Toronto Path Navigation

This project was created in a UX Fundamentals Master's level course at the University of Toronto. We were presented with the task of creating a project that would improve the lives of people living in Toronto. We decided to focus on Toronto's underground navigation system: The PATH.

Team: Boyun Leung, Grace Yip, Kristina Brown, Marcus (Yen-Ju) Chen and Salem Schewai.

Tools: Figma, Figjam, PowerPoint

Skills: Prototyping, wireframing, UX research, conducting lean/usability evaluations, and creating empathy maps and personas

My Main Roles: UX Research (primary and secondary) creating the empathy map, conducting lean evaluation and usability evaluation and ideating the prototype

Conducting Research

Our group decided to focus our attention on the PATH as the confusing navigation is a common complaint by Torontonian's. We conducted secondary research and primary research in the form of surveys, interviews and observations. In our observations (photos below) you can see some examples of unclear signage in the PATH.

Research Findings

Through our research we found that PATH users were unhappy with the current navigation systems available to them. They found the current signage inconsistent and unclear. As well, they found the digital solutions to be unreliable.

Persona

Based on our research findings we created our persona: Lost Lisa. A financial consultant living in downtown Toronto who wants to use the PATH to navigate between her downtown meetings.

Empathy Map

Based on our research findings we created an empathy map for Lost Lisa to explain what she thinks, says, does and feels. I took the lead on creating the empathy map.

Ideation

With the current information we had, we needed to come up with a solution. We went spent time as a group coming up with many possibilities. That is me on the right side of the photo!

Big Ideas

We started our process thinking of every possibility, no matter how big! We decided to prototype a mall style kiosk for the PATH.

Final Decision: PATH Kiosk

Based on the needs of Lost Lisa and users like her we decided a mall style kiosk would be the best solution! It does not require wifi/cellular data or GPS capabilities which is very helpful. The kiosk can send the step by step directions and map to the users device and/or print it out.

Low Fidelity Prototype

After a lot of trial and error we came up with our low fidelity prototype. We sketched on pieces of paper and then compiled them into task flows.

Lean Evaluations

With our low fidelity prototype my team member Salem and I conducted guerrilla style lean evaluations. We got a range of feedback that we incorporated into creating our medium fidelity prototype.

Usability Evaluation

After conducting the lean evaluations I conducted a moderated usability evaluation with my group members Salem and Kristina. I asked a user to explore our prototype and think aloud their thoughts. We incorporated the user's feedback into our final mid-fi prototype.

Medium Fidelity Prototype

With the feedback we received in the lean evaluations we created our medium fidelity prototype! Feel free to explore by searching a destination, exploring the shops/amenities through the directory and zooming in and out on the map.

Next Steps

If the project continued for a longer period of time we would implement a few changes and additions. Ideally we would like our system to be available on all devices not just wall kiosks. As well we would like to include more language options and accessibility options. Thank you for joining us on our journey to make the PATH more accessible for the people of Toronto!

Final Thoughts

I learned so much from this project and working along side my team mates. I learned about creating a mid-fi prototype and every step that comes before. I am looking forward to using my new research, prototyping and evaluation skills in the future!