NextBus 2.0 (now Umo Transit)

ROLE: Design Director / Product Owner
TEAM: 2x UX Designers, 1x Front-End Engineers, 4x Full-Stack Engineers, 2x Product Managers
PROJECT LENGTH: Ongoing

This case study details the positive impact of incorporating UX research during the modernization of NextBus, a web-based bus transit management system. Initially, the development team prioritized backend improvements, neglecting the user interface and experience. However, recognizing this deficiency, I advocated for and secured a UX researcher despite internal resistance. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews and user testing, focusing on the daily experiences and pain points of NextBus users. This user-centric approach proved invaluable. Though initially met with resistance due to time constraints, the research findings highlighted crucial user needs and significantly shifted the team's perspective. The success of integrating user feedback not only improved the NextBus platform but also demonstrated the strategic value of UX research within the organization and beyond.

NextBus, a web-based bus transit management system, is a notable early success story of the Web 1.0 era. However, over time, the system deteriorated into a state of disarray due to acquisitions and cost-cutting measures. Operating on outdated internet hardware, a power outage in San Jose could disrupt bus fleet tracking worldwide, painting a grim picture of its functionality.

NextBus Management was in a desperate situation. They needed to modernize the platform to stay competitive before more customers left, yet they did not have the time or money to do that. That's when Cubic Austin was drafted to help out.

When Cubic Austin took over development, we began modernizing the back end to leverage modern internet technology. This included shifting to AWS to enhance uptime, refining predictive AI by utilizing a deep learning model, and introducing DevOps and continuous development techniques.

Cubic decided that the NextBus team's goal was to maintain the current platform to keep customers happy, while Cubic Austin built a new update as quickly and efficiently as possible. This decision led to a complicated and strained dynamic between the two teams.

However, we were in a difficult position to significantly improve the user experience. We lacked insight into the day-to-day needs of commuters and dispatchers who used NextBus, so we had to investigate and determine why specific systems worked the way they did. Design improvements rarely made it into sprints, as their value was less marketable than other technical improvements.

We had the budget to hire multiple designers to support the project; however, I didn't see the point of expanding the team while we struggled to get developer and product support. Instead, I saw an opportunity to hire a UX Researcher, feeling that it would be critical for the design team's and the project's longer-term success. A researcher would help the design team understand how the system worked and offer tactical and strategic guidance on what needs improvement.

I had to fight hard to secure funding for the role. UX Design itself was a relatively new competency, and both Cubic and NextBus management misunderstood the purpose and value of UX research. Yet I persisted and found and hired the ideal candidate.

The next challenge was to make the researcher effective; we had to get them in front of real NextBus customers. The NextBus team was very reluctant to put anyone but their Customer Success people in front of customers, the NextBus Customer Success Manager, to meet with real users of NextBus.

To prepare for the research, the researcher spent time with Subject Matter Experts to understand the day-to-day situations and circumstances that users encounter, and created scenarios that provide sufficient context during testing to determine task completion or failure. Each session began with an in-depth interview to gain a deeper understanding of the user and their needs. They walked through how they used the current NextBus software, allowing the researcher to adapt the scenarios to reflect the situations they would encounter in their day-to-day duties.

Testing participants in person at their operation centers offered a rare level of comfort for user testing. This situation was prime for collecting qualitative data; users walked through their expectations, thought processes, frustrations, and delights, offering vital insight into how real users expect things to work and how they expect to use core features.

The research trips were a resounding success, not just for NextBus but for the entire project. By focusing on the day-to-day users of NextBus and incorporating their feedback into the 'new NextBus' we were developing, we garnered a highly positive response from our clients. This positive buzz about the pending update not only created goodwill but also encouraged NextBus management to support further research with at-risk clients, aiming to retain them as platform users.

With this extension in the research, we were two months from the launch date for the update by the time we could share the findings with the team. Walking into the present, we found the audience focused on the launch date and unreceptive to anything that put that at risk. In the hostile atmosphere, I realized that the audience did not see the value of the research. [Mention that prioritization and story points may have been a factor]

I stopped the meeting and explained that we were not sharing a task list of items to complete before the update, but opportunities for NextBus to address real user needs and wants. When they did them, it was up to the team; they could tackle them when they saw fit. This clarification changed the atmosphere, as the tone of the questions shifted to one of curiosity about the reasoning and data behind the recommendation.

At the end of the meeting, the audience's perception had shifted. They were now excited about the outcome and pleased with the research findings. The value of UX Research shines as a lens to improve the user experience through feedback and a tool to influence longer-term planning by identifying the perceived need. Our researcher continued to support the NextBus team, and the demand for their services on Cubic's other projects skyrocketed as its strategic significance became more appreciated.