Metro Phoenix Light Rail | PHOENIX, AZ
Contribution | Discovery Process: Surveying + Site Visit + User Personas | Ideation + Prototyping + Signage & Branding
DISCOVERY
The Phoenix metro area thrives on travel and tourism from Mexican visitors and is home to a large native Spanish-speaking population. There is a clear inconsistency by which bilingual messaging is shared through the Phoenix Metro Light Rail. How do we implement consistent bilingual messaging throughout a passengers interaction within the Light Rail system while improving upon and maintaining a clear and understandable interpretive messaging and way finding?
Surveying
Darryl | age 36 | White/Non-Hispanic | Male
Daily
No, he hates it. It’s too expensive. Still has to get on a bus, take a cab, or walk 3+ miles to get to work/home.
Everything. But he emphasized the route being ‘bigger’.
Air conditioning.
It’s fine now that he’s used to it. Sometimes he doesn’t pay.
Lydia | age 32 | African American | Female
Rarely
It’s fine–she notes that it is much cheaper than an Uber downtown or parking downtown, which is why she is using it.
More stops throughout the valley.
Quick, easy, cheap.
Yes.
Ron | age 52 | African American | Male
5-6 days/week
Uses it to get to work and thinks the cost is fine.
Nothing.
Air Conditioning.
Sure.
Melanie | age 24 | White/Non-Hispanic | Female
4-5 days/week
She loves the light rail. She uses it for school and to get downtown for ‘shows’ and to see friends. She doesn’t have a car, so she depends on it to get around from where she lives in Tempe. She has a ‘U-Pass’ through ASU (school) that she uses for unlimited rides.
Larger route that goes north to Scottsdale.
Quick and easy.
‘Totally’
Ideation
Jackie | the student
27 | Scottsdale, AZ | Grad Student
Jackie is a grad student at Arizona State University, focusing on journalism and media relations. She lives in Tempe near the main campus, but as a journalism student, relies on the Metro Light Rail to easily commute downtown to the journalism campus. She has a vehicle, but tries not to drive downtown to avoid the stress of parking and traffic. She is also eco-conscious and appreciates the idea of ride-sharing and more environmentally-friendly commuting opportunities. As a student, she has access to a Metro U-Pass, which provides a level of savings and convenience that she enjoys.
Sofía | the tourist
43 | Mexico City, Mexico | Financial Planner, Mother of Three
Sofía is a full-time financial planner and single mother to 3 kids, with a home base of Mexico City, Mexico. She occasionally visits Phoenix for work and enjoys bringing her family to take advantage of the many family-friendly sources of entertainment the city has to offer. Sofía and her family spend a great deal of time in Tempe and Scottsdale, but love the museums and sporting events downtown. While she is bilingual in English and Spanish, Spanish is her primary and preferred language–she appreciates the opportunity to experience Phoenix in her native language.
James | the Daily Commuter
35 | Chandler, AZ | Marketing Professional
James lives in Chandler with his wife and 2 kids, but works downtown as a marketing manager. He and his wife share a vehicle, so he depends on the Phoenix Metro system to get to work Monday through Friday. James has to take a bus to reach the lightrail, and as he uses the system for work over pleasure, having access to a tracking system would benefit him greatly. Since he uses multiple transfers daily and thus weekly, he typically opts for a monthly pass.
solution
