The Challenges of User Centered Design for the Swiss Federal Railways - 3 applications developed with User Centered Design by Zeix (Switzerland)

1. 26 September 2008
Euro IA
Getting the right ticket
before the train leaves
The Challenges of User Centered Design for the
Swiss Federal Railways

2. 1. The challenge
2. The benefits
3. The difficulties
4. Lessons learnt
5. Conclusions
2
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

4. 3 Projects for the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB)
> Examples for complex systems and environments
> Developed by means of User Centered Design
Front-end design first
Iterative development of concept
Visualization of concept in form of (klickable) prototypes
User tests – including interviews – using prototypes in each
iteration
4
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

5. 1. Ticket machine
> National tickets
> Regional and local tickets for over a dozen
regional transport networks
5
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

7. 2. International tickets: Sales application
> From Switzerland to neighboring
countries
Germany, France, Italy, Austria
> «Best product», not best price
Door to door, basically all trains
Day & night trains, fast and slow connections
Largely implemented
> Target group: trained salespeople of the
SBB
7
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

9. 3. International tickets: Web application
> Back-end system identical to sales
application
> Target group: Web users who buy online
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Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

10. 1. The challenge
2. The benefits
a. for Web users
b. for salespeople
c. for touch screen users
3. The difficulties
4. Lessons learnt
5. Conclusions
10
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

14. Major benefits for Web users
> Availability of online shop for international tickets
24 hours
Information on prices readily available
> Usability
Adequacy to users‘ knowledge
Simplification of products, addition of information
Tested and optimized processes
Tickets sell well online
No phone calls for assistance or complaints
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Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

15. 1. The challenge
2. The benefits
a. for Web users
b. for salespeople
c. for touch screen users
3. The difficulties
4. Lessons learnt
5. Conclusions
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Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

16. 16
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

18. 18
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The right ticket
26 September 2008

19. 19
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

20. Major benefits for salespeople
> Improvements over old systems
One system instead of several
Not having to make several bookings & then manually annulate
them
> Making use of salespeoples‘ knowledge
Shortcuts for processes
Use of abbreviations and codes
Shortcuts on keyboard
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Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

21. 21
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

22. 1. The challenge
2. The benefits
a. for Web users
b. for salespeople
c. for touch screen users
3. The difficulties
4. Lessons learnt
5. Conclusions
22
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

24. 24
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

26. Major benefits for touch screen users
> Usability
Fast process for important destinations
(«favorites»)
Feedback on selections
Additional information
> Accessibility
Optimization of colors, font and size (poor vision,
color blindness etc.)
> Large range of products and possible
itineraries
Suggestions of adequate related products (cross-
and upselling) 26
Additional information available Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

27. 1. The challenge
2. The benefits
3. The difficulties
4. Lessons learnt
5. Conclusions
27
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

28. Touch screen users (I)
> Overwhelmed by range of
Products
Reductions and special offers
and other options
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Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

30. Touch screen users (II)
> Manual selection of itinerary requires knowledge of
timetables and geography
> Several products not suitable for self-service
Users lack knowledge about products
Differences between products are not obvious
Users are not interested in finding out the difference
between products
30
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

31. Management
> Considers process of buying international
tickets online too long and complex
> Regrets not having off-the-shelf products
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Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

32. IT
> Large range of complex systems
> Incomplete knowledge about systems
> Difficulties of communication between
project team and IT in touch screen project
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Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

33. 1. The challenge
2. The benefits
3. The difficulties
4. Lessons learnt
5. Conclusions
33
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

34. What went well (I)
> User acceptance gave credibility to the project
Stabilized project at an early stage
prevented lengthy discussions
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Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

35. What went well (II)
> Visualization in form of screens supported
communication
Klickable prototypes, storyboards and use case
descriptions were important basis of work for IT
Helped to convince management of soundness
of projects
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Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

36. What went well (III)
> Collaboration in the international tickets
projects
60 people – mostly representing business (sales)
and developers – in one open plan office
Feeling of sharing goals and tasks
Ongoing and ad hoc communication Photo: Flickr.com
High motivation of project team
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Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

37. What should be improved
> Involvement of management
> Awareness raising in marketing
Test of compatibility with self-service for new products
> Requirements engineering
> IT proof of concept
Implementation testing for parts of the system in early stages
> Communication between team for design and concept and
implementation team
Design/concept team should be involved in implementation
User Centered Design shall be part of all complex SBB-projects in 37
the future Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

38. 1. The challenge
2. The benefits
3. The difficulties
4. Lessons learnt
5. Conclusions
38
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

39. Making usable applications is not ...
> about making interfaces look nice
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Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

40. ... making usable applications is
> a design and development process
> based on the requirements of the people for whom it is
designed
> Involving people from
management
business
marketing
IT
> who care and collaborate
> to make applications work 40
Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008

41. Thank you.
Jacqueline Badran Zeix AG
Badenerstrasse 65
jacqueline.badran@zeix.com Postfach 2522
CH–8026 Zürich
Andrea Rosenbusch www.zeix.com
blog.zeix.com
andrea.rosenbusch@zeix.com
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Euro IA
The right ticket
26 September 2008