- Client: Personal Project
- Role: Lead UX Designer
- Tools Used: Sketch
Revolutionizing School Bus Tracking for Safety and Convenience
Find That Bus is a concept app designed to provide peace of mind for families by enabling real-time tracking of school buses. As the sole product and UX lead, I developed the app concept to address safety and communication needs for parents and students. Collaborating closely with Cobb County school officials, I am working toward a district-wide release to support safe transport for over 112,000 students. A companion app for bus drivers is also in development to ensure precise tracking and reliable communication.
Problem Statement
Parents, students, and school administrators currently face uncertainty around bus schedules and locations, which can lead to stress and confusion. Existing systems lack real-time tracking and offer limited options for reliable communication between drivers and families, making coordination challenging.
Project Goals: Design an intuitive app that provides real-time bus tracking, customizable notifications, and easy communication between drivers and parents, promoting safety and convenience for all.
Process & Research
Through extensive research with parents, students, and school staff, I identified essential features and key areas for improvement:
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User Interviews and Surveys:
Gathered insights from parents, students, and school officials to understand pain points and prioritize features. Real-time updates, route accuracy, and clear notifications were top priorities. -
Collaboration with School District:
Established a partnership with Cobb County officials to align the app with district needs and identify technical requirements for a successful rollout. -
Feature Prioritization:
Key functionalities for the parent app include live tracking, customizable alerts, and support for managing multiple routes, while the driver app provides route setup, manual tracking control, and direct communication with parents.
Key Insight: Parents value reliable notifications for bus arrivals and safe drop-offs, while drivers need simple tools to manage routes and communicate with families in case of delays or changes.
Design Iterations
1. Initial Sketches and Wireframes
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Low-Fidelity Sketches:
Focused on a clean map view, bus icons for live tracking, and notification customization. -
Wireframes:
Mid-fidelity wireframes included core features, such as route selection, notification settings, and child management for parents, and route setup and tracking control for drivers. -
Feedback:
Early feedback emphasized the need for clearly visible bus map and route icons, as well as advanced alert and notification settings, which informed layout adjustments and feature enhancements.
2. Prototyping and Testing
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Component Testing:
We tested key components, such as alert panels, device control modules, and reporting functions, to ensure each element’s readability and functionality. -
Invision Prototyping:
Created an interactive prototype in Invision to simulate live tracking and communication flows for both parent and driver apps. -
User Testing and Refinement:
Parents and drivers tested the prototype, leading to improvements in notification visibility, route setup, and user settings to ensure a seamless experience across both apps.
Implementation Process
In partnership with school officials, I’m finalizing app features that allow drivers to manage routes and control tracking visibility. The driver app will serve as a data hub, syncing bus locations with the parent app for real-time updates and enabling communication if delays or issues arise.
Outcome & Anticipated Impact
Ongoing surveys and user testing indicate a strong positive response from the community, with families appreciating the anticipated benefits of real-time tracking and improved communication. The app has received enthusiastic support from district officials, positioning it as a valuable addition to school safety measures and helping pave the way for a phased district-wide release.
Reflection
This project highlighted the importance of precise communication and data reliability in school transit systems. The collaborative approach with district officials provided valuable insights that shaped key app functionalities and usability.
Next Steps: Finalize the driver app prototype, continue user testing, and initiate a phased rollout to ensure a smooth, synchronized experience across the district.