well and has fastest time and shortest distance options

Facilitator: When you make these adjustments what kind of words do you use? What kind of phrases do you use?

11: compensate

6: common sense

5: guesstimate

1: past experience

Facilitator: Fill in the blank…

First

3: about

5: approximate

2: around

8: probably

Hopefully

Second

3: between

5: about

6: approximately

5: practically

Third

3, 6: most

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1: some

3: you can use the word like “all of the time” but it’s always going to be maybe

Facilitator: What do you think is the phrase you would use most often?

4: about 20 minutes

1: if you control it you can say most of the time

2: There are some intangibles, even if there is a place where traffic is always going there are times that I’ve been at a standstill. That happens rarely but it happens and it really surprises me.

10: Tonight, usually north on 100 is backed up but it was backed up a lot longer. Could you imagine sitting in traffic for that many miles? That’s horrible.

Facilitator: So what kind of wording is used to describe that road?

4: unpredictable

11: narrower (road itself)

6, 4: problematic

1: all the stoplight you are inviting trouble, potential for accidents and traffic- potentially dangerous

Frustrating

7: road changed, moved, going different ways, very unpredictable, so you have to take different routes to get there

5: catastrophic

2: 3 words to describe whether a road is good or bad: it’s built to do something, it’s equipped or it’s designed. The words I would typically used on whether I think the road is going to be a good choice or not.

Facilitator: Explanation of the new system…

5: Location, well known that you don’t speed on a certain road, even if you are going 5 over you are going to get pulled over, other places I wouldn’t be as concerned about speeding.

Does it track individual vehicles?

Amount of time from the front tires to the back tires?

Will it report you to the police department?

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Privacy concern?

11: if there were cameras, yes

I would not be comfortable with technology in my car

10: They already have technology in your car

6: Is it designed to get from point A to B in a sufficient amount of time, or easy or is it designed to make the human mind say I’m sitting in traffic

10: I think it gives you an element of control back about the route you take, and knowing ahead of time it’s going to take 30 minutes instead of 20 minutes or it will give you alternate routes.

3: You can’t obviously change the road or widen lanes, is it to make things more efficient? Benefits

Facilitator: Do you think there is value in the ease of mind part?

6: A person has to be at work at a certain time…and you are going to encounter weather and traffic, but I’m just not grasping the point

I think the other benefit would be that there would be something to tell you situations

But if it snowed this day and then snowed 2 inches on Monday, how will that work?

Facilitator: I think the idea is that you have your own personal memory your trip or the roads you are on, so you know that when it snows you have to leave early, and he might need 45 minutes. But if someone just moved here they wouldn’t know that, so a system like this might be helpful if you are going all the way town or to a place you aren’t familiar. So it’s kind of taking everyone’s experience and putting it into the system. It sounds like it will be more valuable if it makes travel more efficient.

- Well is the system just predicting the cars travelling a certain speed that time of day?

- is it real time?

Facilitator: It’s both. It makes prediction based on the past.

2: it’s just predictions. Anytime you take data and take a systematic way of using it and you gain results it’s a scientific process. If we were to take out all the systems helping us and we were to drive with all the construction, we would have no idea. What could happen worst case scenario, people would adjust themselves. We have no idea how fully this helps us out.

Facilitator: What kind of situations would this be helpful in?

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10: I would want to know if there is a traffic jam or an accident, something I need to look out for or reroute myself because or, more interested in what’s happening right now

11: I think it would be good to use in the winter because of snow, it can add hours to a commute, it always surprises me how long it takes

5: Hard to guesstimate a time because every situation, every day is different. This weekend won’t be like next, and this Monday won’t be like next Monday.

Facilitator: It may not be something you use every day. It may be something that you want to look at to figure out when you want to work.

3: I think it would be useful too because sometimes you are waiting to hear the traffic report or listening to the radio. And if you have a smart phone you can just type it in.

Facilitator: I’m talking about planning for a trip or choosing a work schedule. Not talking about real time today, but more of a MapQuest for a specific date.

10: Ok so two weeks from now, I’m in Anoga and I need to be in Shockapee at 6:30, so I’m going to type in where I want to be, and the date and the time I need to be there. Is that what you are trying to do? By compiling all the information I’m going to get an estimate on how long it’s going to take me.

6: How is the info relayed to us? And what kind of media?

BREAK

Facilitator: Where would you want to access this information?

8: internet

1: when reading email

5: automatic number, voice recognition

10: voice recognition

Facilitator: Is “what time you want to arrive” the right question?

6: arrival time

8: Where are you starting from, a lot of these places have the same name, city and state

10: Zip code, starting from city is enough but I would want more information on where I’m going

1: Intersections

7: Street address

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Phone number

11: Day of week

2: There are already systems in place where the program it where you can put in a common place. There are other common denominators they could put in the system.

1: Use grocery store

10: Could be problems but there is a Lowertown, St. Paul and in Minneapolis

Facilitator: Sue: point on a map?

2: sure why not

7: if you are planning a trip

11: a lot of times people may not know where on the map

10: directionally challenged people that I’ve had to deal with that go right and need to turn left, or don’t know north

2: voice recognition

Facilitator: Want to be able to say departure time instead of arrival time.

5: it would be good to automatically tell you how much time it would take to go back, roundtrip

That would be hard though because I want to leave home by 7:30 and all the options I can’t get there until 8:30. Does that just put me back out of the system again?

Facilitator: You could put in what time you needed to be there and it would tell you what time to leave.

2: Say you are starting a new job or going to a new place in the rush hour, if you leave at one time it takes you 45 minutes, if you leave 30 minutes earlier it will only take 20 minutes. It would be nice to see the big picture.

1: How about alternative routes? What if I didn’t want to take the interstate? What route would it recommend?

11: Metro shows you options

3: MapQuest you can on the map where they draw your route you can click on it and move it yourself, but you have to know the other options

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Facilitator: So we talked earlier about highways, and how some have random things happen. I think we all kind of have those gut feelings about roads that are problematic. Is that why you want to know about alternative routes? How could I tell you that route A is more problematic?

1: maybe you could have the feature on there, like stoplights, what is the average rate of speed, you go 55 and then you stop you go 55 and then you stop. If you are interested in saving gas or mileage that would be important to know.

Especially people who are new to the area, if you are going westbound on 36 it’s not a problem but if you are going eastbound it’s bumper to bumper every afternoon. For a person who doesn’t know that they would get stuck.

5: You could punch in alternate routes and it could tell you, some people want to know and some don’t, it could be a side feature. Or show you roads and extra streets when you are going to work.

Facilitator: If the likelihood that something could go wrong on one road compared to the other, how could the system tell you that?

They can have the statistics available, how many accidents have happened in the past 3 months

3: If you are just trying to use it quickly you aren’t going to look at that.

You would give the average time travelled, but this is also the range of average times. It’s about the facts and not about the accidents.

It’s what we get already

2: Just give us 3 numbers, a range, average, average low and average high

1: Identify 2 lanes vs. 4 lanes

4: Want set point

10: To have that set point, but to be able to click more options

5: You aren’t the same as everyone else; I just need to know where I am going and when I am going to be there

6: Any voice recognition is terrible

Facilitator: Do you want the system to tell you how sure it is of its estimate?

10: Do you think anyone would believe in it 100%?

11: I would want to know

7: Would be easy to put a rating

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2: Say this is what we believe it will be but someone took this route today and this is what it was, kind of like a benchmark. It could give you as close as possible.

10: Is it possible to ask the computer, the database, to track for the next four weeks because in the next four weeks I am going to go this route? You can ask a personal database question?

3: It would be cool to have like a percentage assurance. It would be useful the first few times but after a while you could figure it out.

Facilitator: What do you think the output should be? Like a range?

3: I know a lot of people print them out. I would think something simpler. I don’t need pages of Mapquest in my car before.

11: Like a weather report, main info on the top and the details below

Facilitator: So is a single number enough, do you want to know the range?

Range (all agree)

6: Feel more at ease with a range

Facilitator: Scenarios, specific trips…

Facilitator: Appointment with a new doctor, part of town you aren’t familiar with…

5: Usually give myself an hour, and that’s for anything, an hour should be long enough to find your way

11: Use MapQuest

7: Use MapQuest and then adjust it, mentally estimate

8: I’m the boss so I don’t have to tell in advance

2: Interactive feedback saying the route is on time, or you are 5 minutes behind or ahead, interactive feedback from you GPS that knows your route

6: It would be good if we were going somewhere and didn’t know anything about traffic, already know the traffic patterns here so if I was travelling it would be more useful (4 agrees)

6: In this city? No

8: Based on what he was saying do you think it would make that big of a difference?

When I was on 94 a lot my GPS lets me know if I am running behind and then I can call my boss and let him know that I’m late, for communicating purposes it’s good

Facilitator: Would anyone use it for the doctor scenario?

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10 and 11 would use

3: I don’t know if I would, my choice for a similar circumstance was leaving late or early so I just chose

I would if it was important for me to get there

1: I would use it if I was relatively new to the area, or a metropolitan area

I think it’s too much information for me

Facilitator: Aerobic class…what type of info would you like to know to help with this decision?

I picked Monday Wednesday because I didn’t want to do it on Friday

11: Wouldn’t occur to me that there was a difference

5: Taking time to go to the system you are going to be late anyway

Facilitator: Friend’s birthday party…would you use it?

1: Yes because it’s harder to find a residence

5: No, be late anyway

8: No

Easier to find distances

Yeah

4: Would use it- offer the best route, the speed of it

2: System offers perspective, it’s a tool. In trusting that it came to the conclusion it did, it makes it pertinent.

Facilitator: Trip to Duluth. Would that be helpful?

6: Time on a longer trip isn’t as important unless you had to be there at a specific time (7, 10, 8 agree)

2: Long distance trips you don’t want to go to Chicago during rush hour, I think it would be helpful finding routes

Facilitator: Trying to do something before you leave, neighbor’s cat.

11: Don’t think most people would operate that way, if they are talking to their neighbor about feeding their cat I don’t think people would take the time to check that

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5: Databases estimated time you use when you don’t know it, if you grew up there or live in that area you know how long it is going to take to commute there

8: It all depends on how far you are, you could also estimate that

Facilitator: New topic. Words you would use to describe things. Bob and Fred are neighbors…

Whose is better?

11: Fred is more variable

6: Fred is just way off

He’s way early or way late

1: It may say something about Bob and Fred’s personalities too, Fred likes to take risks and Bob likes things set and predictable

10: Bob would use the system

It looks like Fred likes to be self reliant, he makes his own decisions

Facilitator: So what would you say about the roads that they take?

10: Bob’s way is a very predictable route

6: Bob’s route is more direct

4: Fred is hitting more stoplights

Traffic jams

Facilitator: Bob’s way is…

11: Better

4: Dependable

More thorough

7: Reliable

4: Efficient

7: Predictable

4: Unbelievable

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Facilitator: Is that a word you would use to describe a road that has fewer traffic jams? Predictable?

Fewer, yes

Less problematic

6: Efficient

Facilitator: More fill in the blanks…

One of the things the system might tell you is about the time of day. What kind of word or phrase would we say, there is a _____ that travel time will be worse at 4 than 2.

6: Chance and possibilities, like the weather

More understanding if you are reading data, more than a percentage

7: Chance sounds like it could not be that frequent, not strong enough

Assessments, trust it based on numbers that have been crunched

1: Likelihood

8: Assumptions

Facilitator: Travel time ______...

5: Steady

8: Varies and changes

11: Increases and decreases

4: Fluctuates

5 people want to know the direction it’s fluctuating

2: If it’s just a little bit varies is a good word, if it changes a direct deal you may want the direction, depends on the change you get

4: Horrible

5: Congested

Decreases

Increases

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Facilitator: Traffic is ______ on Friday afternoon at 4:30.

3: Heavy

4: Stopped

5: Worse

Congested

7: Like chance, I want something more definite

4: Agrees with red alert, level 5, answers shorthand (several agree)

3: Rather have level than like a red alert or something

6: Visual

1: Red/yellow/green

Facilitator: How much time does this have to save you to be worthwhile?

11: For me it would be more worth it for the sense of security, so that I know where I’m going and how long it will take me. I just want to know how long it will take and if it’s 15 or 20 minutes I don’t care.

8: I get to work whenever I get there, but I don’t want to be stuck in traffic. I don’t want to spend time waiting…I just hate when I’m driving 20 and could be driving 30.

Facilitator: What do you think people would misunderstand?

1: My brain goes straight to real time.

Facilitator: Who do you think would use this?

10: Somebody who is new to the city

3: Someone who already uses search engines like that

10: Different city

I think if it looks the same as like your MapQuest I don’t know if someone would be that willing to switch to it. If it was more obvious and you knew the advantages.

5: Distance is a factor

2: Usability and the ease of use are going to make it a wide road or a narrow road, and also the partnerships that you get, like the smart phones. It could be like you get in your car, push a button and it

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already knows where you are going and it tells you your predicted time travel just by pushing that button. It could be real simple.

Facilitator: Who do you think should be providing this information?

6: Depends on business aspect

If it’s free

3: Maybe if it’s the news station and they say “we got this from…”

5, 6: MnDOT more credible

1: I just researched MnDOT and I didn’t understand it, and that’s the government. I would like to see a private company take it over

7: Partnership

8: Private company would charge

Facilitator: Would you be willing to pay?

Not willing to pay for it

Mapquest makes money from advertising

6: If it was part of satellite radio or something for your phone, or said real time then it might be worth it

2: Free 411- listen to advertisement, it’s a turnoff

3: If it’s a onetime thing like an IPhone application

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Seattle Focus Group Transcription 1 Intros

- 1: car, work/airport, 35 min (Tracy)

- 2: car, daughter transport/work, 10 minutes (Lori)

- 3: car, work/airport, 40 minutes from work (Carla)

- 4: car/bus, work/airport, 50 minutes from N. Seattle (Pam)

- 5: car, work/airport, 50 minutes from N. Seattle (Sarah)

- 6: car/ bus, work/childcare, 30 minutes (Shandra)

- 7: car/bus, work, 20 min (Theresia)

- 8: car, work/airport, 45 min (Jennifer)

- 9: car/carpooling, work/airport, 45 min (Paul)


- 1: Accidents- late

- 8: Time of day- either

- 7: Waking up late- late

- Kids- usually late

- 9: other drivers

- 7: Sports game- late

- 1: Flooding - late

- 8: Weather – usually late

- 6: Construction- late

- More or less traffic than expected- both

- 9: # of people in the car, picking up carpool

Facilitator: What things affect the time it takes to make a regular, repeating trip?

- 3: Route

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- 6: taking the bus, leave early to get there early, have to be somewhere at 12, leave at 10

-Day of the week, Friday afternoon traffic is worst

- 3, 4, 5, 9: Traffic worse near the school

- 3: Major employers, some offer flex times, own shuttles, Microsoft has own exit? spit out 10,000 people at 4:00- happens

- Holidays

- 4: Planning to take down hwy 99, create a lot more traffic and mess, major construction

Facilitator: Of the things we talked about, how many minutes…how different would it have been Sunday afternoon?

- 6: 10 minutes

- 8: 30 minutes

- Carpool, parking lots

- 4: 20 minutes, hit back ups that last like 5-10 minutes

Facilitator: How did you guess what time to leave?

- Look at what you normally would, go by where you are coming from, typically how long it would take and maybe give yourself a window of time.

- Work in Tacoma, take hwy depending on traffic

- 3: Drove far to get there, most unpredictable hwy to here (many agree)

- Accidents, because of the things they listed before, the hwy was the most unpredictable

- Back highway, even amount of freeway, more lights

Facilitator: How did you arrive at the number that it took you to get here?

- 3: Used an average, how long it would usually take from point a to b

- Typical

- Most: MapQuest and Google Maps

- 3: Worst case- MapQuest said 19 minutes, gave herself 45 minutes, work gives herself 5 minutes

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- 8: DOT website

- Navigation system

- Navigation in phone says estimated time and accounts for traffic

Facilitator: Where does it get that information?

- 7: It knows the distance and knows the speed limits on the streets

- Based on the address, point a to point b

- 4: Map Quest is like the best case scenario; don’t think it accounts for traffic

- 5: Google Maps they think accounts for traffic now

Facilitator: Do you trust that?

- 7: Best case/worst case

- Been pretty reliable, I5 at 5:30 is usually worse so she got there earlier than expected, I5 is usually backed up

- Metro online has a trip planner, tells longer way or more buses, call and give shorter time

- Used Google maps and Mapquest and gotten 2 different directions with 2 different times

Facilitator: Where do they actually get those times?

- Navigation systems if you want to avoid the freeway makes a lot of changes and can give you more options

Facilitator: Who do you believe when conflicting?

- Worst case or neither

Facilitator: Do you think the travel time it gives is the same regardless of the day of the week?

- Don’t think they know what day of the week

- 2: MapQuest is usually always the same, tells you the amount of miles

- 8: Traffic vs. not traffic

- Don’t think it knows about school schedules or holidays

- 3: Don’t think they care about anything but giving the direction and telling them how long it should take to get there

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- With growing technology, maybe they should consider that before people stop using them

Facilitator: Do you think they might suggest a different route based on that time of day?

10: yes

- You have to choose those, you have to specify what time of day you want to use

Facilitator: All made adjustment, how do people talk about this? What words would you use?

- Window of time

Facilitator: Fill in the blank kinda thing…It will take

- About

- Approximately

- Maybe

9: More than

Facilitator: Range…

- Between

- Around

- About

- From…to…

- Most of the time

- Some of the time

- Rarely

Facilitator: Most people would use

- Number

- About

- Approximately

Facilitator: New system like MapQuest with all the extra features, trying to find out what features people want to see in it. Lets you put in an address, it has some knowledge about all the factors we’ve talked about. A lot comes from sensors in the roads, not invading privacy. 10 years of data and

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information taken. Not tracking you but reading your driving. Will know if there is road construction, if it rained between 2 and 4, flood, icy, football game, accident, will recognize when everyone is going 20 mph because of an accident. Is this valuable?

-8: awesome, especially in this area. Rather than giving yourself all that time. You never know how long of a trip. To be able to say pretty accurately going to take

3: very unpredictable around here, having the means to tell you what’s happening right now on average in the area would be very resourceful

4: reduce anxiety, save time

Don’t know where you are going, it would be nice too

1: Most helpful would be when you don’t know at all versus around here, wouldn’t use it as much around here. When I’m not knowing where I’m going it would be super helpful

Facilitator: Do you think info would be more valuable during the trip or before you left, like when you are planning the trip?

Both

8, 6: Before (couple agree)

5: Maybe also during, because conditions can change pretty rapidly

9: Maybe use on longer trips that last 45 minutes- hour, if a trip is only a 20 minute trip is only 20 minutes long you are less likely to run into an accident but if the trip is longer you are more likely to run into something

Facilitator: Start to cross into what’s happening today, right now, in real time vs. the 10 years in the past. On your trip, how would knowing that history help you? If you looked before you left for the trip and now you’re an hour into your trip would you want to be able to see something from the system to tell you? What kind of decision would that help you make?

-9: around here, one big decision is 405 or I5 if you’re going from south to north and it could say if to do either one.

- 2, 3: Help give you an alternate route

Facilitator: How many of you came from further north than the split? Were the signs that showed the comparison times, were those on?

We start right at the split, not sure

3: find the signs to not be very accurate, usually read longer than it actually takes, giving the worst case

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Facilitator: Would you want the system to tell you an average or the worst case?

- If it could do both

- Average

- 8: let me know which one it was giving, the average or the worst case, like to give 30 minutes for parking and not knowing where I’m going

- 1: if it could tell me where to park that would be awesome

Facilitator: What other kind of situations would you see the system being helpful in?

Parking

Nearest gas station is useful

Facilitator: What kind of trips would you the system for?

Road trips/ visit family, plan ahead of time

City or part of town you aren’t as familiar with

Facilitator: Which route to take, would a system like this help you decide?

9: in an area I didn’t know, I’ve been around Seattle my whole life, a different city I’d for sure like to use that

I think also which routes have carpool and which don’t, if you are on a freeway and you have a carpool it would be nice to know which routes if you have a choice

Facilitator: So what about the carpool made you want to take it?

because it was during commute hours so not as many people are taking carpool and that means the commute is faster, generally more predictable, still accidents you can’t account for

Not sure it’s as predictable, commutes every day, usually when the freeway is backed up, it seems like the carpool lane is just as backed up, it might be moving faster but the time difference couldn’t be more that 5 or 6 minutes, depends on where you are going too, I5 probably loose on the carpool lane

Facilitator: Do you feel like the carpool lane, you can guess better on how long it will take? Smaller window?

Most agree

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Depends on time of day because if it’s during rush hour, carpool lane is useless on 405, always gets backed up because everyone always takes 405

Facilitator: Is the predictability of the trip on the bus part of your disadvantage?

- 6: wheelchairs take longer, everyone’s stops, bus breaks down and they don’t send another one, but it’s easier than finding parking downtown

- 7: bus driver might be slow

1: when travelling I’ll take the bus, I feel like I can get to my destination, the driver knows where he’s going, feel like it’s safer because he knows where he’s going

2: if I go to Seattle, take the light rail so you don’t have to worry about parking, the parking and knowing that I’ll be in the tunnels downtown and where it ends and it comes all the time and is frequent and goes to the airport as well

Facilitator: Would you want it to give you options like the train or the bus?

Yes (5 people agree)

Facilitator: What kind of things could it tell you?

- Where it’s located

- On time arrival/ look it up like for airplanes?

- Maybe for the buses, which route at which locations?

- If they are on time or late

Facilitator: How would you want to access this?

All technologies

Special app

Phone, computer, nav systems

(All say all of the above)

Facilitator: What other types of things you would want to put in

What time you want to get there (a lot agree) instead of time you want to leave

2: you can avoid the carpool lane, my TomTom really neat, likes it a lot

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May want to put in if you are willing to take the bus?

-maybe preference of transportation

Facilitator: What other things?

Number of passengers

Would it have what time you need to get there? At the metro, gives options of what time I want to get there, what time I want to leave, the quickest way to get there, accessibility, has all those options so. I might plan a trip and decide I want to leave at 12 but not have a specific time that I want to get there and other times I might have to be there at 2 so I want to plan my trip so I’ll be there by 2:00.

Facilitator: I think for the time you want to leave is sometimes more important because you can’t leave before that…

- True

- I think having the modes, like clicking train, bus, car, walking, and then you can kind of pick like you are picking a flight, you can figure out all the different options. Like if you were to pick bus, you could see where the bus terminals are in relation to where you are and it would tell you how long it would take.

Facilitator: What about day of the week?

- 4, 5, and 6: yeah

Facilitator: What other stuff do we have on our list?

2: Holidays and sporting events

Facilitator: Do you want to put that in or do you expect the system to know it?

I’d expect it to know it, like holidays and things like that

Holidays yes, but I don’t know about sporting events

I don’t know how it would track that (sporting events)

Facilitator: Yesterday there was a sign on the road about it being closed because of a parade on Saturday …

maybe it would depend on where you are starting from or where you are going, maybe if you put that in it could say oh well there is like a game in this area and it will be able to give you an alternate route, maybe it will be able to say there is a game or something based on where you are and where you’re going

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3: you know you can register with Metro and they will send you notices on your email if something is happening in an area and something is screwed up and you can’t catch a bus between 3rd and Virginia or whatever and they put that out there

8: so I guess if I was assuming it was a smart system I would just want to go ahead and put that and the date and be able to assume that it knows the construction and the traffic and the major employers

Facilitator: Let’s talk about what it’s going to spit out now; do you want it to say “hey, there’s a game, why don’t you go this way” or just “go this way”?

2: Options

1: Give options (agree)

Facilitator: Like, do you want the reason its suggesting stuff?

Yes (agree)

1: I think so because then you wouldn’t believe it, you’re like why?

Two different options, which one to take? I don’t know

Like, do you want the reason its suggesting stuff?

Facilitator: So that would make you believe it?

Definitely

Facilitator: Do you think if you used it a lot and it was accurate, do you think it would still be important? Would you use it regularly?

2: well it’s good just to know, most people are just sitting in traffic jams wondering if there’s an accident. Sometimes they have that sign that flashes or something, but besides that how are you going to know?

Facilitator: So does that kind of just make you less anxious?

Yes

5: maybe know when it’s going to end, maybe if it’s like an accident

Facilitator: So you know the information, now what are you going to do?

2: call your employer if you are going to be late

4: or call your daycare if you are picking a child up and just let them know you are in a traffic jam

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Facilitator: So would you like it to spit out, Carla mentioned those travel time signs that mention the worst case?

3: the nice thing is you feel good when you get there sooner than the sign says you’ll get there

Facilitator: Do you think they do that on purpose?

Probably

I bet they do

Facilitator: Some people kind of wanted the range or the best and worst, what kind of words do we use for that? Average?

No because everyone’s definition could be different

Facilitator: So what other words could we use to help people believe the system?

It will take this many minutes based on whatever, if there is an accident or something. Because then there is no questioning…it will take. I mean that’s what the system registers it as

Facilitator: So if it took more time than that, would you be angry?

Well it depends on how often it did that

Facilitator: do you want the system to tell you

It is just confusing using words like between and about

Agree

Facilitator: Would you like it to tell you how sure it is?

Yes

Facilitator: So Lori, you mentioned kind of like a bar or something?

2: I don’t know, I mean for me I don’t care, I just want to know what the system sees and what is going on, kind of black and white for me, just put it there

Facilitator: Like some days if you put in like some trip, ok Monday after July 4, once a year and it’s raining, it may not have much history to go on… not have as good of a guess on this day. May not be very accurate on that one day… Would you want to have some indication that the system “isn’t so sure about this one?”

I’d be ok if it just said, “it will take about this long because of this, this, and this and list what’s going on.

Maybe or typically, what it normally is, have an average

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3: Due to the game, please add.

Facilitator: They would tell you what they are adding for what, kind of break it down. So should it be like a graph, just words, on a map, what do you think it should look like?

Well the navigation systems have a map typically, and sometimes you can read it as text, it’s kind of like you can choose how you want to read it but I don’t know what people prefer.

Facilitator: So how does the trip planner for the transit work? Does it just give you text?

6: it’s all words, it will say please leave, the bus will be here at this time and you will get here at this time, cross the street, well it doesn’t exactly say cross the street but you know when you’re on second you have to cross to go that way. It’s like your bus leaves 2nd avenue at 6:05 you’ll get off at 5th avenue at 6:10 and walk northeast to your destination. So there’s no map there

4: I think that a map would be more helpful, because I use trip planner a lot and it says walk .2 over…and I don’t know which way that is and if it just showed you a little map…I MapQuest my trip planner directions so, yeah

Facilitator: So would you want a map that has the time of each piece of the trip?

6: probably just the overall map of the whole trip (4 agree)

Yeah

5: I don’t know, I love trip… where they have a page of how many miles of the trip and they have it written out how long it will take from this point to this point, you can take the direct route or the scenic route and turn the page and it has the next 5 miles…that’s pretty cool

Facilitator: Let me ask the college aged, would you use a system like that if you were choosing which class to take or which shift to take at work? Can you see yourself using this….I don’t want to take an 8 o clock class because of weather or?

4: yeah, because traffic can be worse at 8 compared to a 12:30 class or same with a shift it may be leaving school you don’t want to take a shift if it takes 30 minutes to get there. If your class ends at 2:20 and work starts at 3, if the bus can’t get you there until 3:15 you don’t want to take the 3:00 shift.

Facilitator: So would you think a system like that would be helpful to make those decisions?

Yes

I don’t think as much because it’s going to be a route I drive all the time so I just graduated last weekend, and I knew exactly which classes I was going to pick depending on the time because I know where I live and I know where school is and if I could change every quarter for me to think to look, but if I was picking a new school or something but generally I don’t think it would effect

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If you even used it for that purpose, it’s repetitive

Facilitator: Is this like a onetime use system?

Yes

I would use it for different routes, for something like driving to work every day or driving to the same school, it wouldn’t probably be helpful but I would use it for trying to find a new restaurant or for trying to do whatever or deciding which day to travel

Facilitator: What about buying a house?

That would make a big difference

Yeah

BREAK

Facilitator: Any thoughts or questions about our new system? We’re going to talk about some specific examples or trips where you might use the system. Let’s say you have an appointment with a new doctor that you’ve never seen before and your appointment is on Thursday and you aren’t familiar with the part of time where the doctor is located, and you have to let your boss know by Tuesday what time you are going to need to be leaving for your appointment. So currently, how would you decide that?

9: go to Google maps and map it and whatever the time says probably give it a half hour cushion

2: and then just look at the traffic like if you are not familiar with the area you won’t be able to determine a window time to give yourself, but if you travel like I-5 all the time and you know then probably your estimate is probably good

5: I would find out the parking situation (most agree) if they have a parking lot or if there is somewhere you have to pay to park like in a garage or something

7: I always give myself one hour no matter where it is, there is nowhere I am going to go that’s going to take me anywhere past an hour to get to, so if it’s a doctor’s appointment they want you to be there like 15 minutes early or something, if it’s a job interview, I have to go to school, if I’m leaving work for something, I give myself an hour

Facilitator: So what’s the downside of getting to places early?

Really isn’t one

4: waste time

3: nothing to do, boring

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5: but I’d rather get there super early than late

Find something to do

8: could have done something else

Facilitator: Part 2:

Facilitator: we’ve had real mixed results about the 80% chance, I haven’t quite figured out why. How many people like the percents? 3, 4…some people like them and some people don’t.

I remember reading in school that it’s just the difference in people’s right brain, left brain. Everybody is just different.

Well percentage is not, it’s a number, it’s not like could be.

It’s like the weather; it still doesn’t mean it’s not going to rain.

Facilitator: So here are some more examples that we came up with and other folks before you came up with, like or not like. We have some people who sort of don’t like the good or high…

I would rather have it say good chance or high chance than just chance though

Yeah

Because you still kind of have an idea of what they are getting after

Facilitator: Does anybody use words like 50/50 or 2 to 1 odds? Does anyone do odds? So how many of these did we think of? What’s on there that you didn’t come up with?

- I didn’t hear you say certainty

Likelihood

Facilitator: So now I’d like you to write down and star beside it, if you had to choose one, which one would you pick that works best for you….everybody got one? Ok so here’s a different one, travel time on main street _________. It doesn’t have to be one word, it can be a phrase.

Varies

Varies and differs

Is consistent

Is different

Almost always the same

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Facilitator: Is that a valuable thing, to have a comparison does that mean anything to you?

No

Yes

No

Yeah

If it says how it is different, if it says it’s different

Facilitator: Need some direction…Would you rather have it say it’s different?

Yeah

Which way is better or worse is helpful, that would help me pick Monday or Tuesday class

Facilitator: Ok, here’s one…travel time on Monday on main street _______ between 8am and 10am

Sucks

Facilitator: So how many people wrote something like is a pain, how many wrote like an actual description?

Is a pain

Is the most congested?

Facilitator: did anybody write it varies, fluctuates

I said …by a certain percentage

Facilitator: Is that, is a description like, it’s really bad, is that kind of a description or diagnosis of how it is or would you rather have something that’s comparing?

Maybe something that compares….

Facilitator: Ok, travel time on that road is ______ on Friday afternoons.

- 5 slow

- 7 one hour

Facilitator: Ok like the time, how many people used an adjective like bad?

Slower

Stand still

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Facilitator: Back to Sarah, because she mentioned that her map was like red, yellow, green, do levels like that mean something? Is that helpful?

Red to me just means stand still where yellow is more stop and go, probably on the freeway like 20 mph

Facilitator: So would you want our system to be able to show you, like your example, I could go anytime, what’s the best time? Would you want it to have some sort of color code where Monday’s are green, Tuesday’s are yellow and Wednesday’s are red? Or do you just want it to say go Wednesday

8: I like options (3 people agree)

Facilitator: That’s what we are trying to gauge, because like Lori you said earlier you just want the time, so would you want to have some sort of option or ranking…

Like a gauge like I think on the website you mentioned is there anything that shows like red and green, I like that how the show button real time because you aren’t going to be able to predict that, every day is going to change

1: If you could put in a time like I would like to go any day between 8 and 5, it could say Monday and Wednesday is your best bet, you know, that would be really helpful. Because then you know Monday, Wednesday Thursday are good, then you have a little more time… But if you actually put in your time and it calculated the best days to go, then you can just say, ok I’m going Wednesday at 10.

Facilitator: How many of you have ever looked at the weather channel forecast, their website, they’ll show you the prediction of…hour by hour is shows you the percentage of rain? Is that kind of breakdown? We are trying to decide between a graph and words?

I can see that helping if you are looking northbound 405 and it shows throughout 9: the day between 8 and 9, 9 and 10, 10 and 11, it shows that it’s green, yellow, and red.

Like a map, shows the lines and time, red through here, yellow through here

8: I pictured a matrix chart when you said that like with the time of day

Facilitator: Those are kind of time things; another way it could tell you would be the comparisons again. What kind of words would you use there, when we are talking about…?

Alternate

Fast

More reliable

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Facilitator: We talked about risky before. Anything on there you absolutely hate?

- It just looks weird

- Yeah, what happens on that road?

- 2: hates volatile

Facilitator: You mentioned window, could you try and get your window into something like this?

9: Highway A has an hour window of good travel time but Highway B has a 5 hour window

You know how the travel boards do, you know like you were mentioning, took Willa Seattle I-90 vs. some alternate route you might have, something like that, that shows the comparison between different routes, different interstates

Facilitator: Again mark down which one you like best. So this is something like the system would say, we think you should take Highway A because…you would like it to tell you why it’s telling you to take Highway A… because it’s green. Ok, insert bus if taking the train is lame. Again, we kind of have the same list, come up with any of those?

Avoids traffic or avoids parking

More reliable

Facilitator: Ok, so now it’s 20 to 45 minutes to the airport, _____ that will take you 25 minutes. What did you come up with Tracy?

Most likely

Facilitator: Anyone else have anything else like that?

Expected

Percentage

Whatever percentage

4: likely or unlikely

Facilitator: Any of those you can’t stand?

- More less or certain

- I don’t like likely, because it’s just as likely in my head to be 20 or 45.

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Facilitator: So it’s something about the…like 50 percent. Yeah, likely, it might be this. Ok, can you mark down which of those you like the best? Ok, now we are kind of talking about some stuff…ok your neighbor told you it would take 20 minutes to get there but you added 10 minutes of _______. What did you write down Theresia, you were someone who I think added time?

7 – I put cushion, wiggle room or additional time

A lot of people put cushion

1: Leeway too

I just put time

2, 5: I’d probably just say time or window

Safety net

Facilitator: So mark down if you like your own better you can mark your own…ok, this is the last one of these. At ______ travel time will be worse Monday than it will Tuesday. Carla what did you right for this one?

3- No

5- Expect or predict

Facilitator: Are any of those better at doing what we said before about getting some estimate of certainty or….

Expect or project

Predict

Anticipate

Facilitator: So if one of these had to be in the system, you know, you put in all of your stuff here on Tuesday…

Predict

2: calculating

Facilitator: So a couple last questions, what kind of person would or would not use this? We talked about cases where for certain trips you would use it but in general who do you thinks going to be the one who’s like yeah, this is great?

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6: I just got my license, even though I go on MapQuest I still don’t know freeways like that so I still would catch the bus or would have someone drive me there, so this is definitely something I would use that I could get around and not have to catch the bus or leave two hours early, so I think first time drivers would really use it

7: People who don’t know where they are going

First time drivers

4: Someone who travels frequently, even in different cities

Truck drivers

Facilitator: Certain occupations? Maybe like caterers Sarah?

5- I think I’ve worked in the same place maybe like 2 different times but usually when I get sent to a location to cater its completely different and it’s usually somewhere downtown or in south Seattle but its still different and I don’t know what the parking is going to be like

Facilitator: So who wouldn’t use this?

2: People who maybe that live in Seattle who just walk or take the bus all the time because it’s an easy area to get around

7: People who are comfortable using other things

1: Old people probably

7: If it wasn’t something that immediately just grabbed my attention I would probably stick to what I already use, just for the sake of convenience or feeling like it’s not necessary to switch.

Facilitator: So older people, who else?

Bike riders

Facilitator: Do you think people would pay to use this system?

Most say no

3: too many other options out there already

4: unless it was super convenient, like it proved more convenient than any of them and had all these different options that others didn’t have that were all inclusive

I was thinking Hwy 167 you can pay different amounts to drive in the carpool, it’s kind of the same idea, it’s going to provide

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Facilitator: How many people use 167?

I’ve used it without the HOV lane that you pay for

Facilitator: Has anyone paid to use it?

Can you use it as a single person?

There’s a bridge that people have to pay to use too, I don’t think they really like it

Facilitator: So any other last thoughts on this? Don’t pay…

- When you say pay, is it like monthly or yearly membership type thing? Or is it a onetime fee?

Facilitator: Yeah, it would probably be like a password and you could just go to that website.

I think you should just have like a navigation system that people would just buy

Yeah

Just like we have now for satellites, something stationary you buy

Of course if it’s an app you could download it

Facilitator: So you’re talking about them closing Hwy 99, if a politician told you that by building this new road that they are talking about it isn’t going to help average travel time but it’s going to be, it’s going to narrow that window. We are going to invest this money and we did this thing on 167 and the average travel time didn’t really change but the worst days are as bad and there aren’t really worst days anymore. From a taxpayers perspective, is that valuable to you? For you to know?

I used to be willing to drive long distances but I’m not anymore, but when I did, it would be worth it

Facilitator: So that’s not a great argument? For spending money?

No

They could have just used that money to expand

Facilitator: How are they going to know it works if they expand it?

Compare to other cities that maybe had something a lot like it, like the light rail

Shorter time, it used to be 4-6 was rush hour and now it’s like 2:30 to 7. You have a safe hour for lunch and that’s it.

Facilitator: Now was traffic light today?

Yes

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We anticipated 2 hours

Facilitator: So we’re done…

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Seattle Focus Group Transcription 2 PART 1:

Facilitator: What mode of transportation you usually use? How important do you think it is to arrive on time/ what is important to arrive on time for? How long did it take you today?

10- Uses personal vehicle, a train, or bus system; Always important to arrive on time; took her 20 min to get there today.

9- Uses personal vehicle, bus system, park-n-ride, or walk or bikes if close enough; took her 30 min to get her there today.

8- Uses personal vehicle; most important to arrive to work on time; took him <10 min to get there today.

7- Uses personal or work vehicle; most important to arrive to work on time; took him 40 min to get there because of the bridge

6- uses personal vehicle; most important to arrive to a flight on time; from work it takes her 20-25 min to get there and from home it takes about 5 min.

5- Uses scooter, bus system, or sometimes car; most important to arrive to the airport or an interview on time.

4- Uses personal vehicle; most important to be on time to pick up kids from daycare; took her 12 min to get there.

3- Uses bus system or train; took her 30 min to get there today.

2- Was a no show.

Personal vehicle, or bus; always important to be on time; took him 40 min to get there today.

Facilitator: Now, were going to talk about what types of things affect traffic. What are things that make you early or late?

10- (Arrived there early) Rush Hour, accidents, construction, vehicle breakdown can make you late

6- Weather

3- Poor signage

9- curves/turns and poor visibility

10- Leaving late

5- Special events such as sporting events, concerts, etc.

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7- Freeway design

9- Single occupancy vehicles, if more than one person in the car then you can save on number of vehicles on road. Living closer to where you work can save someone time.

Facilitator: Those things that we mentioned are day to day things, they change daily. What things affect the time it takes to make a regular, repeating trip?

10- Population growth and more populated areas

1-Familiarity with traffic conditions

3-Time of day someone is driving

9-specific parking times taking up lanes

Interaction of pedestrian and cars

Certain day of the week or school schedule

All- work schedule

10- All day long people will come and go from work

Facilitator: Some of these things are repeating/ reoccurring factors. By how many minutes could these affect your regular trip?

9- On Saturday it would take me three times as fast than on a week day

7- Surprisingly a lot of traffic on Saturday afternoon coming from north end, but if caught at right time, I could cut the amount of time it takes me from 40 min to about 20-25 min.

Saturday around noon it would take me longer, but on a weekday around 6 I would have just missed a lot of the 5 o’clock traffic.

It would take me about half the time.

Facilitator: Okay, it sounds like you all have a pretty good estimate. In your introductions, you told me how long your commute was. How did you come up with that number?

4- I came up with 12 min because I kept checking the time. Also, I know all the traffic in my area and what time it is usually busy.

1-did not want to deal with the traffic on Federal way

7-how long it took me today was not the worst case scenario. The worst case would be stand still traffic.

9- I count the number of exits and each exit is a minute per mile without traffic.

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Facilitator: Are these average times? In everyday words, describe how can you determine how long it will take because some days it may be faster and some it may take longer?

5-if you’re talking about either I-90 or 520 it’s a roll of the dice.

1-theres no way to predict how long it will take everyday

7-one of the best things to do is to listen to the news. If you have to get to the east side or vice versa and one of the streets is backed up then you can take a different route.

9-big signs on the roads are very helpful (most all agree)

3-I think the big signs are always too long, unless there is an accident and you’re not moving. Like if a sign says it will take me 45 min to get somewhere then it really only takes me 20 min. The signs I’m talking about specifically are on I-5 N in the morning. But I’s rather them over predict than under predict.

Facilitator: What do you all think is the main variable that causes the most time restraint?

All- agree that the freeway is the variable that takes the most time.

5-thinks that the variable is the people driving rather than the road; people in Seattle have really bad driving skills.

Facilitator: How do you make adjustments in your travel plans as far as departure time, route, and mode based on these factors?

9-I just never take 520 anymore, it is too unpredictable. It’s not a good bridge.

3-if I have to drive, I round up another person to carpool with for sure because I don’t want to be the single occupant driver.

8-i used to laugh at the carpool lanes, but it really does help.

6-you can pay for the toll tag for the sticker.

Facilitator: How many of you take 167?

3- Avoid the carpool lanes on 167 because I don’t want to pay and I don’t like the new tag.

9-I’m kind of an entitled driver. I don’t want to pay for parking or feel like I need to. I would rather just walk. If I ever took the carpool lane it would be partially because of traffic but mainly because I’m not going to pay for parking. It’s a big deal to me.

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Facilitator: So, What do you like about the carpool lanes?

All-it’s faster

7-you can literally cut your time in half. If you know that your trip takes approx 20 min it could take you about 40-45 min on a bad traffic day, but if you’re using carpool then you are back down to 20-25 min, definitely saving time. I’m thinking the worst case scenario because you never know. If the roads are clear the carpool lane will not save you enough time, but if you get into those gridlock positions which so often happen here then the carpool lane will save you enough time.

6-true, but on 1-5 sometimes the carpool lane is just as backed up as the regular lanes.

Facilitator: Where do you seek information regarding these things?

All- says radio in car

1-news on TV isn’t very relevant because you’re not on the road at the time but news on the radio is very helpful.

9-ususally has a view so I can see traffic conditions.

6-I agree, the view out my window will allow me to see 405 and I-5.

Facilitator: What about if you’re planning a trip in an area where you are less familiar with the area or route? Where would you seek information?

1-computer

4-navigation on my phone

6-used the DOT road cam (3 others raised their hands to say that they use the DOT website as well)

Facilitator: How many people used Map Quest to get here today? And how long did it tell you it was going to take you to get here?

(4 people raised their hands because they used Map Quest.)

10-my phone said it would take 16 min

5-mine was pretty accurate. It said that it would take 17 min, and I made it in 15 min.

1-mine was so basic; I didn’t even have to write anything down. I used the metro trip planner.

Facilitator: Where do you think these systems get this information/ where does this data come from?

6-magic

9-measures the roads

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10-average time or they estimate how many miles

8-distance and speed limit

??-I really like being able to punch in that address and knowing how to get there

9-i bet they use GIS maps and put in data for traffic patterns and other stuff

5-I think that #8 had it right because the estimated travel time changes depending on the time of day of travel.

3- Where does the worst case scenario come from? If we are just sitting there and not moving at all they wouldn’t know what the worst case scenario is. I usually ignore the time they say for the worst case and double the lowest estimate every time. I just don’t know where they get these travel times from.

5-im going to assume that they base it on the time you make the query. Like if you are doing it at 8am then they are basing it off of the traffic at that time.

3- So we could test it by entering the same route at different times. That’s a good idea.

Facilitator: So do you think that it is accurate?

3- No, not accurate.

5-i would say that very few things are critical for me but if I do have something where it is critical to be on time then I will probably make the drive before hand and measure how long it’s going to take me, then see the potential for traffic affect that route, and then judge my ride accordingly. But other than that which is 95% of the time, I don’t really care when I get there.

Facilitator: So how do you know if the route suggested is the best one for this time of day?

(4 people say that it is their own experience traveling that route)

9-differs within the generations. Like with map quest, my dad doesn’t trust it, but I personally just take it as it says and trust it. I think it may be a generational gap.

4- Map quest always gives me worse directions than Google maps. I always trust Google maps or my phone navigation.

5-I have used a Tom Tom before.

6-I will make adjustments if it’s a familiar area. The areas that I don’t know are the areas that will probably take the most travel time.

9-I always think I can get there faster than the time that map quest or Google maps say. I’m not speeding, I just always feel like they give a conservative estimate when it comes to travel time.

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Facilitator: We are trying to understand the type of language people use when they are trying to describe this information. (Slide 4 fill in the blank question) What kind of word would you use to fill in this blank? For example, if a trip takes about 20 minutes, what other words or phrases could you use to describe the uncertainty of this event?

-around

-about

-approximately

-something like

-under the best conditions

-in traffic

-close to

Facilitator: Okay, so we’re going to do more of these fill in the blank questions. Let’s look at a couple more. If I were to say 10-30 min, how would you describe this?

-from

-between

4-I would rather say 20 than 10-20 minutes.

6-Yeah, that’s a pretty big gap.

1-I agree, 10-30 min is pretty vague. Mathematically, it’s no different than saying 20 minutes, but to me it feels different. 20 feels more precise.

3-I would much rather you say 10-30 minutes to me, because what if you said 20 min and it actually took 30 minutes? Then I would be upset. If you said about 20 min, rather than 10-20 then I would feel better about it.

7-That’s the problem. It doesn’t take into account either distance or your speed. It’s a big gap. If you were to preface with “in traffic” then that would make up for it. But 20 min on a good day I can get to Greenlake to Renton, but on a bad day it could take me 40 min plus. So you have to explain why there’s such a huge time gap.

4- I was going to say that whenever someone says 10-30 min, I normally just assume 15-25 min. 15 min on a good day and 25 on a bad day. I never think 10 to 30 just because of stop lights, parking, etc.

Facilitator: Would you ever use something like this “most of the time it takes 30 minutes”? What other word could you put in there?

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-majority

-at night or the time

-6 agree that using a percent would work and several say no to percent because a certain day of the week and time of day would affect it. There’s no specific context given.

-I would rather have someone say “between 4:00-6:00, it will take this long” rather than a percentage.

Facilitator: I guess you all have probably guessed to where we are going with all of this. I would like all of you to try to envision a new traveler information system that could make better predictions about your expected travel time by considering all of these factors we listed. This type of system is still a concept right now, but this research will help identify how useful people think such a system would be and what features they would like to see in it. I don’t want to get too bogged down in talking about exactly how the system would work. But I will tell you this much: you could use the system much like you use Mapquest or any nav system now where you get to enter a specific to and from address, but instead of calculating the trip time based only on how many miles it is and what the speed limit is, it would use many more factors in the calculations. The system would have sensors in the roads that recorded information about speeds and level of traffic for all trips taken on a particular roadway. So, for instance, the system would know that for the last 5 years on Mondays at 9:00am such and such number of people were driving on the road and it would know what speed each vehicle traveled at. It would also have a record of the current weather conditions, road construction, and accidents in any particular area. The system is sort of like your own memory of all the trips you’ve taken, plus the memory of everyone else who drove on the road for the past 5 years. Would a system like this be valuable?

-All say it would be of value.

Facilitator: What type of things appeal to you about this system?

5-is it actually interactive? (Yes) Okay because sun actually slows people down in Seattle.

9-I feel like it could get outdated really quickly though because Seattle has a lot of expected growth. It needs to have the most current and updated information.

5-I agree, it will be of very little value if it’s not current.

4-Especially in south Seattle where they have put the light rail.

9-it will be more helpful if there are screen shots and estimates about what the conditions look like on the roads.

Facilitator: Do you all think that a system like this would be more valuable during your trip or before you leave?

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9-before you leave to help you make decisions (several agree)

10-because things change. It could be one condition before you left for the trip but another when you are actually driving. It just depends on how interactive it is. Like if it’s linked up to all the current traffic information and conditions.

5-I think the information has to reflect how you receive it. So if you’re in the office and you’re getting information on a trip you’re going to do as you leave work but let’s say as I start to drive, I want the information to be current and coming to me as I am driving. I would want the information while I am driving in the car.

9-you can’t really use a hand held device anymore, so you it would have to have a tom-tom or Garmin or something.

Facilitator: So when would you want to access this type of information. Like what type of situations would this system be useful for?

6-(looking for a new house) Yes I don’t want to move past 405 so I am mainly looking for an easy commute; I am basing it on past and personal experience. I try to stick close to 1-5.

7-same experience.

9-People in the NW seem to really love going on the freeway and prefer that mode of travel.

1-Freeway is much faster unless it’s rush hour. If its rush hour then there’s no way you’re going to get me on the freeway. Unless it’s like today where I was on the metro on a bus in the bus lane and I knew not to drive.

9-I just feel like everything I want is off the freeway so it’s much easier to take it.

10-Sometimes you can get somewhere much quicker not taking the freeway and taking the local streets.

3-Yeah, I hate taking the freeway. I don’t understand why people like it.

8-because it’s quicker. Or sometimes you think it’s quicker because you’re moving faster. But it really just depends on where you’re going. East side to Seattle the only way is to take the bridge.

9-even north to south I take the bridge because it’s so familiar. But even if you get off and take the local streets those are busy too because everyone knows them.

Facilitator: So the folks who take the transit bus systems occasionally, do you all see if you had a system like this would that help you make a decision about whether to take the bus or your own car that day?

3-yes like if there is an accident or something then I’m not going to take the bus because it still has to interact with traffic where as the train on its own tracks.

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1-i took the bus today because of the HOV lane. I’m surprised because it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. There are times when I have been away from the freeway and the amount of time that it would have taken me to get to the freeway, travel along the freeway to where I was going, then off the freeway; it was faster for me just to drive in a straight line. It was faster than having to do all this running around trying to get to the freeway.

Facilitator: If this system existed would you all like to have travel times for the surface streets as well?

-All agree that they want travel times for the surface streets

9-I think it’s important to have alternate routes for sure. Because with Google maps or something they don’t have many alternate routes and by having more alternate routes it might help manage traffic better with less people on the freeway.

8-well there always going to give you the freeway option because without traffic, the freeway is the fastest route. But you can always select an alternate route.

Facilitator: That brings us to this question: What type of things/ options would you want for this type of system?

8-streets or highway

6-I notice when I need to go downtown, I use the Metro trip planner and it gives you those options of what time do you need to leave, what time do you want to get there, the reverse route, those things are kind of helpful. It gives you the different streets as well.

5-Suppose you can input HOV lane.

8- I know on Google Maps you can put biking and walking.

10- The day

6-maybe something like toll fees

5-Would it take special events into consideration? I would want to know that.

9-It seems like you would have to do this way far in advance and usually I use Mapquest when I’m walking out the door.

Facilitator: What type of information would you want it to give back to you?

5-to me the maps seem too small to be practical especially on my phone and trying to use it while driving. I would want written directions to be sent to my phone so I can use it while actually driving. Perhaps being able to save that route so I would be able to use it again in the future.

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9-I find it kind of annoying when it tells me how to get to the freeway when I already know so I would like there to be an option to find out how to get to the freeway or to skip that step.

3-I like when they have the miles and the time because then I feel like I can re-judge the time usually based on miles.

Facilitator: Would you like it to proactively warn you throughout your trip and tell you different routes to take during heavy traffic conditions?

3- I would want it to proactively warn me about route.

4-I think it would be good if it told you when a good time to leave would be.

9- I think it would be really neat if there was like a “danger zone” indication for instance if there was a red map around areas affect with heavy traffic such as the Mariners game or something so you know to avoid that area.

5-It would be good to know if a school zone was coming up also.

Facilitator: So take our Mariners game example, would it be sufficient enough just to know to take a different route or would you want to know why you should take a different route to avoid traffic?

-Most would want to know why.

10- Leave later or earlier? I would rather the system to tell me to leave earlier instead of later to avoid traffic because that’s preventative measures for me so then I know I will arrive on time because a lot can happen or traffic conditions could get worse as time goes on.

3- It would add credibility to see why one route would be better than the other. I think it would be good to have an early option and a late option of when to leave. Like it could tell you that you can leave A before traffic gets bad or B after.

9-realistically, I don’t want that many options (#6 agrees) some options is good but I don’t need to know what sports teams are having an event.

10-see I would like to know because I hate getting stuck in traffic because of sporting events.

3- well what if there was like a check box so you can choose whether you want all the details or just have certain things to highlight.

10- Yeah that would be nice too.

5-it would be helpful if it indicated delays in public transportation too such as the ferry system. Or if it indicated delays or changes in mode scheduling like when the run times change during the different seasons.

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4- id like for it to tell me the street before I have to exit or the exit before I have to exit or the street right before the street I have to turn on.

3- It would be nice if it indicated whether it was a left hand exit; if it indicated things out of the ordinary.

PART 2:

Facilitator: Okay so I’m going to give you a couple of example scenario trips and were going to talk about whether or not the system would be helpful to you verses how you would handle the situation now. So let’s say you have an appt with a new doctor/ specialist that you’ve never seen before, you’re not familiar with that part of town where the office is located. The appt is on Thursday and you need to let your boss know by Tuesday what time you are going to need to leave so you need to plan ahead. Currently how would you decide what time to leave work to be at the appt on time?

8-Google maps

5-For an appt downtown, finding parking would add time to the trip. It would be the “x” factor. Because you would have no idea what you are going into.

9- I don’t think that I would plan that far ahead. I would estimate based on experience or leave way earlier.

Facilitator: I know some of you all have kids so Let’s take the example of there’s a new class at the gym that starts at 6pm and you can sign up for the MW class or Tues/ Thurs class, how would you pick which class to take?

4-I would most likely pick the T/TH class because holidays and school closings usually happen on Mondays.

8-it depends on how far you have to go.

9-It’s all so marginal, it wouldn’t really matter. There all weekdays so I don’t think it would change that much.

6-I guess the expectation of this new toy when you try it out versus the old way. I would be hesitant to trust it.

5-What if you could be text messaged if times on the initial search changed because of road conditions. So it would send you an advisory text saying to expect delays.

Facilitator: So let’s talk about taking a trip to a party at a friend’s house. Would a system like this help you in this particular situation?

7/8 says no.

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10-It depends on where I’m going. If it’s a dinner party then I might use it because that’s something you should definitely be on time for. And if it’s somewhere I haven’t gone before then I would use it. But if there’s not a set time to be there then it doesn’t really matter.

3- Well I don’t want to sit in traffic it doesn’t matter where I’m going. It’s a waste of time. I want to be there as quick as possible. I’m not gaining productivity in traffic.

4 people agree it would be useful if they were told time to be leave to avoid as much traffic as possible.

7-well it depends on how much time you are saving.

Facilitator: So if the system could tell you how sure it was, would that help you?

8- I don’t think it really makes a difference. People use Google maps all the time and they trust it. No one would second guess it. They would just try it out and if they have a bad experience with it just not use it. Just like with any new technology.

9- Like if it said it was 80% sure then I would wonder what the 20% unsure was.

5-no, I can’t imagine using it unless it has some kind of accuracy.

8-from the manufacturer’s point of view, it wouldn’t be helpful to put how sure the system was of the traffic conditions especially if it was really unsure

(3 agree)

9- The whole thing doesn’t even sound that innovative to me. The whole reason people use Mapquest and Google maps is because it’s simple. The system seems not very user friendly and like it has a lot of hidden details. When I want the information I want it now.

7-I would want it to be 95% accurate all the time.

Facilitator: So when the system knows itself that it’s not accurate what should it do?

7-when we’re talking about planning the trip in advance accuracy would be fine.

What I really need is some kind of information on what’s going on right now. That’s more important.

9- It would be nice if it had a screen shot map of the city and little red cars showing where traffic is bad and yellow cars showing where traffic is semi-bad and then green where traffic is good.

8-you could have different user interfaces for the specific type of driver. Like for leisure or for people who drive for business.

Facilitator: So how about this situation: you are making a trip to Mt Bachelor to go skiing and have to drive through Portland to get there. You are not familiar with Portland, but have heard that there are

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times when the traffic is heavy and travel time is slow. You are trying to decide what day to go, when to leave, and trying to plan your trip. So would in this situation this system be helpful?

-Yes it would be. Especially if it tracked weather conditions.

9-I feel like I’m not that worried about traffic on a leisure trip. Maybe if it were a business trip.

10- I don’t want to get stuck in traffic either way.

-5 people travel to other cities for their jobs.

5-it would be important to have because you have no point of reference on some business trips.

Facilitator: Let’s say your neighbor is going to out of town for 3 months for job training. Your family is going to fee her cat every morning for these next 3 months and you have to choose which day you are going to go feed the cat. How would you adjust your schedule for that? Would you want to use a system to figure out which day is best for you?

8- I would just leave early.

7-Well how often would you need to do that? I would only have to look at the system once or twice to decide which day to choose... I wouldn’t need it every day in this situation.

9- How much time is it really going to save?

-several nod in agreement

10- I wouldn’t use it for this.

9- I feel like this program is for really anal people.

Facilitator: Is the HOV lane faster or just less extreme than the freeway.

-4 people say HOV lane is less extreme

1-information about extremes of different lanes is useful.

Facilitator: Another example: Bob and Fred are neighbors and they work at neighboring office buildings but they take different routes to work. They constantly argue whose route is better so they decide to keep record of their arrival times for 2 weeks. They leave their houses at the same time every morning. Whose is better?

9-Bob’s route is more reliable.

1-but Fred is earlier a lot more.

9- But also late by a lot more too.

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8-Bob‘s is more accurate.

5-Bob’s more consistent.

Facilitator: Which way would you take?

-3 say Bob’s

6-Fred’s because he’s early a lot more.

9- 7 min late is unacceptable but less than 3 is reasonable.

Facilitator: What words would you use to fill in the blanks?

1-reliable

Facilitator: If we had a system like this, what do you think people wouldn’t understand about it?

9-why it’s better than any other system. I don’t think I’ve completely grasped that. And how much better it is.

7-How many times do you need new directions every day? You can guesstimate how long it will take, factor in traffic, and then turn on radio. I think people would be confused on when to use it.

1-i wouldn’t care if I knew it by heart, but point b changes all the time. So for my job it would be very useful.

5-the user interface may be too complex for the average person to use.

9, 3, and 6- once familiar it wouldn’t be that bad.

7-what about some option where it’s a combo of the real time you see on the signs and the map which shows danger zones on the road ahead.

6-In house hunting, I would do research in buying house. The main concern would want to be close to the freeway.

3-I leave early from work on Fri than any other day of the week when picking up my kids from day care. Sundays there is also always a lot of traffic.

6-throw map away (2 people agree)

Facilitator: Hands out blank paper and tells them to write down words to fill in blanks.

1-possibility

9-don’t like the word ‘likelihood’

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8-don’t like ‘chance’

5-not like chance in worst case

9-lik when considering the weather, 80%chance doesn’t mean anything. At 80% bring an umbrella but not at 30%

-several agree

Facilitator: For number 4… category better than time?

-2 agree

-3 say no

Facilitator: For number 6…

5&1 say they are stuck on “faster” and “slower”

Facilitator: For number 9…

1-estimate (7 agrees)

3-generally

4- Expect or anticipate

Facilitator: What kind of people would use this system?

3-a planner would

6-new in town

1-tourist

8-bus traveler

6-places you haven’t gone

1-somewhere new

Facilitator: What kind of people would not use this system?

9-people who love Google maps and who are rooted in estimate systems

1-people who have been doing the same things every day

5-if it proves to be effective then I think most everyone would use it

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Facilitator: Would people pay for this system?

5-not up front

- (4 say not if state in charge of it)

4-just the price of a GPS system. And it’s a matter of figuring out how to use the system.

3- I would want a free trial first to see how accurate it is then if I like it I would buy it later.

- (6 say they would not pay for premium and 4 say they would pay)

4- It also depends on who is coming out with it.

-4 people say if the state came out with is then they would not buy it.

9- I think the government is messed up so I definitely would not buy it

4- But also the government knows all the updated construction and things like that.

5-No one believes that any state agency provides good customer service.

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Houston Focus Group Transcription 1 Facilitator: Hello, my name is Beverly Kuhn. We are here today to conduct a group discussion for the National Academies of Sciences. Our objective is to learn how people think and talk about uncertainty in knowing how long things take; things like delivery times, how long it takes to drive somewhere, how long it takes to wait for appointments. This discussion will also focus on a new kind of travel information that could be used by drivers to make better driving decisions and how you would like to obtain this new information. Before we get started, if you have not turned in the forms you were given as you arrived, please turn them in at this time.

You will notice that we are recording this session. The recording will be used as a backup to the notes we will be taking. In addition, it will allow us to concentrate on what you are saying in the group. I want to assure you that you will not be quoted by name. We would like you to remember that this discussion group session is to obtain your personal opinion as a driver. We need to know what you think and how you personally feel about the topics we’re going to be discussing. Beyond your own initial responses and impressions, I want you to feel free to respond to whatever anyone else says. Remember, you do not have to agree with us or with one another.

Now, I’d like to go over a few items before we begin. Show slide 2

Now, I’d like to take just a few minutes and go around the room and have you introduce yourselves. Please state your first name only and tell us what type of transportation you typically use during your commute (trips to work and other places). Also, please mention 1-2 of the items from the questionnaire where you indicated that it’s important for you to arrive on time.

Show Slide 3

1-I usually drive everywhere. Work, airport

2-I drive. Work, getting my child to school

3-I drive. Work, day care, school

4-I drive. Work, airport

5-I drive my personal car. Work, airport

6-Drive my car. Work, school for child, and picking up child from day care

7-Work, I hate being late

8-Drive my car. Work, traveling

Facilitator: How long did it take you to get here today?

-10 minutes

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-10

-15

-10

-20

-A little over 30

-40 minutes (half hour on 610 parking lot)

-15 minutes

Facilitator: 1) Traffic Impacts brainstorming activity, use whiteboard or type into Excel, mark whether they are +/-


(written on board) the train, Accidents, rain, construction, weather, signals, school in session, bad directions sporting events/other, slower/other drivers

Facilitator: OK, so those are day to day things, what things affect the time it takes to make a regular, repeating trip? In addition to school in session and sporting events

(Written on board) Departure time, significant other/kids are slow, car trouble, speed traps

Facilitator: How do these repeating factors change by time of day, day of week, etc?

-summer is easier

-no school zones

Facilitator: Is your travel different if you’re trying to make a trip during rush hour vs. 10:30?

-yes (all)

1-even by 5 minutes

Facilitator: Is travel different by days of the week?

All-yes

6-Fridays people seem to get off early

7-afternoon of major holiday

5-chruch traffic (Sundays)

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-Monday mornings are the worst, everybody’s late


-how far are you going?

4-range from 30 minutes to an hour

7-if it’s raining, even one hour additional

Facilitator: In your introductions, you said how long your commute was. How did you arrive at that number?

-the average (several)

-you know if you leave your house at a certain time, you know how long it will take you and you know if you don’t leave at that time, you know how much it will shift it

-you just know, becomes second nature

8-based on mode of transportation, between 40-45 minutes to drive, train is a different time, and if you road your bike it would be even longer

4-same routine every day know what time I have to leave


3-leave earlier when raining

4-listen to weather report/accidents before I leave

5- Depends on if I have to do something on the way, and then depends on route I need to take. Usually if it’s raining, it depends on how bad the rain is

7-listen to 5am traffic report to decide my route and listen to the weather. I know which areas flood to avoid. Same for leaving work early if I can to avoid rush

1-during peak hours take the hwy

2-a coworker and I with similar routes call and warn each other

5-I avoid peak hours

9-I try to leave earlier, listen to news in morning

Facilitator: How did you decide what time to leave to get here today?

9-don’t ask me because I didn’t get here on time

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9-only had to go 3 exits, so I though 20 minutes would be sufficient

6-followed Google maps

7-tried to figure 3 different routes to have options depending on the traffic I saw

8-drove by earlier today to make sure

2-map-quested it

-knew where it was (other agrees)

Facilitator: A couple of you mentioned mapping systems like Google maps, where do you think map info comes from?

5-satellite

1-I think they have people drive around

6-someone has to drive it to figure it out

2-I looked just at the map and not the time

Facilitator: When you go to Mapquest/Google, it tells you how long it should take; do you trust the info from these sites?

-No’s

-that’s based on no one on the road and if you drive the speed limit

9-doesn’t let you put in the time of day, so how can it be accurate?

3) NEW TOPIC. One way you might seek information is in on-line mapping tools or navigation systems in your car or on your phone.

Facilitator: How do you think it calculates the travel time?

9-miles times’ speed limit

5-simple math

-average

1-on my phone, you can look at the traffic, don’t know how reliable it is, but I know it will show you where pockets of heavy traffic are, so I’m not sure if it takes that into account when it gives you the time

Facilitator: Mapquest tells you the same travel time all the time. Is travel time always the same at different times of day?

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-No’s

Facilitator: Days of week?

-No’s

7-theirs is based on distance

-I rarely look at the time

Facilitator: Does Mapquest (or any other online mapping tool) use any of the variables we’ve talked about? (Weather, construction, holidays, rush hour etc...)

-No’s (others agree)

8-google does, you can enter in your mode, I think it calculates based on your route and the speeds

1-NPR (online) has a traffic navigator with reports integrated into the mapping system on their website

5-my daughter’s new navigation system will update real time with accidents, etc

Facilitator: How do you know if the route suggested the best one at all times of day?

6-majority of time it’s not

-if you know the area or backstreets, they may be quicker

8-I know there are shortcuts, it gives me the generic route

5-it always maps around the tollways or freeways

4-there’s a button to click to avoid highways

1-google will give you multiple route options, you can drag the route and it will re-estimate the time

Facilitator: Do you make adjustments in your head about how long you think it will take to make that trip?

-Yes’s

2-by the time of day

6-by the route I’m taking

1-have to build in a cushion (others agree)

-I agree, rather be early and waiting than late

3-depends if you have extra stops or not

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Facilitator: What words or phrases would you use to describe this information (or fluctuation or the different times it takes to make your trip)? For example if a trip takes about 20 minutes, what other words or phrases could you use to describe the uncertainty?

2-variables

7-extenuating circumstances

5-unknown

8-known

6-situations

-frustration

-sometimes panic if you know you won’t be on work on time

Facilitator: Fill in the blank activity

Facilitator: 1. It will take____20 minutes to make your trip

2-approcimately

-Roughly

-Maybe

-About

-Give or take

-Estimation

Facilitator: 2. it will take ____10 to 30 to make your trip.

-Roughly

-About

-Between

-At least

-Usually

-Ideally

-Average

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Facilitator: 3. _____ of the time it takes 20 minutes to make your trip.

-Most (many said this)

-Majority

-Hopefully

Facilitator: 4) Explain system. I’d like you to envision a system that could make better predictions about your expected travel time by considering all of these factors we listed. This type of system is still a concept right now, but this research will help identify how useful people think such a system would be and what features they’d like to see in it. So I don’t want to get too bogged down in talking about exactly how the system would work, I’d like to keep it at a high level.

Facilitator: But let me tell you this much:



- The system would have sensors in the road that recorded information about speeds and level of traffic for all trips taken on a particular roadway. So, for instance, the system would know that for the last 5 years on Mondays at 9:00 AM such and such number of people were driving on the road and it would know what speed each vehicle traveled at.

- The system would also have a record of weather conditions



Would a system like this be valuable?

-Yes’s

Facilitator: Would it be more valuable right during your trip or before you leave?

-Before (most)

-both

-your situation could change (others agree)

1-good if you could access info in route to change the route

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7-depends on the purpose of the trip

-worry that everyone with the system will do the same avoidance, but not everyone is going to have the technology

8-even with all the info, today may be the day that was unpredictable that couldn’t be predicted with the best rain forecast, history and best traffic cams

Facilitator: When would you want to access this kind of information? What types of situations could you see this system being useful in?

8-emergencies

9-evacuations

5-travel time to work everyday

1-useful for going to a new place, or if I was stuck in traffic

5- If you’re not familiar with an area, you can’t get off the main route, so you may be stuck

8-I think the collected info would be good for construction planning

Facilitator: Would it help you decide which road to take?

-Yes’s

Facilitator: Would it help if you just moved?

-Yes’s

Facilitator: What if you changed jobs?

-Yes’s

Facilitator: Where would you want to access this kind of information?

1-phone

7-computer, to and from work

2-both

8-DOT signs when they tell you how long it will take you, you can decide if you want to take the HOV or just stay in the main lanes

8-radio

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Facilitator: Do you think the travel time estimates would be more accurate than what we have today?

6-may be a little bit, but you still never know

-Only as good as the information you have

8-yes, because it’s the long term collected, but it’s also entering in the weather and commute time

1-always will be variables, but a lot more accurate

Facilitator: So, here’s a simple input screen, its just concept: SHOW SLIDE 5; what would you like to be able to input/personalize?

8-want to enter in where in metropolis (Southside, north side?)

-zip code (several)

-address

6-what time you need to leave by in order to get there at a certain time

-I’m assuming that’s what it’s going to tell you

1-nice to have an option for it to make suggestions for a shorter travel time

8-nice to have another option to find the minimal travel time

7-have it make suggestions

1-suggestions on how to get there quicker, like what time to leave at

Facilitator: Is “what time to you want to arrive” the right question?

2-to get minimal travel time, what time should I leave

Facilitator: What type of information should it spit out?

-best route (other agrees)

-alternate

-least congestion

-avoid highways

-avoid construction

-best time of day or week

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7-for me most of the purpose would be for work, so if I have to be there at 8, I have to be there at 8. Good nationally for a trip that’s not local

4-trip planning, scenic route option


-yeah, if it could

-don’t think it can

-hope you wouldn’t have to ask that

-wouldn’t want it to tell us “I’m not so sure”

Facilitator: For instance, if you put in you want to know about a trip on rainy Tuesdays during Spring Break, it may only have a handful of trips in its memory to base its estimate on and it’s more likely that it could be wrong. So you would you want to know how certain it thinks it is?

-No’s

-wouldn’t be something I’d pay attention to

8- I’d rather them focus on coordinating getting the information together with real time info than calculating the odds

6- it’s kind of a mind thing too, if it says a time, then you pretty much make it in that time anyway. If it starts telling me it’s not so sure….

Facilitator: What should the output look like?

-like Mapquest, a map or the street

-map with route

-street by street directions

-written directions that can be printed

-One route and an alternate route

-highlights on map of accidents

-alternate routes

-landmarks

Facilitator: Say the system does tell you how sure it is, what would that information look like?

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-highlighted predictability (scale with 30, 40, 50…etc)

-78% accuracy

-raindrops in the picture if it was raining

-color bar at the bottom, with green=better, yellow=less sure

-rating bar

Break

5) Scenarios. Now we are going to talk about some specific examples where you may or may not want to use the New System.

Facilitator: You have an appointment with a specialist you have never seen before on Thursday and you are not familiar with the area of town the office is located in. You have to tell your boss by Tuesday what time you will need to get off work on Thursday so you need to plan ahead.

Currently, how would you decide what time to leave work to be at the appointment on time?

9-leave extra 1 hr ahead

5-make a dry run

2-mapquest (others agree)

9-mapquest and still add an extra hour

-Mapquest, or key map if in Harris County

1-I would look on Google maps

8-google maps and maybe check the DOT site if there’s construction and find an alternate route if needed

5-call where I’m going and ask them, but I’ll still Google map it

Facilitator: Would you use the New System in this situation?

-Yes’s

7-I would the first time I go there, but then I would be familiar with the route

8-I would use repeatedly to see if there was construction I wasn’t aware of

Facilitator: You are trying to decide whether to sign up your child for the Monday/Wednesday or the Tuesday/Thursday music (etc) class. Class starts at 6pm and you can’t leave work until 5pm each day.

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What type of information would you like to know to help with this decision?

8-historical data, 5 years planning

-Monday’s just seem to be heavier anyway, so I would avoid Monday (others agree)

Facilitator: Where would you go to find that out?

-probably around, but not published or web accessible

Facilitator: Would you use our new system in this situation?

-yes’s

Facilitator: Why would you use it?

-because it has that historical data

-you could compare the traffic times

-you may be able to pull up to windows and compare Tuesday’s data to Monday’s

Facilitator: You are going to a friend’s birthday. The party starts at 7pm and is at a house you have not been to before. What kind of information would you want to know?

1-just want a map, its okay if I get there late

2-depends on the kind of party

8-just a map, others agree

4-nice to know if construction in that area on that day

Facilitator: When would you want the information?

-before I left

-the day of the party

-before you leave, not when you’re on the way

Facilitator: Would you use the New System in this situation? Why or why not?

-Yes’s

-if the names of the exits had been changed, yes

5-wouldn’t use if technically challenging

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7-like things simple

Facilitator: You are taking a trip to Eagle Mountain Lake, which is northwest of Fort Worth, to go boating and have to drive through Fort Worth to get there. You are not familiar with Fort Worth, but have heard that there are times where the traffic is heavy and travel times are slow. Would you use a system like the one we discussed to determine what time of day or day of the week you want to drive through Fort Worth to get to your destination?

-some yes, some no

Facilitator: Anyone just leave in the morning and take a chance?

-some yes

Facilitator: Your neighbor is attending overseas training for their job and will be gone for 3 months. The families on your street are volunteering to take care of the cat one day a week. You are asked to pick a morning you are available to feed the cat every week. You realize that traffic typically is worse on some days than others. Would you prefer to find the morning that was least likely to require you to change your morning routine or would you pick any morning and change some part of your routine?

-would try to find one that worked with my schedule

-look at the most available time within my schedule, not based on traffic

1-for such a small detour, it wouldn’t change much

3-longer to use the system than to just do it

Facilitator: You participate in a food co-op and have to go pick your box up every Saturday morning sometime between 8am and 2pm. The produce is distributed in a church parking lot 20 minutes from your house. What type of information would you like to know to decide what time you should go pick up your box?

-would just pick what time is good for me

-depends on my personal schedule (all agree)

Facilitator: Would you go the same time each week?

-probably

-depends on what’s going on

-after the first time, you’ll know

Facilitator: Would you use the system would it be valuable in this time of situation?

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-no’s

-for a weekend, probably not

-still could check to see if there’s construction

6) NEW TOPIC. Want to talk now about the words you would use when talking about these types of trips and the kind of information the New System would give. (Trip Logs example)

Facilitator: Bob and Fred are neighbors who work at the same office building but they take different routes to work. They constantly argue about whose route is better, so they decide to keep track of their arrival times for 2 weeks. They leave their houses at the same time every morning. Here are the results: Show slide 7 (slide was messed up, verbal described Bob’s times)

Facilitator: What would you say about the routes? What words would you use to describe them?

-doesn’t fluctuate

-more accurate

-predictable

-reliable

-accurate

-less fluctuation

8-streamlined

Facilitator: Whose is better? They’re each early 5 times and late 5 times.

-Bob (all)

Facilitator: Fill in the blank questions on how to describe the routes they take: show slide 8

Facilitator: Bob’s way is _______ than Fred’s Way

-Better (several)

-Faster

-More predictable

-Quicker

-Efficient

236

-Less problematic

Facilitator: Take Bob’s way because it’s ___________.

-Better

-Faster

-less likely to be late

-more efficient

Facilitator: 7) NEW TOPIC. I want to spend the rest of our time talking with you about what words or phrases we can use to explain the New System.

Facilitator: 1. There is a ____that travel time will be worse at 4 than at 2.

-Report

-Good chance

-Chance (5 people)

-Given

-Probability

Facilitator: (Examples shown)

-like the word certainty (others agree)

-like higher probability

Facilitator: 2. Travel time on Main St ______ from Monday to Tuesday.

-Varies

-Stinks

-Is congested

-Lightens up

-Congested

-Heavy

-Slows/decreases

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-likes changes and fluctuates

-“is worse” than “20% worse”

Facilitator: 3. On Monday travel time on Main St ______ between 8 am and 10 am.

-Changes

-Bad

-Increases (2 people)

-Slows

-Varies

-Peaks

-is Heaviest

-has more traffic


-doesn’t like loosens up

-Likes changes, varies, fluctuates

Facilitator: 4. Travel time on Main St is ______on Friday afternoons at 4:30.

-Horrible

-Stagnant

-Grid locked (2 people)

-Long

-Congested (3 people)

-Heaviest


-does not like very variable

-levels and colors are needed for explanation, must define

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-people want it simple

Facilitator: 5. Highway A is _______ than Highway B.

-Longer

-Faster (3 people)

-Shorter

-more congested

-better

-Travel more

-Less congested


-like more reliable and consistent

-don’t like less risky, less variable, and less volatile

-“better” how? that’s vague, road is in better condition?

Facilitator: 6. taking the bus is _____than taking Highway A

-Reliable

-Slower (2 people)

-Preferable

-Quicker

-More trouble

-Faster

-Efficient


Facilitator: 7. a friend tells you it will take 20-45 minutes to get to the airport. It is _____ that it will take you 25 minutes.

-Not likely (2 people)

239

-Most likely

-Doubtful or unlikely

-Likely

-More likely

-Possible (2 people)

-more probable


-would be good if the system asked what kind of driver you are, if you’re nervous and don’t like to get on the freeway. Depends on the type of driver you are, risky, or don’t like the freeways, drivers slower, etc.

Facilitator: 8. Your friend told you it would take 20 minutes to get there. Your friend told you it would take 20-45 minutes. You added ten minutes of _____ and left 30 minutes early.

-Cushion (4 people)

-Extra time (2 people)

-Time

-Buffer

-Additional time


-Don’t like padding, safety factor, safety net

-like extra time

Facilitator: 9. I _____ that traffic time will be worse Monday than Tuesday.

-Estimate

-Assume

-Know (4 people)

-Take into account

-Expect

240

-bet


-don’t like guess and forecast

-like estimate, predict, expect, and anticipate

Facilitator: What kind of person would or would not use this system?

-my parents would not

-tech savvy people would, less confident would not

-younger drivers would (other agree)

-except teens

-travelers would, delivery drivers, people on road a lot

-commuters would

Facilitator: What would help clear up those misunderstandings?

-its accuracy

-human error

-how up to date

-that nothing’s perfect

-there’s a margin for error

-could be user error


-attention to detail form user and on complier

-give a window of time instead of exact time

-user should check the site multiple times for an update

-the ability for users to submit their own experience after the fact

-allow for feedback (others agree)

-help line/help button

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-depends on cost

-I wouldn’t (other agrees)

-there are a lot of free resources already

Facilitator: Who do you think should provide this information, the DOT or some private company?

-whoever will be the most accurate

-DOT should work with the companies like Mapquest

-if they already have the info, they should share it

-I don’t know if I want DOT to spend money to implement if it’s just going to cost state money and it will be the same as what a private company can do and make a profit on it.

7-depends on who funded the research. I would think it was the government’s responsibility.

242

Houston Focus Group Transcription 2 Facilitator: Hello, my name is Beverly Kuhn. We are here today to conduct a group discussion for the National Academies of Sciences. Our objective is to learn how people think and talk about uncertainty in knowing how long things take; things like delivery times, how long it takes to drive somewhere, how long it takes to wait for appointments. This discussion will also focus on a new kind of travel information that could be used by drivers to make better driving decisions and how you would like to obtain this new information. Before we get started, if you have not turned in the forms you were given as you arrived, please turn them in at this time.

You will notice that we are recording this session. The recording will be used as a backup to the notes we will be taking. In addition, it will allow us to concentrate on what you are saying in the group. I want to assure you that you will not be quoted by name. We would like you to remember that this discussion group session is to obtain your personal opinion as a driver. We need to know what you think and how you personally feel about the topics we’re going to be discussing. Beyond your own initial responses and impressions, I want you to feel free to respond to whatever anyone else says. Remember, you do not have to agree with us or with one another.

Now, I’d like to go over a few items before we begin. Show slide 2

Now, I’d like to take just a few minutes and go around the room and have you introduce yourselves. Please state your first name only and tell us what type of transportation you typically use during your commute (trips to work and other places). Also, please mention 1-2 of the items from the questionnaire where you indicated that it’s important for you to arrive on time.

Facilitator: Show Slide 3

1-drive. Work

2-drive. Work

3-bus or car. Work

4-commute with car. Work

5-always go by car. Not too important for work for me

6-Car every day. Work

7-go by car. Work, school

8-Not too important for work, airport

9-Work, airport

Facilitator: How long did it take you to get here today?

243

-20 minutes

-5 minutes

-1 hour

-30

-30

-20

-30-40

Facilitator: 1) Traffic Impacts brainstorming activity, use whiteboard or type into Excel, mark whether they are +/-

What things make you early or late?

-rain

-Weather

-School zones

-Signals

-lights being out

-School in session

-Construction

-having to stop for gas

-Accidents

-Time of day

-Route

-Traffic

Facilitator: OK, so those are day to day things, what things affect the time it takes to make a regular, repeating trip? Like time of day or school in session

-time of day and weather, so I watch news before leave

-Day of week, Fridays and Monday morning, sometimes Thurs if Fri is a holiday

244

-Holiday

-Weekends

-Seasons

-School hours

-Weather (icy)


-it could double your trip or more (others agree)

Facilitator: In your introductions, you said how long your commute was. How did you arrive at that number?

-from what I drive everyday

1- 45 to 30 minutes

3-average

-unless it’s raining it’s pretty much the same everyday

-depends on the timing of the lights, the lights change the time it takes


2-I check TranStar

-listen to the radio

4-keep my tank full

8--if it’s raining I’ll stay home longer. Work around the weather

1-I’ll leave earlier

9-take different route (other agree)

Facilitator: Anyone change their mode based on these reasons?

3-I will, depends on the weather (for bike riding)

Anyone change their mode based on these reasons?

How did you decide what time to leave to get here today?

245

1-Left early because of traffic

-always rather be early

-Wasn’t sure so I left early (others agree)

-DMS not always accurate and slow to update


How did you know how to get here?

8-I looked on GPS (others agree)

-Mapquest

-pulled up directions online and doubled the time

Where do you think that info / data come from?

-satellite

2-transcievers read tollway tags


Do you trust the information?

-not always (others agree)

-if I did, I wouldn’t have gotten here 30 min early if I did

-depends on source

-take it with a grain of salt and use that as a base time (others agree)

-if any of those factors are thrown in, it’s screwed up (others agree)

Facilitator: 3) NEW TOPIC. One way you might seek information is in on-line mapping tools or navigation systems in your car or on your phone. How many people use Mapquest, Google Maps, etc.? Did anyone use it to plan their trip here today?

Facilitator: How do you think it calculates the travel time?

-based on speed limit

-GPS updates as you drive

-stuff you pull of the internet is not updated

246

-based on average speed and distance

-population

-TranStar

Facilitator: Mapquest tells you the same travel time all the time. Is travel time always the same at different times of day? Days of the week?

-no (all)

Facilitator: Do you think the Mapquest estimate is accurate?

-best scenario (others agree)

-twice as long at least for rush hour

Facilitator: Think these services know today is Memorial Day?

-No’s

Facilitator: Does Mapquest know there’s construction on 290?

2-possible, don’t know if they access that information

1-never thought of it

4-depends on how often they’re updated

Facilitator: How do you know if the route suggested the best one at all times of day, etc.

-it asks if you want it by distance, time, tollways, I always say shortest distance

-you pick the option based on your local knowledge

Facilitator: Do you make adjustments in your head about how long you think it will take to make that trip?

-Yes’s

8-I’ll go the way I know for sure instead of unknown back routes, even if it’s longer

2-I think Google maps takes traffic into consideration

1-I add 10-15 minutes everywhere I go

-a lot of times I’ll double check on Mapquest and Google

6-agrees, if it’s an area I don’t know at all

247

Facilitator: What words or phrases would you use to describe this information (or fluctuation or the different times it takes to make your trip)? For example if a trip takes about 20 minutes, what other words or phrases could you use to describe the uncertainty?

-Delay

-Variable

-up in the air

-Estimate

-Unknown

Facilitator: 1. It will take___________ 20m minutes to make your trip

-About

-At least

-Approximately

-Minimum

-More than

-Average

-X for variable

Facilitator: 2.

-In between

-About

-At least

-Up to

-On average

-Somewhere between

Facilitator: 3._____ of the time it takes 20 minutes to make your trip

-Half

-Most

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-Some

-none

Facilitator: 4) Explain system. I’d like you to envision a system that could make better predictions about your expected travel time by considering all of these factors we listed. This type of system is still a concept right now, but this research will help identify how useful people think such a system would be and what features they’d like to see in it. So I don’t want to get too bogged down in talking about exactly how the system would work, I’d like to keep it at a high level.

But let me tell you this much:



- The system would have sensors in the road that recorded information about speeds and level of traffic for all trips taken on a particular roadway. So, for instance, the system would know that for the last 5 years on Mondays at 9:00 AM such and such number of people were driving on the road and it would know what speed each vehicle traveled at.

- The system would also have a record of weather conditions



Would a system like this be valuable?

All-yes

Facilitator: Would it be more valuable right during your trip or before you leave?

-both

-before (others agree)

-once you’re on the road, you have no choice

2- I will get off the hwy and reroute, so that needs to be built into the system. Real time data is awesome

Facilitator: When would you want to access this kind of information?

249

-when traffic starts slowing down, I’ll whip out my phone

-has to be something you’ll have with you. Not everyone has access to internet

-radio stations

-boards on highway (DMS)

Facilitator: What type of situations would you want it?

-during traffic delays

-weather incidents

-when going out of town

-evacuations

Facilitator: If you were looking to buy a new house, would it be useful?

-Yes’s

Facilitator: If you had a new job?

-Yes’s

4-I think it would be useful everyday on the way to work

1-would be useful in job search sites

8-I think it’s a good idea b/c I probably wouldn’t have taken a particular job because I would always be stuck in traffic

3-commercial purposes, route deliveries

8-more useful than Google maps

Facilitator: Do you think the travel time estimates would be more accurate than current systems?

-probably, but would I trust it anymore? Probably not…this is Houston

-had to be

Facilitator: Would you trust it?

-no

-too many variables

250

2-wouldn’t, unless it takes weather and traffic into account every 15 minutes, there’s a lot of data to come together

6-wouldn’t trust it anymore than I trust Mapquest

-good tool for preparation planning

4-I would trust it more if it was updated pretty often

1-if it took construction into account ___of time

Facilitator: E) So, here’s a simple input screen, its just concept: SHOW SLIDE 5; what would you like to be able to input/personalize?

-zip codes

-address (others agree)

-day of the week

-option of road type you want to take

-# of passengers for HOV lane

-type of vehicle you use

Facilitator: Is there a different question you’d like answered?

-approximate time of arrival, arrival time

-departure time

-are you making a stop/detours

Facilitator: What type of info would you like the system to give you?

-accuracy of trip time

-route options

-school zones

-ask if you want shortest route vs. quickest route

-choice of top 2-3 routes, most popular routes, less traveled routes

-option to send directions to phone by text


251

5-better be 100% sure or don’t tell me

3-it won’t be 100%

2-have to check right before you leave to the closest accuracy to help plan your trip

Facilitator: What else do you need to know?

-when was the info gathered?

-when it was lasted updated

Facilitator: For instance, if you put in you want to know about a trip on rainy Tuesdays during Spring Break, it may only have a handful of trips in its memory to base its estimate on and it’s more likely that it could be wrong. So you would you want to know how certain it thinks it is?

-it’s variable

-tell you how much time to leave for variation

-give you a time frame that’s certain, “we know for a fact it’ll take…”

-“give or take”

-allow additional X minutes for variables

-“allow” is a good word

Facilitator: What should output look like?

-show picture of surroundings, reference landmarks

-I like Mapquest because I like step by step directions, easier when driving and can look at odometer

-I like a map

-I like both (several)

-GPS shows landmarks

BREAK

Facilitator: 5) Scenarios. Now we are going to talk about some specific examples where you may or may not want to use the New System.


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Currently, how would you decide what time to leave work to be at the appointment on time?

-depends on time of appointment

-use Mapquest, if it said 26 miles I’d give it an hour

-Make a general estimate based on part of town and add 10-20 minutes

-even with directions if I’m unfamiliar I’ll give myself more extra time, if I’m familiar with the area, even if I don’t know exactly where I’m going, I wouldn’t give myself so much extra time

-probably give myself extra time, knowing I’ll get lost


-yes

-I’d try it out

-test run to see how it worked

-would use it for preparation

-yes, but may not trust it

-would still allow myself extra time

-if I needed to be there at 2, I would tell the system 1:30

-depends on how often I’ve used the new system before

2-even with the new system, I would still use my old tools

9-still give myself extra time in case of flat tire…

Facilitator: You are trying to decide whether to sign up for the Monday/Wednesday or the Tuesday/Thursday aerobics class at your new gym. Class starts at 6pm and you can’t leave work until 5pm each day.

What type of information would you like to know to help with this decision?

-travel times

-how long it usually takes

-maybe if there’s a church or something that could cause extra traffic that night

-wouldn’t trust because there are too many variables

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-you don’t know where parking is, you don’t know how to get in the building, so would use Mapquest and add additional time

-system needs to be able to do a side by side comparison for the different days, like when you’re looking at airline flights


-yes’s

-yes, if it can do side by side comparison

-what about for the route coming back? Maybe when you go there you’ll be fine, but on the way back you may get caught in all the traffic

Facilitator: You are going to a friend’s birthday. The party starts at 7pm and is at a house you have not been to before.

What kind of information would you want to know?

-is it a surprise party?

3-what are the parking options

-directions to the house such as “second house on the left”

5-less likely to use the system, not as big of a deal if I’m late, unless it was a surprise party

Facilitator: Anyone else feel the same way?

2-I would be less inclined to use (others agree)

Facilitator: You are taking a trip to Eagle Mountain Lake, which is northwest of Fort Worth, to go boating and have to drive through Fort Worth to get there. You are not familiar with Fort Worth, but have heard that there are times where the traffic is heavy and travel times are slow.

Would you use a system like the one we discussed to determine what time of day or day of the week you want to drive through Fort Worth to get to your destination?

-Yes’s

-nice if you could compare leaving at different times

-if you’re just going to the lake, then it’s just a convenience, I could just leave later

-if you’re going to the lake, it’s kind of just a convenience

-I would take a glance at it

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5-more inclined to call a friend in Ft Worth and ask

Facilitator: Your neighbor is attending overseas training for their job and will be gone for 3 months. The families on your street are volunteering to take care of the cat one day a week. You are asked to pick a morning you are available to feed the cat every week. You realize that traffic typically is worse on some days than others.

Would you prefer to find the morning that was least likely to require you to change your morning routine or would you pick any morning and change some part of your routine?

-I would find something that fits my routine

-I wouldn’t change my routine

Facilitator: Would the New System help you choose a morning?

-it’s not that big of an inconvenience

-if you drive everyday you’ll know what day is the best, so you wouldn’t need the system (other agrees)

-I don’t’ think I’d use the system

-me neither

Facilitator: You participate in a food co-op and have to go pick your box up every Saturday morning sometime between 8am and 2pm. The produce is distributed in a church parking lot 20 minutes from your house. What type of info would you like to know to know when to go pick up?

-traffic information

-no traffic on Saturday

-depends on what else I have to do

Facilitator: Would a New System be valuable in this situation?

-it would if I wanted to be there early

-could help in the planning if there was construction

-not a priority

-what type of info do you want the system to give you?

-average commute time compared for each hour of departure

-if I could tell it that I need to be there between 8 and 2 and it could give me the best time to go, maybe I’d use it

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-for me, that’s not critical

Facilitator: 6) NEW TOPIC. Want to talk now about the words you would use when talking about these types of trips and the kind of information the New System would give. (Trip Logs example)

Bob and Fred are neighbors who work at the same office building but they take different routes to work. They constantly argue about whose route is better, so they decide to keep track of their arrival times for 2 weeks. They leave their houses at the same time every morning. Here are the results: Show slide 7

Facilitator: Whose is better?

-Bob’s looks better because it’s more consistent

-Fred is late a lot

-Fred’s is all over the place

-Fred is much more late than Bob is

All-Bob

Facilitator: What would you say about the routes? What words would you use to describe them?

-Consistent (several said)

-Efficient

-Huge gap

-Large variation

-Steady

-Predictable

-More erratic

-Unpredictable

-Accurate

-Reliable

Facilitator: Fill in the blank questions on how to describe the routes they take: show slide 8

Bob’s way is _______ than Fred’s Way

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-reliable

-Better (several)

-More consistent

Facilitator: Take Bob’s way because it’s ___________.

-the best

-better

-more reliable

Facilitator: 7) NEW TOPIC. I want to spend the rest of our time talking with you about what words or phrases we can use to explain the New System.

Now I’m going to show you some more fill in the blank examples. Hand out paper.

1. There is a _____that travel time will be worse at 4 pm than 2 pm on Friday.

-Certainty

-Chance (3 people)

-Probability (3people)

-Possibility

(Examples shown)

-don’t like 80% chance

-don’t like certainty, on average it won’t be for certain

Facilitator: 2. Travel time on Main St ______ from Monday to Tuesday.

-Varies (4 people)

-Differs

-Increases

Facilitator: (examples shown)

-likes fluctuates

-don’t like percentage, gets better, changes (vague)

257

-increases or decreases give a sense of direction

Facilitator: 3. On Monday travel time on Main St ______ between 8 am and 10 am.

-Increases (3 people)

-Differs

-Decreases

-Doubles

-Happens


-don’t like loosens up

Facilitator: 4. Travel time on Main St is _____ on Friday afternoons at 4:30.

-Heavy (4 people)

-Less

-Congested

-Bad

-Long


-don’t like really variable, red alert

-levels needs more description like a rating

Facilitator: 5. Highway A is _____ than Highway B.

-Less congested (3 people)

-Smoother

-Quicker (3 people)

-Faster (2 people)

-more congested


258

-like more consistent

-don’t like less risky, less volatile, less variable, more certain

Facilitator: 6. Taking the bus is _____ than taking Highway A.

-Better (2 people)

-Quicker

-More time consuming

-Slower/faster (2 people)

-Direct

-More/less convenient

-More reliable

Facilitator: 7. A friend tells you it will take 20-45 minutes to get to the airport. It is _____ that it will take you 25 minutes.

-More likely (2 people)

-Certain

-Possible

-Doubtful

-Not likely

-guaranteed

-Unlikely


-don’t like good guess, more or less certain

Facilitator: 8. Your neighbor told you it would take 20 minutes to get to the airport, but you left 10 minutes of _______ and left 30 minutes early.

-Prevention

-Delay

-Extra time

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-traffic (4 people)


-don’t like safety factor

-likes cushion, extra time

Facilitator: 9. I ____ that travel time will be worse Monday than it will be Tuesday.

-Expect (2 people)

-Suspect

-Know (2 people)

-Estimate

-Assume

-Predict


-don’t like guess

-like anticipate, project, forecast

Facilitator: What kind of person would or would not use this system?

-everyone…college student, working mom…

-delivery drivers

-outside salesmen

-everyone

Facilitator: What do you think people will misunderstand about the system?

-that there’s not a guarantee


-wording

-say approximate and not guarantee or certain

-has to have more options than Google maps and Mapquest

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-educate the public of what it does compared to Google maps


-most no

-depend on price

-I buy apps

-people who have a smart phone and buys apps they will

-I pay for GPS on my phone

-how often would you use it?

-nobody wants it take direct from a credit card

-if it’s a couple bucks a month

-I would not personally because I can go to other sources

Facilitator: Who do you think should provide this information, the DOT or some company?

-private would have better resources and respond quicker to demands

-if it’s government it’ll be paid for by tax money

-private can do more and improve on the system

-if it’s only available on a smart phone and I don’t have one and it’s paid for by tax dollars, I won’t be happy

-if a private company wants to charge a fee, I have no problem with it, but if the government does, I do

-but if the government does do it, it’ll give private sector the motivation to do it too and consumers will have a choice.

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