stellargirl returns

overthinking transit and change

The inspiration for writing about transit began when I made a point to notice this sign as I descended the stairs at the Tasker-Morris stop on the Broad Street Line last week: Exact fare only. The cashier has no change.

This is not a very friendly message. Since I have a monthly unlimited transpass, I can ignore that sign and keep moving. A few years ago, when I wasn't on the monthly plan, that sign used to anger me every day. Not only did this station require exact change, they did not have token machines either. Unless you're a seasoned rider, you would not know until you get to the cashier that the fare is $2. And if you had a $5 or a $20 bill, it didn't matter. $2 in bills or coins was all that would get you through that turnstile.

As I was pondering this frustration the other day, I realized (to SEPTA's credit) that in the years since I used to visit this stop regularly, they have gotten token machines! Yes, I have seen them many times, but it dawned on me that they did solve one part of the problem. Technically you don't need exact change anymore. If you have a $5 bill, you can put it in the machine and get a few tokens to be used for future trips.

But if you want to buy some tokens with all those quarters you've stashed for a rainy day, forget it! This machine does not accept coins.

Well SEPTA, you are trying.

I'm still holding out for NYC's MTA plan: MetroCards with declining balances that can be filled up at any station at any time, with cash or credit. Now that's convenient.

isepta is the wave of the future

There's been an unstoppable buzz in Philly and on Twitter lately about iSepta, "Simple Septa Schedules on the Go", the amazing iPhone application put out by the rock solid development team of Randy Schmidt and Chris Conley (aka ümlatte), skinned in a beautiful interface design by Jason Tremblay.

Randy dreamed up iSepta back in March during a day where he was was riding the rails.

Within minutes, many of Randy's friends started responding to such an idea, myself included. We've all experienced frustration trying to navigate the Septa schedules (see below).  It's not that they don't do the job, they could just do it so much better.  How do I read this thing?

That's where Randy, Chris and Jason stepped in to make it happen. iSepta was released to the local community for design feedback, usability, user experience, etc.  Twitter was used as an open forum for people to find out about the app, test it on other devices like Blackberries and on the web, and now SMS!  As you can see below, the interface is so much easier on the eyes.

Well today is the big day, iSepta has launched! Click on over to the ümlatte blog for a detailed summary of the project and all the latest news.  This is a big day for Philadelphia!

interactions in your environment

During a presentation on user-centered design at my place of employment last week, I found myself gripped by one concept that I had not previously considered in detail when thinking about interactions:  ENVIRONMENT.  Steve Kuhn, our effervescent speaker, gave a few examples of how environment is a crucial part of creating products for your users.  For example, will the user be interrupted frequently, will they be in a hurry, is their environment safe?

Since I am a fan of mass transit interactions, I brought these ideas with me as I got a new MetroCard in NYC this past weekend.  I am already comfortable with the interface, so it's easy for me to fly right through it.  However, it's pretty easy for most people, I would think, because the interface is broken into manageable pieces and involves simple, clear instructions and graphics. 

More importantly, the subway is often populated with people from all over the country and the world who are unfamiliar with their surroundings, so the interaction needs to be easy.  These users may also feel a little unsafe or out of sorts in this new and foreign environment.  They seem to catch on quickly, so that must be a good sign.

Next on deck: Automatic Teller Machines, so close, yet so far away...

interfaces are everywhere

I have been traveling more than usual lately, and by doing so interacting with many different interfaces with regards to printing tickets, finding transportation, etc.  The catalyst for this post happened when I was printing out my airline ticket at Boston's Logan Airport earlier this week.  I had a confirmation number and I needed to use a touchscreen to enter in the number.  Using my index finger, I started tapping at the screen, but something didn't feel right.  It was really hard to find the letters I was looking for.  And then I realized that this was because the letters were displayed in a QWERTY keyboard format. 

It seemed very unnatural for me to use one finger to find the letters in that type of format, which was designed to be used with 2 hands, and ideally without even setting eyes on the keyboard.  I think part of this realization was based on the fact that during the last 2 days, I was pecking away on my cellphone keys with my thumb, sending text messages to friends.  The keyboard on a phone is set up in alphabetical order, which is logically, much easier to deal with when using one finger.

My good friends over at Amtrak also use a confirmation number system to print out tickets at the station.  However, their confirmation numbers contain a limited number of letters, so when it comes time to enter in your info, you are presented with a screen of numbers 0-9 and the 6 or so possible letters.  If you're anything like me, usually you need to bust a move on these machines to catch the train, and the faster/easier the experience, the better.

Finally, back at the Philadelphia Airport*,  I was happy to see how easy it was to access mass transit via the terminal.  If you are following the signs to exit, you have no choice but to pass the clearly marked stairwell to the well-lit train platform.  Pleasantly surprised, indeed, but I still took a cab.  Anyway, they have an LCD screen at the top of the stairwell that indicates what time the trains run -- which is :12 and :42 after the hour.  Great!  That makes sense to me, but, hmm... well.. what time is it now?  Sure, I could check my phone or find another source of time, but it seems to me like displaying the current time in the LCD screen along with the train times would be trés helpful.

In the meanwhile, I am going to start taking pictures of more of these interactions so you know what I am talking about.

* If you visit the Philadelphia Airport website, it makes Philadelphia look like Miami. Or Hawaii.  I am curious to know who's in that white limo.

all aboard the quiet car

I inadvertently found myself in a quiet car on my Amtrak train to NYC this past Friday.  I have heard the legend of the quiet car, but I had not yet experienced it. It's an amazing phenomenon.  I was able to calmly plow through the remainder of a book I was reading and peacefully pull into Penn Station without a care in the world.  Of course, there was one girl who got a phone call and answered it, only to be scolded by the lady sitting next to her.  She changed seats as soon as the opportunity arose, only to receive yet another call and have the original scolding lady leave her seat to scold once again.  Other than that, total breeze.  I think the quiet car should have a different decor.  Maybe painted a serene color and have pillows or something. That would be nice.  It sure would beat the car I ended up in on my trip home.  This car was all about loud cellphone calls, crying babies, coughing adults, and my personal favorite: peanut shells, everywhere.  Whoever vacated the seat before me thought that the floor of the train doubled as a trashcan.  Can't win 'em all, I s'pose.

that's it, i am walking everywhere

Here in Philly, people get shot on the bus. 

get on the bus!

This is the first I heard of it, but Google provides their employees with a fleet of buses to get them to work every day. It doesn't seem shocking coming from a company like Google, but what's awesome is that these buses run on biodiesel fuels and alert riders via cellphones and computers if the buses are running late. And they can bring their dogs on the bus! Read the blurb on Treehugger or the original article on the NY Times.

I ride buses all the time here in Philadelphia. I love to walk, too, but when I am in a hurry and the bus is coming and I have the convenience of a monthly transpass, I will hop right on. Generally, I would rather move than stand still, which means that I sort of despise waiting for the bus. If I have no time constraints, I will walk all the way to anywhere, but when I do have to get somewhere in a hurry, walking is not always the best option, which is why I would adore having some knowledge of when the bus is coming via my cellphone. This does not seem like such an impossibility to me technologically speaking, but then again this is Septa that we are dealing with. I wouldn't exactly say that they instill a lot of confidence, considering their most central hub of transportation, City Hall station, is dark, smelly, and confusing as hell. You need to be a seasoned rider to know your stairwell, which way to turn, etc., because Septa sure hasn't bothered to properly utilize the simple tool of good signage.

Perhaps Philly can learn a lesson from the recently upgraded Los Angeles transit system, featured in February's Fast Company. One of the earliest steps that the LA Metro took was to consolidate their public art program and in-house design studio. While environmental concerns and ease of use are of utmost importance, let's face it, good design is inviting to the public, and increasing ridership is half the battle.

With condos going up all over this city, and with the projected influx of new residents (that might be up for debate), it would be great to have a state of the art transit system to handle the increase in population. I won't hold my breath, but I will hop on the bus when it comes my way.

braindump friday

I have had a few potential posts rattling around my head, but I thought it might be more fun to list some random thoughts in a consolidated entry.  That way, they actually get out there, as opposed to fading into the recesses of my brain to the land of lost blog posts.

•  My 2006 taxes are done, done, done.  I did them last week and hopefully the refund will be rolling in soon.  It's easy as pie to do it with Turbotax online.  It's also easy when you work a full year in the same state and don't have any 1099's.  They do charge to e-file, but I think it's worth it.  The other night I was discussing it with my Dad and he said that I should have at least filed my state taxes over the phone for free.  He said, "It's so easy that.. a ... a..."

"A caveman could do it?" I said.

"It's so easy that I could do it!" 

I guess you had to be there, but I got a good laugh out of that one. I love my Dad.

• The Septa bus system was pretty infuriating this week, today in particular.  I spent a lot of time waiting around for buses to slowly roll through poorly plowed streets or to come pick me up at all.  I have definitely wondered aloud and discussed with friends why there isn't some kind of GPS system that you can tap into with your cellphone to know exactly when the next bus is coming.  Tonight I waited for 30 MINUTES in tundra temperatures for a bus that was never going to arrive (or so it seemed).  It started to become a battle of wills as one side of my brain said, walk home now, and the other said, you've put so much time into waiting, it will be here any minute!  I did eventually walk all the way home, but for the first few blocks, I stopped at every corner to see if the bus was coming.  At one corner, I even stopped and talked to old man in and Eagles' cap and asked if he'd been waiting long.  30 minutes just like me.  I also realized that I could barely move my mouth since I had been outside so long.  I wished him well and trudged along my way.

• It's a little late for resolutions for 2007, but one of my new year's projects has been to seriously curb the barrage of junk email that flows into my inbox day after day.  Each day seems to bring a new challenge.  While some emails are easy to unsubscribe to, just click a button and you're done, others require you to log in (what's my password again?) and change your preferences.  Sometimes they want to know WHY you are choosing to leave the list (with sad puppy dog eyes).  Others insist that you click a link to confirm your unsubscription.  And the worst offenders of all?  Those that do not give you any opt-out option at all!  For shame!  I simply reply to them with a link to the CAN-SPAM act, thankyouverymuch.  And I can do that, because at my last job I was an ecommerce spammer and forgot the opt-out once. You can bet I learned all about CAN-SPAM then!! And for the record, I spam no more.

That's all for today!

(photos courtesy of The Internet)

trouble sleeping

This list of planned service interruptions below is subject to change due to weather conditions or operational requirements.

Broad Street Line
Monday, December 18 - Thursday, December 21, 2006
10:00 p.m. - 4:30 a.m. Nightly

All local service will be from the Northbound local track from Walnut-Locust to Snyder stations. Service will be adjusted to a 15-minute schedule through the last trains.

This has not been a good week for sleeping.  Construction workers have been banging on pipes all night long (a la Beauty and the Beast), sawing, hammering, and other various loud activities.  Has the beeping of your alarm clock ever found its way into your dreams?  Imagine hearing such insane noises in the middle of the night, and then stumbling over to the window, expecting to see an army of power tools and sparks, to see nothing!  Not fun.

Zzzz...

google transit

I stumbled upon Google Transit recently and got all kinds of excited as I have this mild obsession with mass transit.  I am hoping that Philly / Septa might hop on board one day soon, but I won't hold my breath.  However, should I find myself in Tampa, Honolulu, Eugene, Portland, Seattle, or Pittsburgh, I will have no trouble getting around.  Some great features include adding your time of departure to your point to point map search, estimated walking times, transit schedules and alternate bus / train routes.

I would also like to see more cities get hit by HopStop, another transit site which was more than helpful during my time in NYC.