On My Way!
Reducing friction in the everyday commute.
Role
UX/UI Design
User Research
Timeline
Oct 6
Tools
Figma
Team
Solo Project
01 CONTEXT
Same trip. Same search. Every day.
As a commuter, I take the same routes repeatedly, but I still have to search for or navigate to the same route every time. Finding a familiar route can feel unnecessarily repetitive, especially when switching between transit apps or checking departure times.
02 PROBLEM
Repeated journeys shouldn't require repeated planning
During my first year at Waterloo, I commuted between Waterloo and Toronto twice a week to balance my academic commitments with athletic training in Toronto. The GO bus became my third home, after my actual home and the student dorms
Because I travelled the same routes regularly, I found myself repeating the same process every time: searching for my destination, checking departure times, and reviewing my route. I also had to carefully plan each trip, packing my academic materials, personal essentials, uniform, and Taekwondo equipment all into one journey.
What made the commute even more challenging was that my route wasn't always predictable. A route that worked in the morning could be delayed, unavailable, or significantly different later in the day, forcing me to search for an alternative while already on the go.
This made me wonder: could saving frequently travelled trips make finding a route faster and easier? More importantly, a saved trip could remain useful when the usual route isn't available — helping commuters quickly find an alternative when faced with roadwork, transit delays, or service disruptions.
How might we make recurring commutes easier to access while still adapting to unexpected changes?
How might we reduce the friction of accessing frequently used routes without removing the flexibility of a traditional maps experience?
03 USER RESEARCH
Frequent Commuters
How do brands communicate difference within the same product family? I looked at brands that manage large product portfolios to understand how they balance brand consistency with product differentiation.
…
What I gained from user research
How might we help commuters quickly access recurring trips while still adapting to real-time changes?
04 USER FLOW
A Clear Indicator
Clear design indicator is needed to distinguish between the two similar but very different products.
These design requirements include…
05 WIREFRAMES
Results and Mock ups
06 FINAL DESIGN
To Design is to Inform
This project reminded that design is about conveying a message and it is important that consumers understand. Throguhout the redesign process, I learned how minor design decisions like hierarchy, colour, icons and placement can have a great impact on solving a real world problem. The packaging problem became a lesson in information design and designing for context. A package doesn't exist in isolation; it exists on a crowded shelf, in a freezer, in someone's grocery bag, and eventually in their home.
Ultimately, this project reinforced my belief that design is about communication. The best solution isn't necessarily the most visually complex one — it's the one that communicates the right message to the right person, at the right moment.
06 REFLECTION
To Design is to Inform
This project reminded that design is about conveying a message and it is important that consumers understand. Throguhout the redesign process, I learned how minor design decisions like hierarchy, colour, icons and placement can have a great impact on solving a real world problem. The packaging problem became a lesson in information design and designing for context. A package doesn't exist in isolation; it exists on a crowded shelf, in a freezer, in someone's grocery bag, and eventually in their home.
Ultimately, this project reinforced my belief that design is about communication. The best solution isn't necessarily the most visually complex one — it's the one that communicates the right message to the right person, at the right moment.