Mini-project II

For mini-project II our goal is to promote and improve the public transportation system of Tompkins County, or more specifically the T-cat bus system. If implemented correctly, the reduction of single driver traffic in Ithaca should follow. For designing this solution we have decided to adopt an iterative refinement process in which all steps are completed quickly to create a rough system, and then repeated multiple times for incremental improvements. We will determine our requirements, design to meet those requirements, implement solutions, evaluate their utility, and then rinse and repeat.

Before our first meeting we each brainstormed at least three ideas for feasible system improvements. Although all of them were great ideas, many strayed away from the user interface requirement. For example, people proposed increasing storage space and providing free wi-fi for bus riders. Over the course of the meeting we whittled out these unsuitable ideas such that by the end we came to a consensus on four overarching ideas. They primarily dealt with increasing public transportation awareness and providing an enhanced rider experience. Many if not all of these ideas stemmed from public transportation problems and issues the group has had to deal with in the past, not just in Ithaca but in their home towns as well.

During the meeting we also decided on our methods of data collection. We will be administering surveys at five separate locations to capture a wide range of demographics. Time of day, day of week, parking availability, and human/vehicle traffic tendencies were all taken into consideration when selecting these locations. A rough draft of the survey has already been pieced together. It poses questions regarding prior experiences with public transportation and reasons for riding or not riding the bus. At the very end we threw in questions about our initial design improvements. From these surveys we are hoping that certain ideas will bubble to the top and allow us to eliminate any ideas that are not applicable to Ithacans. I say this because an improvement to an expansive bus system such as one found in NYC may not apply to a smaller-scale sibling.

We will use these responses to refine our initial ideas and craft new ones. Our system will be redesigned and then pitched to the public once again through another survey – hence the iterative refinement process. Once we are satisfied we will administer a closing interview and complete our final design revision.