Agenda for Today Introduction Motivation Framework Demo of Proposed Solution Usability Evaluation Cost & Revenue Model Limitations Future Recommendations PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

PAAC Background and Stats Since Mar 1964, providing public transportation throughout 730 square-mile area 860 buses 80 Light rail vehicles 4 incline cars 450 ACCESS vehicles Covers around 15,800 stops and 250 shelters Every $1 million investment supports 36,000 jobs Avg. weekday passengers – 230,000 PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

In Allegheny alone, 85% travel by Bus PAAC Background and Stats Source: PAAC PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

In the News Recently Increasing Cost Fuel Prices Environmental Requirements Rising Healthcare Legacy Cost - Pension Statewide Funding Crisis - FY2011 Revised Operating Budget Reduction of $30 million Which Resulted in Increased Fares (Jan 1, 2011) 35% Service Reduction Longer Wait Times Retrenchment of 500 employees PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

The Question How do we provide our passengers better service as we tide through the tough times?

Purpose of Proposed Solution PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant Value-Added Service Given the cutbacks in frequency, riders can reduce the pain of waiting - by knowing Generating Revenue Additional Channel for Advertising A Smartphone Application that would provide: 1.Passengers with service information 2.Create an avenue for feedback 3.Create revenue opportunities for PAAC in the long-run A Smartphone Application that would provide: 1.Passengers with service information 2.Create an avenue for feedback 3.Create revenue opportunities for PAAC in the long-run

Mobile Application Changing Times PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

What are people using smartphones for? PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant Source: comScore

Mobile Application Changing Times Source: mobileburn PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Choosing an Application Framework Fragmented Market Source: mobileburn Some Considerations Fragmented Operating System Market Varying Dominant OS Proprietary Languages Personal Preferences Compatibility and Marketability PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Hmmm… PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant How do we reach out to a market that is so fragmented? A lightweight, cross-platform application that can be presented on passengers mobile device

Architecture Overview PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant XML CSS and JS

Application Walkthrough PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant Ready?

Scenario Walkthrough Scenario 1: Planning a trip Bin is a student of CMU. He needed to catch a bus to Waterfront for his interview. Being cold and wet outside, Bin would like to know when is the best time to catch his bus… PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Scenario Walkthrough Scenario 2: News Wondering if there was going to be disruptions to the service, Bin checks the Twitter Feeds to ensure that he is kept updated PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Scenario Walkthrough Scenario 3: Feedback Fortunately, there we no disruptions, and Bin was able to make it Waterfront without waiting too long in the cold; he is happy but the heater for the bus was not working. He decides to leave a feedback for PAAC PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

User Centered Design PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant How do we ensure that the application serves its purpose, by serving the users?

Iterative Usability Feedback Paper Prototype Sketch and Rough Process Flow Design Goals and Design Guidelines 1 st Phase Development Interface Prototype – Actual Look and Feel Formative Evaluation Improve and Iterate Actual Interaction and Design Summative Evaluation

Examples of Usability Evaluation Picking a date PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Useful Usability Evaluation Select a Location PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Useful Usability Evaluation How it helps PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Dollars and Sense How this benefits both PAAC and its passengers Distribution Free Application Available on App Stores Mobile Browsers Revenue Sense Increase channels to grow advertising revenue Passenger satisfaction Avenue for Feedback PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Advertising on the Application PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Cost Structure Overview Development MaintenanceRefinement Marketing Data Cleansing Native API Integration Increased Advertising Revenue Increased Passenger Ridership PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Performance and Transfer Speeds Web Application Growing but Limited Cross Platform Plugins Still in Alpha Development jQuery Mobile & PhoneGap Not available on all phones Privacy Concerns GPS – Location Information Needs to be cleanse (Duplicates) Locally stored vs. Cloud Source of Information Shortcomings of the Prototype Design PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Future Recommendations Walking and Transfer Paths Show Path of Travel SMS Reminder or Calendar Integration Notifications and Contact (Native APIs) Reminder of Scheduled Ride Increase POIs Error Handling Robust Queries VoiceXML + DTMF SMS Services Feature Phone Capabilities PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Conclusion The Motivation Framework Rationale Application Demonstration Sustainability Shortcomings Future Recommendations PAAC Mobile Trip Assistant

Thank You

PAAC Background and Stats Benefits of Transit Senior citizens (over 65), person with disabilities, students, faculty and staff of 7 colleges ride free Reduces the travel time and money significantly Job Perk’s program Provides ACCESS vehicles Environmental benefits - Reduces carbon emission by 37 million metric tones Conserves energy, saves 4.2 bn gasoline Vital & safe form of transportation