gathered vital travel information and disseminated it,â comments. Roberto Rincon ... new API proved useful it became a
CASE STUDY
Transport For London
“It’s good to work with people who care as much as I do. The level of professionalism was immense. It was an intense, exciting time that produced an exceptional result.” Roberto Rincon
Business Improvement Manager – Transport for London
BACKGROUND
Transport for London is the integrated transport authority responsible for delivering the Mayor of London’s strategy and commitments on transport. They run day to day operations of the Capital’s public transport network and manage London’s main roads. There are more than 31 million journeys made across the TfL network every day. Every journey matters and it is TfL’s job to keep the city moving.
Customers are at the heart of operations and TfL goes to extraordinary lengths to listen to and act upon feedback and complaints to improve services and shape better transport provision in London.
“Londoners are a tech-savvy crowd. Everyone has a smartphone and is impatient for information.”
SITUATION
Transport for London had been facing issues in which information was travelling too slowly between stations on the London Underground. In some cases, commuters were finding out about travel disruptions before station staff. “Londoners are a tech-savvy crowd. Everyone has a smartphone and is impatient for information to make their commute easier. TfL wanted to improve the efficiency and speed at which they gathered vital travel information and disseminated it,” comments Roberto Rincon, Business Improvement Manager at TfL. TfL had created a new initiative for staff on the London Underground to report and share station incidents, as they happened, via a real-time information (RTI) API. Specifically, real-time information could be provided on ticket hall and platform crowding, whether lifts were in operation, as well as information about train services. While initial applications of the new API proved useful it became apparent that its true benefit was lacking without geographic context.
TfL approached CAF and proposed bringing the two together: real-time station information and a geographically accurate map of the London Underground. Combined, they believed it could increase the productivity of staff by surfacing information about stations relative to one another and promote geographical awareness for incident planning. In addition, there were benefits of providing enhanced customer service.
Four potential suppliers were invited to pitch to develop a proof of concept for the new app, including Chelsea Apps Factory.
Roberto Rincon takes up the story: “We were looking to diversify and expand our roster of suppliers to bring in new ideas, new ways of working that we could learn from. It’s a symbiotic relationship. CAF stood out in the pitch process because of the level of knowledge they demonstrated and the seniority of people they put on the pitch team. It felt like we were really taken seriously. The number of criteria that CAF met was the deciding factor - but we were also blown away by what was proposed - the UX was exceptional.”
“We were also blown away by what was proposed - the UX was exceptional.”
APPROACH
CAF teamed up with TfL to build a proof-of-concept (POC) iPad app that accurately plotted real-time information, the London Underground lines and London Underground stations on a map of London. “We knew what we wanted to achieve but we wanted to guide, not impose our views. I liked that CAF challenged me when I needed to be challenged but also accepted my point of view when that was needed too. I felt like I was being listened to,” commented Roberto. “The project started in mid-November and we hit the ground running from day one.
The onboarding of any new project is hard. Learning to work with a new team is hard – and when you’ve only a limited time you’ve got to get on with it. Yes, we had to be fast – but we also had to produce something amazing that could be presented to secure funding for the next stage of the project.” During the project there were a number of pressures to contend with including:
· Time constraints – the team had just four weeks to produce a POC. · The highly regulated nature of an organisation like TfL.
Roberto recalls: “The team had to be creative. If an idea wasn’t going to work out we had to think about how to get a result within the constraints of the business. CAF’s team kept it fun and motivating throughout.”
“Having two UX designers on the team made a huge difference to the end result...”
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Chalfont & Latimer
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Croxley
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Special fares apply Watford Junction Watford High Street
RESULTS
The resulting POC was delivered within four weeks. The app provides a bird's eye view of the London Underground as per its actual geographic layout, and displays in real-time any incidents reported in a station. Staff using the app can filter London Underground lines and incident types to find and select a station, revealing details of the information reported.
Roberto commented: “POCs typically tend to have no frills, however having two UX designers on the team made a huge difference to the end result, which had a big influence on being able to present the POC and get a fast decision on funding for the app.” 4 trial was conducted with station 5 6 A live staff who immediately saw value in the ability to report and share real-time information with each other on a map of the LU. Plans were soon in place to reduce Enfield Tow or remove slower and more cumbersome processes previously Bush Hi required for handling station crowding in favour of the new app. Par
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High Barnet
Bushey Carpenders Park
Cockfosters
Totteridge & Whetstone
Oakwood
Woodside Park
Southgate
on-the-Hill Ruislip Gardens
Rayners Lane
Neasden
Wembley Park
North Wembley
Stonebridge Park Kensal Rise
Willesden Junction
Sudbury Town
Alperton
Queen’s Park
Kilburn Park Maida Vale
Perivale
Brondesbury Kilburn High Road Paddington
Park Royal
Latimer Road
Ealing Broadway
5 4 3
Ealing Common
West Acton
Acton Central
North Acton
White City
Holland Park
Wood Lane
Shepherd’s Bush Market
Notting Hill Gate
South Kensington
Barbican
Green Park Piccadilly Circus
Victoria
Bank St. Paul’s Cannon Street
Monument
Mansion House
St. James’s Park
Imperial Wharf
3
Wandsworth Road
Clapham High Street Clapham North
Tower Gatew
River Thames
Rother
Embankment
London Bridge
Bermondsey
2
Southwark Borough Lambeth North
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Surrey Q
Queens Road Peckham
Vauxhall
Clapham Junction
Tower Hill
Temple
1
Pimlico
Aldgate
Fenchurch Street
Blackfriars
Westminster
Sloane Square
1
Chancery Lane
Leicester Square
Aldgat Ea
Liverpool Street
Waterloo
2
Wimbledon
Russell Square
Holborn
Charing Cross
Gloucester Road
Shore High S
Farringdon
Moorgate
Knightsbridge
Earl’s Court
Old Street
Euston Square
Covent Garden
Hyde Park Corner
Ho
Angel
Tottenham Court Road
High Street Kensington
Kensington (Olympia)
In addition to the app, CAFSouth wasActon able to provide Goldhawk Road South Barons TfL with new insights on station staff's attitudes Ealing Court Hammersmith Acton Town and behaviours towards RTI and incident planning via a series of user research sessions. West Stamford Ravenscourt TurnhamThese Northfields Chiswick Kensington Park Park Brook Green findings, in theBoston form of mental models and Manor empathy maps, will contribute toGunnersbury the continued Osterley West Brompton development of the app and RTI initiative. Hounslow East The plan is now to put the app into production for Hounslow Central Kewof Gardens London Underground, with plenty interest from Fulham Broadway Hounslow Westmodes of transport that TfL manages. other Parsons Green Richmond Hatton Cross “For me as a product owner/customer, all I care Putney Bridge about is the end result. It’s good to work with East Putney people who care as much as I do. The level of professionalism was immense.” Roberto Southfields concludes, “It was an intense, exciting time that Wimbledon Park produced an exceptional result.”
Queensway
Hagge
Oxford Circus
Lancaster Gate
Canonbury
King’s Cross St. Pancras
Goodge Street Bond Street
Dals King
Dalston Junc
Regent’s Park
Marble Arch
Shepherd’s Bush
Mornington Crescent
Warren Street
Edgware Road
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Highbury & Islington Caledonian Road & Barnsbury
Baker Great Portland Euston Street Street
Warwick Avenue
Bayswater
Kentish Town
Camden Road
Camden Town
Finsbury Park
Holloway Road
Kentish Town West
Chalk Farm
St. John’s Wood
Marylebone
Edgware Road
Ladbroke Grove
North Ealing
2
Swiss Cottage
South Hampstead
Arsenal
Caledonian Road
Finchley Road
Westbourne Park
East Acton
Upper Holloway Tufnell Park
Belsize Park
West Hampstead
Royal Oak
Hanger Lane
Finchley Road & Frognal
Kilburn Brondesbury Park
Kensal Green
Greenford
Hampstead
Willesden Green
Harlesden Northolt
Hampstead Heath
Seve Siste
Manor House
Archway Gospel Oak
Dollis Hill
Wembley Central Sudbury Hill
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Brent Cross Golders Green
South Kenton
South Ruislip
Kingsbury
Northwick Park
West Harrow South Harrow
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Road
Cross
Elephant & Castle
Kennington Oval Stockwell
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Denmark Hill
Peckham Rye
Bro
Honor Oak
Fores
Syden
