Research, Design and Testing for the 3rd Avenue Community & Transit Kiosk
Role : Director; managing full research and design portfolio and project team.
Project Partners: City of Seattle, Seattle Downtown Business Association, Framework Consulting
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We conducted initial research with transit riders, operators, and stakeholders through field observations, contextual interviews, email surveys, and time-lapse photo analysis. Particular attention was paid to the information needs of transit riders before and after using transit and how they currently getting this information.
Insights from discovery research were presented during a facilitated co-creation session with project stakeholders and the design team. Designers, researchers, and stakeholders were divided into mixed-discipline teams and given 6 hours to create working prototypes. These quick kiosk concepts were then tested the very same day with transit riders recruited from Third Avenue. This insight was then used to align the teams around a single kiosk concept.
An updated functional prototype was quickly designed and prototyped using findings from previous concept tests. This prototype was then tested in the field using a tablet integrated into a foam core physical prototype. Actual transit riders were used as participants, and provided with a free transit card for their participations. This prototype was tested in a variety of locations throughout the 3rd avenue corridor, and at different times and days of the week to ensure feasibility in different transit contexts. Findings from this study were then integrated into a final wireframe document for development partners.
The Third Avenue kiosk will be implemented in phases over the course of the next few years with funding allocations for the corridor project. Phase 1 of the kiosk (see below, photos from SDOT) includes the most crucial component for transit riders: next bus transit information and a pay system. These kiosks will be integrated into the head of each bus stop to denote the beginning of the onboarding queue. The next phase will include community wayfinding features like nearby attractions and “get to know your driver”.