Arriva Bus | New digital platform

Helping customers get on the bus...

Arriva Bus is a prominent bus service provider in the UK, with a goal to establish a smooth and delightful user experience throughout every phase of the commuter's journey, aiming to be the preferred mobility partner for commuters.

The project involved the development of an innovative digital product that took a future-oriented approach to create a new digital platform for Arriva Bus. It aimed to resolve the complexities resulting from the existence of two separate bus mobile applications—one dedicated to ticket purchases and the other for journey planning. Both tools were oriented towards specific tasks, making it challenging for the business to oversee and for travellers to navigate.

What the project objectives were

The primary objectives included the creation of a unified and centralised solution, providing users with a streamlined journey planning experience enriched with on-the-go assistance. Additionally, I aimed to ensure a cohesive and consistent brand experience for users on both the website and mobile app. The overall goal was to introduce a modern and user-friendly approach to locating and utilising bus services. Throughout this project, my aim was to enhance the overall user experience, improve accessibility to Arriva bus services, and simplify the customer journey.

The optimal solution was to design and enhance the user experience by consolidating two apps (journey planning and ticket purchasing) into a single application. The ultimate aim was to provide users with one app where they could effortlessly plan, purchase, and save journeys and tickets.

Research is key to any project...

In the discovery phase of the Arriva Bus project, my role involved interviewing various stakeholders (from across the Arriva Bus business, from commercial, customer experience (CX), and call centre leads, to regional managers, and central and regional marketing) and a diverse group of bus passengers to pinpoint service and digital platform issues. Additionally, I implemented remote surveys to Arriva's current customer base. The objective of the interviews and surveys was to gather information on user opinions, behaviours, needs, and motivations in order to inform design and build decisions.

The 16-question remote survey was distributed through SurveyMonkey, receiving a total of 1,331 responses. Additionally, I conducted interviews with 14 stakeholders, both in one-on-one face-to-face sessions and in group settings.

The collective findings revealed several key insights. Firstly, it became evident that the digital brand was outdated. Additionally, the presence of multiple Arriva Bus apps was deemed redundant (there was an app for journey planning and a separate app for purchasing tickets). Most notably, there was a clear and widespread public desire for a modern, easy to use app with both journey planning and ticket purchasing.

Understanding the commuters experience...

The Arriva Bus app initially consisted of two separate applications for Journey Planning and Ticket Purchasing. Our goal was to merge these into a single, integrated app that would allow users to seamlessly plan their journeys, purchase tickets, and save both journey plans and tickets.

To achieve this, I first began creating user journeys for purchasing tickets as some regions where Arriva Bus operate had complicated ticketing tiers. While creating the user journeys I had also mocked up wireframes for the stakeholders to visualise how purchasing tickets would look like as it was quite different from the original app. The focus was to provide users a connected experience; enriching journey planning, whilst providing retail and journey options to users as they browsed marketing content. I collaborated with the Arriva Bus team in London and various UK locations to ensure that our business objectives were aligned.

The user experience...

Once the user journeys were signed off I then created the high fidelity wireframes for iOS and Android. Arriva Bus stakeholders requested that all wireframes be created with a high-fidelity approach. The prototypes went through extensive user testing and guerrilla testing with internal Arriva employees, stakeholders and real users at various bus stops nationwide. These methods of testing allowed me to use customer feedback to change the prototype in real time and refine the experience. There were multiple iterations of the wireframes/prototypes before having the final signoff from the stakeholders.

Creating an overflow...

Once we had a more refined concept and had validated it with users, I proceeded to comprehensively map out the app using Overflow. This visualisation tool enabled developers, stakeholders and other clients to gain a clear understanding of the app's functionality and how it would be developed. This approach was applied to both the iOS and Android apps, enabling developers to commence backend development concurrently with UI design work in progress.

Putting the final UI together...

My approach to UI design for the Arriva bus app was characterised by a commitment to user-centred design, brand consistency, accessibility, iterative refinement, mobile responsiveness, collaboration, and user testing. These principles collectively guided the creation of a visually appealing and user-friendly interface, ensuring that the design met the needs and expectations of the end users while aligning seamlessly with the Arriva brand

To create an engaging and intuitive UI design for the Arriva bus app, I began by understanding the needs and preferences of the app's target users. This user-centred approach allowed me to craft a design that aligns seamlessly with their expectations. Ensuring consistency with Arriva's branding guidelines was a top priority. I incorporated the brand's colours, typography, and visual elements to create a cohesive and recognisable look and feel throughout the app.

Throughout the UI design process, I collaborated closely with developers and other team members to ensure that the design could be implemented effectively and aligned with the technical requirements of the app. Before finalising the design, I conducted user testing sessions to validate the usability and effectiveness of the UI design. User feedback played a crucial role in refining the interface.

The finale...

As a product designer, this project represented a significant milestone for ORM Digital, marking the largest undertaking to date. It placed me in a pivotal role, where I had the privilege of overseeing the entire product suite, which encompassed critical aspects such as discovery, user experience, testing, and brand concepts. I also took on the responsibility of fostering collaboration among multiple companies and cross-functional teams across different countries. This collaborative effort was essential to ensure the successful development and ongoing maintenance of the product, from its initial conception all the way to its final completion.

Arriva Bus has successfully consolidated its services into a single app and website, utilising a central suite of components. This approach enables content to be efficiently reused and repurposed across each regional business operator. The updated platform offers an enhanced, visually-driven interface with real-time journey data displayed on maps, facilitating easy bus tracking along their routes and streamlined booking processes.

The new platform was launched in August 2020 and delivered immediate, measurable results. Revenues reached seven figures, and there was a notable 30% shift towards the new platform within the first month. User visits exceeded 1 million by the second month. Remarkably, even amid the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the solution continued to expand its user base, with monthly visitors surpassing 2.6 million as of July 2021. Revenues demonstrated a 32% year-over-year increase, factoring in the pandemic's impact.