Cudahy Neighborhood Energy Conscious Transit
A Pando Days Project
OVERVIEW
Timeline
12 Weeks (August 2021 - December 2021)
Collaborators
Raul Garza, Michael Shatto, Alison Yanacek
Role
UX Researcher and Designer, Project Manager
Skills
User Research, Field Research, Strategic UX Design
Tools
Figma, Miro, SafeGraph, Google Slide
SUMMARY AND IMPACT
Research in Cudahy, a family-centric city in LA County, inspired a proposal for a multi-modal transportation system. It aims to offer diverse, eco-friendly commuting options via community involvement and a digital app for practicality
Societal
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Increased mobility options
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Improved health of residents
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Community building through engagement
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Educate residents on how to improve their own health and the health of their community
Environmental
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Educate residents on sustainable transportation options
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Inspire younger generations to learn about sustainability
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Reduction in gasoline car usage
Viable
In partnership with the City of Cudahy, we believe our implementation could be funded with partnerships similar to those the pilot programs in San Pedro and Pacoima where they partnered with EV car companies to enable the pilot program.
Scalable
Easily add more units and locations
Integrate with current public transportation options Affordable for most small underserved communities
Can be integrated with other surrounding areas to increase reach of impact.
BACKGROUND
System Approach: A solution for local transportation with global impact
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Create a zero-emission transportation system.
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A convenient, safe, clean, and affordable transportation system that enhances mobility and quality of life while reducing car dependency.
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Inclusive, transparent, and accountable governance that encourages participation in sustainability efforts, especially by disempowered communities.
RESEARCH
To gain a better understanding of our client, we initiated thorough online research:
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Examining quantitative demographic data, we discovered that the community predominantly consisted of Hispanic immigrant families.
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We generated a map that identifies the key destinations within the city and the current routes of public transportation, aiming to assess how effectively the current public transportation system covers these crucial areas areas. (Map on the right)
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We leveraged Data Visualization technologies such as SafeGraph to pinpoint key areas within the city where frequent visits occurred at different times of the day. (On the map to the right, darker shades represent higher levels of activity)
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Utilizing the map on the right from SafeGraph we identified which areas are within a ten minute walk or ten minute drive of a grocery store in the City of Cudahy. Darker color indicates access to more stores.
Studying and comparing these maps helped us discover the most effective routes for the residents.
After the first phase of online research, we started the second phase pf research by goring to the field and observing and interviewing the residents:
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We visited the City of Cudahy, gaining firsthand experience with the current public transportation system. (CART - free local transportation)
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We engaged in interviews with residents at various locations within the city with the aim of expanding our research pool to include residents from diverse demographics. (Interview Materials on the Right)
ANALYSIS AND IDEATION
We incorporated the affinity mapping and method of storytelling to categorize interview data into:
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Trust
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Time
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Atmosphere
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CART Reality
These categories served as the basis for design and branding, reflecting the perspectives and preferences of the residents.
MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to improve and expand existing infrastructure, as well as creating processes to engage community members in creating user centered sustainable solutions.
USER JOURNEY
Digital Design
DEFINE
A digital application to improve sustainable local mobility options, impacting the 22 thousands Cudahy residents
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Students depend on public transportation to commute to school.
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Young adults use public transportation to commute to work.
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Parents rely on public transportation to take their children to school and handle household errands throughout the city.
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Seniors run errands and visit friends and family across the city utilizing public transportation.
COMPETATIVE ANALYSIS
Various transportation apps like Uber, Lyft, Google Maps, and Transit offer individual solutions for travel, often without integration with local systems like those in small cities such as Cudahy. Existing apps typically provide only one transportation option from point A to point B. Recognizing this gap, I seized the opportunity to develop an app that combines all available transportation options into one platform, empowering residents with fast, eco-friendly, and affordable mobility while fostering community engagement and networking.
FEATURES
An intuitive digital application aimed at enhancing mobility options for residents.
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Includes all available transportation options in one space
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Can live on a tablet, phone, computer, or street kiosk
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Transparent in policies and costs
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Empowers community outreach
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Encourages community involvement
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Accessible Design
DESIGN
Figma was utilized for crafting wireframes at various resolutions—low, mid, and high. These wireframes were developed in alignment with research-driven requirements throughout the entire development phase.
Color Palette and Font
Goal: Accessibility
Interactions
Goal: Easy to Use - User Friendly
Interactions
Goal: Transparent in Cost
