Design Research in SF

Fear And Loathing
In San Francisco
Carolyn Packer | You-Wen “Mark” Liang | Kyle Wolf | Greg Zulkie
California College of the Arts — Prepared for the Mayor’s Office of Innovation | 12.03.2012

Statement of Intent
P. 2
How do people use public transit
in San Francisco and what do they
value about it?
We observed how San Francisco
residents currently engage with
their public transit system and
its employees.
Through qualitative research, we
aimed to discover opportunity
areas that the Mayor’s Office might
explore in the future.

P. 3
Research Summary
In order to understand future
opportunities, we studied
present situations.
Our online survey gathered initial
responses that helped us focus our
long form personal interviews.

Research Summary
We conducted 7 In-depth
interviews at participants homes
and work. We interviewed a broad
range of people representing
different age groups, ethnic and
economic backgrounds. In addition
to having them relate personal
experiences, we had them play an
interactive game in which they
designed their ideal seat layout for
MUNI buses.
P. 4California College of the Arts — Prepared for the Mayor’s Office of Innovation | 12.03.2012

Research Summary
We conducted basic observational
research before and after our
interviews to understand the
behaviors of SFMTA riders and see
how they correlated with what we
learned during our interviews.

P. 6
Zhen
THE YOUNG PROFESSIONAL
She moved to SF recently
and is still getting the hang
of using MUNI.
Fabio
THE TOURIST
It’s his first visit to SF and
he doesn’t speak english
very well.
Daisy
THE LEISURE RIDER
PreferstouseMUNItotravel
aroundthecityonweekends,
rather than driving.

P. 7
Fabio’s Arrival to SF
He steps off the plane and manages
to find BART, but how do you buy a
ticket? No one from SFMTA or any
of his fellow travelers stop to help.

P. 8
Success! He rides the BART to
Powel. He gets on Muni and says
“hello” and “thank you” to the bus
driver with no reply.

California College of the Arts — Prepared for the Mayor’s Office of Innovation | 12.10.2012 P. 9
The bus is crowded and awkward.

A few stops into the ride, the bus
suddenly screeches to a halt in the
middle of the street. Everyone is
frantic and confused.

P. 11
The bus driver, not informing
anyone of what went wrong or
when it will be fixed, strolls away,
leaving a full bus full of people
without a ride.

P. 12
Lost and confused, Fabio steps off
the bus and hails a cab.

P. 13
What Went Wrong?
» Lack of communication between
SFMTA and bus riders.
» Overcrowding causes
awkwardness between
passengers.
» Unreliable system leaves
passengers without a ride.

P. 14
Zhen’s Commute
Upon arriving at her bus stop,
Zhen is again inundated by those
terrible Twilight posters. Rolling
her eyes, she plugs into her iPhone
and disengages.

P. 15
She realizes that she left her clipper
card in a different wallet! Without
any cash on hand, she has to
sneak on the back of the bus, lest
she be late to work.

P. 16
At her transfer stop, the connecting
bus’ back doors don’t open, so she
can’t sneak on again.

P. 17
Frustrated, and stranded on Market
Street, she decides that her only
option is to hail a cab and use her
credit card to pay the fare.

P. 18
What Went Wrong?
» Lack of interest in the physical
spaces at stops and stations
encourage people to isolate
themselves.
» Outdated, inflexible payment
systems makes it harder for
people to pay their fair share.

P. 19
Daisy’s Saturday
Daisy knows that MUNI doesn’t
necesarily run on time, so she
checks Routesy for the next bus to
her destination.

P. 20
Thinking she’s going to be on time,
she strolls to the bus stop, only to
see it driving away just as she turns
the corner.

P. 21
She has to wait 20 minutes for
the next bus to come. She stands
awkwardly at the curb as she
watches homeless people use the
bus stop as their hotel.

P. 22
20 minutes later, the bus finally
comes. The bus is so crowded that
it keep driving when it comes to the
curb, leaving her to wait another 15
minutes for the next bus to come.

P. 23
Late and frustrated, she takes a cab.

P. 24
What Went Wrong?
» Lack of communication of
system status.
» Unsanitary bus stops make it an
uncomfortable place to wait.
» Overcrowding causes the people
of San Francisco to not have
access to transportation when
they need it.

P. 25
Opportunity Areas
The following questions will help guide the Mayor’s Office of Innovation in determining
promising opportunities for citizen engagement.

P. 26
Opportunity Areas
How might we extend the employee’s role to create a more engaging
patron experience?
1 -

P. 27
Opportunity Areas
patron experience?
How might we create a socially comfortable atmosphere for SFMTA
passengers?
1 -
2 -

P. 28
Opportunity Areas
patron experience?
passengers?
How might we incentivize people to transform public spaces within their
neighborhood’s transportation system?
1 -
2 -
3 -

P. 29
Opportunity Areas
patron experience?
passengers?
How might we incentivize public service as an alternate payment system?
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -

P. 30
Opportunity Areas
How might we make the bus stop a site of interaction to better engage
riders and passers by?
patron experience?
passengers?
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5 -

P. 31
Opportunity Areas
How might we make the bus stop a site of interaction to better engage
riders and passers by?
How might we encourage collaborative rider engagement through
mobile technology?
patron experience?
passengers?
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5 -
6 -

P. 32
Whenever someone chases down a
MUNI bus and actually gets it to stop:
Thank you. Questions?

Fear And Loathing
In San Francisco
-APPENDIX-
Carolyn Packer | You-Wen “Mark” Liang | Kyle Wolf | Greg Zulkie

Research Participants
The following pages give a general
background on the participants of
our long-form interviews.
P. 2

Matt
San Francisco, Muni
» Male, 25
» Cole Valley, San Francisco
» Works in Software Sales,
Downtown San Francisco
» Takes the N Judah 5-7 days a
week
» “I want a milk and honey
delivered on my porch feeling from
taking the bus”
» “I have faith in technology, I don’t
have faith in [bus drivers]”
P. 3

Brenda
Oakland, Bart & Muni
» Female, 51
» Oakland
» Security Officer, CCA
San Francisco
» Takes Bart and Muni 5 days a
week
“I love the fact that I don’t have to
drive and deal with parking, but I
hate having to deal with all that riff-
raff [Homeless people at 16th and
Mission Bart Stop].”
“It [SF Transit] gets me to work on
time, so that works for me.
P. 4

Kathy
City, Muni
» Female, 25
» Neighborhood, San Francisco
» Technology Consultant, San Fran-
cisco
» Takes MUNI 2-5 times a week
“I love the system, but its hard to
get to certain parts of the city.”
“I wish I was able to use my credit
card for the MUNI. It would save so
much time and be much more con-
venient.”
P. 5

Chiyo
City, Muni
» Female, 28
» Oakland
» Property Manager, Downtown
San Francisco
» Takes MUNI 6 days a week
“Bart needs better air circulation.
People wait at the doors to get
fresh air at each stop.”
“I’m so scared of the Civic Cen-
ter Bart stop. I usually have Rick
[coworker] drive me to the Powell
Street station after work.”
P. 6

Mary
San Francisco, Muni
» Female, 27
» Mission, San Francisco
» Design Researcher, Oakland
» Takes Bart 5 days a week, Muni
occasionally
» “My commute on Bart is me time”
» “I’m just grateful that there is a
public transportation system, not
all cities have that”
P. 7

Faith
San Francisco, Muni
» Female, 24
» Nob Hill, San Francisco
» Design MFA student, CCA
» Takes muni 5 days a week
“The Clipper card is very
convenient but sometimes I forget
to bring it.”
“There were people fighting in
the MUNI, and the bus driver just
kicked everyone off the bus.”
P. 8

Ash
San Francisco, Muni
» Female, 25
» Potrero Hill, San Francisco
» Designer, SOMA
» Takes the MUNI 5 days a week
“I would rather ride my bike, but I’m
scared of the cars.”
“Caltrain is usually clean and makes
me feel comfortable. I wish MUNI
was more like it.”
P. 9

P. 10
Bus Seat Activity
We had participants design their
own bus seats in order to help
them think about how people
interact inside MUNI buses.

P. 11
Synthesis and Mind Maps
Over several session, the team
developed the insights gained from
our research into actionable data.

P. 12
How might we extend the driver’s role to create a more
engaging patron experience?
Opportunity Area
Insights
Observations
The bus drivers are ambassadors for the public
transportation system, and when they make mistakes and
treat riders poorly, it reflects on the system as a whole.
People want to engage with bus drivers who are more
sociable, capable and compassionate.
People want to know what is going on, especially when
problems arise.
»Bus Drivers have a bad attitude, rude
»Bart cops are unnecessarily aggressive
»Bus drivers don’t know how to solve problems
»Bus drivers don’t enforce payment
»Patrons aren’t confident in bus drivers’ competence
»Bus drivers don’t look at people when they got on the
bus
»Wants a “milk and honey delivered on my porch feeling”
from riding the bus
»People don’t feel adequately informed when something
goes wrong with the system
»People don’t know why a train is late or when it will
arrive
»People don’t feel in control when they don’t know what
is going on
»The bus drivers and train drivers don’t inform the people
about what’s going on if there is a problem
»Public transit is often delayed
»MUNI trains get stuck in the tunnels
»MUNI bus electrical rods come off

P. 13
How might we create a socially
comfortable atmosphere for
SFMTA passengers?
Opportunity Area
Insights
Observations
People want to have more physical space when riding
public transportation, not only for themselves, but also to
improve the efficiency of getting on and off.
People want to sit down when riding public transportation.
»Often can’t get on the bus during rush hour because
trains are too crowded
»19 and 22 lines really crowded
»50% of time is spent in traffic & loading/unloading
»People are very rude trying to get on the bus before peo-
ple can get off
»Easier to get through the back entrance
»Escalator gets really crowded
»Getting a seat makes the ride more comfortable
»Seats are poorly laid out
»Handicapped seating areas affect how people choose
seats
»People don’t get up for handicapped or pregnant
»It’s hard to find seats for a big group to sit together

P. 14
How might we incentivize people to
transform public spaces within their
Opportunity Area
Insights
Observations
People want a more efficient payment system that
allows for the use of debit and credit cards.
People want to more easily manage the
payment system.
»Many people don’t pay for the MUNI
»People don’t like it when other people don’t pay for the MUNI
»People often don’t have exact change for the MUNI
»People don’t know where to find information on the clipper card
»Paying cash when crowded slows down the bus
»Travelers that get on the back of the bus don’t know how to pay
»The bus tickets are small, frail and easily get lost
»Bus drivers don’t enforce payment
»People wish they could pay with a credit card
»People think the transit system is too expensive
»Clipper card is confusing to reload
»People often struggle when navigating through the Bart
kiosks
»There is no way to add money in bulk to a clipper card
at a Bart kiosk

P. 15
How might we incentivize public service as an
alternate payment system?
Opportunity Area
Insights
Observations
People often need a reason in order to engage others.
»Only engage for directions
»Public music may spark engagement
»More likely to talk to someone if they are squished together
»Like to help people when asked

P. 16
How might we make the bus stop a site
of interaction to better engage riders
and passers by?
Opportunity Area
Insights
Observations
More security would make
patrons feel safer, improving
the experience. If people
are nervous that the people
around them are dangerous
they are less likely to engage
anyone.
Homeless can be perceived
as dangerous, and it makes
riders uncomfortable. People
don’t want to interact with
the homeless.
People want bus stops to feel
more safe at night -- better
lit, cleaner, less homeless
people.
People feel more comfortable
engaging with cleaner
facilities.
»Bart cops don’t do anything
»Lots of criminal activity at
Civic Center Station and 16th
Street Bart
»When bart cops are present
at 16th street, homeless peo-
ple and criminals clear out
»Lots of homeless people
»“Asian people don’t go to
the back of the bus because
they are scared”
»Wishes there were under-
cover cops on the bus
»People have a routine of
hiding their belongings
before entering a station or
getting on a train
»Homeless people make
other riders uncomfortable
at stations
»Homeless people make
other riders uncomfortable
on transit
»Homeless people occupy
space at stations
»Many bus stops are poorly
lit
»It is scary walking to the
Civic Center Bart stop at
night
»People don’t like to interact
with 16th and Mission at
night
»People feel unsafe if a stop
is dark and sketchy
»The Bart and MUNI need better
air circulation
»People think the Bart is filthy and
unsanitary
»People hear stories of bacteria
found in the Bart seats
»People notice that other cities
have cleaner public transportation
»16th Street and Civic Center Bart
stations are known for being filthy
»People say Bart smells really bad
»People go out of their way to find
cleaner looking Bart cars
People don’t sit at the MUNI and
Bart stops because they are filthy
and often are surrounded by trash
and homeless people

P. 17
How might we encourage
collaborative rider engagement
through mobile technology?
Opportunity Area
Insights
Observations
People want to see more route maps
around the stations and stops, and they
need them to be easier to follow.
People often rely on technology for
navigation and planning, and they wish to
have a more centric and reliable source.
People want to be more consistently, and
more accurately informed about their
current location and other system details --
arrivals, delays, detours, stops, maintenance
issues -- before they get to the platform or
stop.
»Google map makes the system easy
»Use Routesy for trip planning
»Never has looked at a physical MUNI map
»Not familiar with MUNI. Look at maps to
figure out
»Use phone to plan familiar routes
»The current maps are confusing to read
»Maps are not present at every station
»People don’t know what Train is coming next
before they get on the platform
»People don’t know how to find out the bus
routes and schedules without their phone
»People don’t know when to get off the bus
or train
»People don’t know where they are in the city
while on a bus
»People don’t know what stop they have to
get off at when buying a ticket so they have
to ask an employee
»The train only announces the next stop
sometimes making it confusing for the
traveler
»Transit information is not well advertised for
travelers

P. 18
t
P. 18
Survey Results
What are the main problems in your mind with the San Francisco public transportation system?
“Sometimes the bus doesn’t show when it says it’s going to. it’s usually crowded at peak hours and many buses can pass you by at
those times. it takes me over an hour to get to certain destinations. “
“I dont always have cash on me, so credit/debit card functionality would be helpful. Bart is very loud! The breakdowns and delays
can be annoying making PT unreliable”
“It is actually a pretty good system. However, it is more difficult to get to certain areas of town-- Richmond, Inner Sunset,
Outer Sunset, etc.”
“People regularly do not pay (muni specific) and it really bothers me that most drivers do not care. Buses get overpacked
and crowded (sometimes as a result of people not paying). Frequent delays/ not reliable. BART is disgusting and dirty.
Restrictions on what people cannot bring on board are not enforced (dogs, garbage bags full of recycling, etc.)”
“It’s not really on time. It’s unbelievably crowded at peak hours, which makes going home or going to work miserable.
Going through Chinatown is hell. It’s really slow compared to other major cities. SF desperately needs a real subway
system.”
“The issue is, there are far too many transients on the MUNI systems that make it difficult to ride in peace. The MUNI
trains (Metro) are very poorly scheduled. For example, if I’m waiting for the M, there could be: L, L, N, O, N, L, T then
M. Also the waiting times are totally incorrect. I usually enjoy BART, but even that has security issues. I have had many
friends that have been sexually and verbally abused on BART, and it didn’t seem that BART police or BART drivers were
prepared to handle such a situation. “

P. 19
t
Survey Results
What are your favorite aspects of the public transprtation system?
I love that I don’t need a car to get around the city - I feel able to get to where I need to go easily.
sometimes it beats traffic, convenient so you dont have to park a car
This city is built to have a great muni system (everything so close together). I do wish it was a little bit cleaner though.
I appreciate that the transportation runs during later hours of the night/ early morning. Its affordable, and I feel secure
when I ride the MUNI late at night/Not applicable to some BART stops though. I like the introduction of the Clipper
system, thinks it expedites boarding. I also like that most bus routes run frequently
I usually enjoy the MUNI buses, and have significantly fewer problems with these. I like the speed and scheduling of
BART.
P. 19P. 19

P.P.P. 20
“Everyone wants to ride with you in the
limo, but what you want is someone
who will take the bus with you when
the limo breaks down.”
-Oprah Winfrey

11/26/12 Edit form -‐‑ [ Help improve San Francisco public transportation. ] -‐‑ Google Docs
1/12https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/gform?key=0Aua5kQinTokWdGlTQjZsTlVHa2hFM3F0UWhjaEp1T3c&gridId=0#chart
16 responses
Summary See complete responses
What is your age?
22 24 23 26 26 29 24 25 24 23 23 23 19 19 29 18
Are you a student?
Yes 6 38%
No 10 63%
What is your occupation?
Student graphic designer Tech Consultant Application developer Business Owner Property Management Sales Manager Digital Campaign
Manager Student Editor Media planner student student student Staff Member student
How long have you lived in San Francisco?
Less than 3 months 3 19%
3 months to a year 3 19%
1 - 5 years 9 56%

5 -10 years 0 0%
More than 10 years 1 6%
How do you usually get around the city?
Walk 3 19%
Bike 0 0%
MUNI 5 31%
BART 4 25%
Car 4 25%
How many times a week do you use public transportation?
0 - 2 6 38%
3 - 5 6 38%
5 - 10 1 6%
10 - 15 1 6%
More than 15 2 13%

Do you use any mobile apps to aid in the transit process?
Yes 14 88%
No 2 13%
If yes, which ones?
Routesy, Google Maps transporter, google maps iphone maps Google Maps Google Maps none iC SF Lite Google maps, routesy Google
Maps Transporter Transporter, BART lite, Caltrain google maps bart's website transit n ...
Do you ever use physical maps to help you navigate?
Yes 4 25%
No 12 75%

If no, why not?
I don't know where to find one 2 13%
They are hard to read 4 25%
Apps are better 12 75%
They aren't updated 3 19%
I said yes to the last question. 3 19%
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may
add up to more than 100%.
How long of a walk is it to your usual stop?
Less than 5 minutes 7 44%
5 - 10 minutes 6 38%
10 - 20 minutes 1 6%
20 - 30 minutes 1 6%
More than 30 minutes 1 6%

How long of a ride is it to your usual destination?
10 -20 minutes 9 56%
20 - 30 minutes 5 31%
30 - 40 minutes 0 0%
more than 40 minutes 1 6%
Do you ride alone or with other people?
Yes, alone 12 75%
with one other person 4 25%
with two other people 0 0%
with more than two other people 0 0%

Do you ever initiate conversation with a stranger on the MUNI or BART?
No 11 69%
Yes 5 31%
If no, why not?
It's awkward 4 25%
I have nothing to say to them 8 50%
I don't have time 2 13%
I'm afraid they wont respond and I'll look stupid 1 6%
I said yes to the last question 5 31%
People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may
add up to more than 100%.

What do you do when you wait for the MUNI?
I sit on the bench 2 13%
I stand next to the stop 8 50%
I stand far away from the stop and walk up as the bus arrives 3 19%
I keep walking to the next stop until the bus catches up to me 3 19%
I try and initiate conversations with other people who are waiting 0 0%
How long do you usually wait at a MUNI stop before the bus arrives?
5 - 10 minutes 11 69%
10 - 15 minutes 3 19%
15 - 20 minutes 1 6%
More than 20 minutes 0 0%
Has a stranger ever initiated conversation with you on a MUNI or BART line?
Yes 10 63%
No 6 38%

If yes, how did that make you feel?
Awkward 3 19%
Annoyed 2 13%
Delighted 5 31%
Grateful 0 0%
Humbled 1 6%
It hasn't happened 5 31%
Can you please give a brief description of one of these encounters?
usually it's to make a joke or someone who is asking about the bus lines or stop. a lot of times I don't talk because I'm tired. Someone may just ask
where I'm going or how my day is going. Its usually harmless and kind of nice if they aren't too aggressive about it The most that has happened is an old
asian lady with about 100 bottles bumped into me and said sorry 2 common situations: 1) many times I am approached when people need assistance
with their bus route (i.e which bus to take, where to get off etc.) Since I consider myself very well-versed with the bus system, I'm always happy to he ...

Do you feel unsafe when riding the transit at night?
Yes 9 56%
No 5 31%
I don't ride it at night 2 13%
How do you know when to get off the MUNI?
Following friends 1 6%
I look at the street signs 4 25%
I look on my phone 6 38%
I hear it announced 3 19%
I see the marquee sign above the driver 2 13%
I never know and I always miss my stop 0 0%
Do you own a Clipper Card?
Yes 12 75%
No 4 25%

Have you ever not paid for a MUNI ride?
Yes 8 50%
No 8 50%
If yes, why didn't you?
I didn't have $2 3 19%
My Clipper Card was out 2 13%
It was busy and I didn't have time 2 13%
I just didn't want to pay 1 6%
I said no to the last question 8 50%

Do you find it easy to navigate through the MUNI and BART ticket kiosks?
Yes 13 81%
No 3 19%
What are the main problems in your mind with the San Francisco public transportation system?
sometimes the bus doesn't show when it says it's going to. it's usually crowded at peak hours and many buses can pass you by at those times. it takes me
over an hour to get to certain destinations. I dont always have cash on me, so credit/debit card functionality would be helpful. Bart is very loud! The
breakdowns and delays can be annoying making PT unreliable It doesn't cover enough stops throughout the city on an integrated, speedy line It is
actually a pretty good system. However, it is more difficult to get to certain areas of town-- Richmond, Inner Sunset, Outer Sunset, etc. Need more ...
What are your favorite aspects of it?
I love that I don't need a car to get around the city - I feel able to get to where I need to go easily. sometimes it beats traffic, convenient so you dont have
to park a car This city is built to have a great muni system (everything so close together). I do wish it was a little bit cleaner though. 1) I appreciate
that the transportation runs during later hours of the night/ early morning 2) Affordable 3) I feel secure when I ride the Muni late at night/ Not applicable to
some BART stops 4) I like the introduction of the Clipper system, thinks it expedites boarding. 5) I like that most bus r ...
If you would like to answer more questions about the public transportation system, please provide your name, phone number and email address and
we will be in contact with you shortly. Thank you!
Colleen 401.207.7342 leenita@gmail.com --- don't sell my contact info please Kathy 2068837100 kathyannl33@gmail.com Libby Angst 847-
977-7103 elizabeth.angst@gmail.com
Number of daily responses

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