SubWaze is an augmented reality (AR) wayfinding app that allows users to more easily navigate New York City’s subway stations.

The Problem

New Yorkers use a multitude of apps that help them navigate the MTA every day. Existing apps address the beginning and the end of a user’s transit journey, but fall short when it comes to the journey in-between. Apps like Citymapper and Google Maps tell users which train to take, which train car to sit in, and even which exit to leave the station from, but what happens when the user needs to transfer to a new train in an unfamiliar station, which way do they go? When they are trying to leave the station, what is the most efficient way for them to get to their designated exit?

The Solution

SubWaze is an AR subway station wayfinder that allows users to more easily navigate New York City’s subway stations. The app works with your phone's camera to identify where you are, and then flashes a banner to signal key location points surrounding you. This quickly provides users with accurate directional information that allows users to feel more confident navigating New York’s subway stations.

User Research

I conducted five separate user interviews where I asked three residents of New York City, and two non-residents (who have visited NYC at least once), questions relating to their experience with navigating the subway system using existing transit apps. Some call outs they made were the lack of accuracy and the two dimensional experience, making it hard for users to orient themselves when getting out of their subway car. Some existing features they liked were the ability to enter in their destination and it tell them where to go, and their ability to integrate into other apps.

Low fidelity Prototype

With my users in mind I began to draw out a user journey/rough prototype for my app. I wanted the interface to be free from distractions and to keep the AR component the main focus on the screen. My goal was to demonstrate how as a user moves their phone, the location displayed in front of them accurately depicts the key location points surrounding them. Beyond wayfinding, I also wanted SubWaze to have the ability to mimic current transit apps and give users updated train times, while also showing them how to get to their designated train platform.

Coded Prototype

I created my prototype using HTML, CSS and Javascript. In the demonstration below, you can see that as the user moves their phone, key location points begin to flash around them. If the user wants to get to one of these location points they are able to enter in their desired location in the search bar and then be guided by the wayfinder. The user also has the ability to search for a specific train and view its up to date train times, then be guided to that trains platform by the wayfinder as well.

Design Decisions

I created a color palette meant to evoke feelings of NYC train nostalgia. I chose colors that represent those featured on the 6 train, which is part of the R62 car fleet, the oldest cars still in service. The name “SubWaze” derived from the idea to create a subway wayfinding app and is a play on the word ‘subway”. For the logo, I used the color palette below and decided to use arrows to break up the word as a call to the wayfinding app pointing you in the proper direction.

Takeaways

This project was challenging because I was limited by existing AR technology, as I continue to work on this in the future I want to look to implement a more robust AR option. During the ideation process of this project, it became clear to me that SubWaze is best suited to be integrated into an existing web mapping service like Google or Apple Maps, because it is a solution for the missing journey in-between point A and B. Using AR technology to map the underground subway system would benefit both the 66 million people who visit New York City each year, and the residents who use it everyday.

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