 BUSME Project Amir & Anne

BACKGROUND: BUSINESS PLAN  An online application or website for intercity bus planning  The only site that allows bus operators to bid for business. Power in a hand of the users  Focus on NE cities: Boston, Baltimore, Washington Dc, Philadelphia and New York City

BACKGROUND: UNIQUE SERVICES  Go on my terms  Compare bus fares including Boltbus and Megabus  Mainly target bus fares and not hotel and vacation packages  Personalized to users: Buddy Finder, Social Media, Traffic Alert, Go on my term, Reviews and Ratings, Users’ Profile (social media, payment information, preferred bus operators)

BACKGROUND: DEMOGRAPHIC  18 – 35 years old  College Students  Tourist & Travelers  English and Non English speakers

GOAL  Increase returning user rate  Provide enjoyable experience  Discover tickets & bus operators easily  Compare tickets and offers to find desired deals

STRATEGY  TARGET ESL USERS  SEO PLAN  SIMPLICITY  PERSONALIZED TO USERS’ NEEDS  DESIGN FOR “WAYFINDING”  DESIGN FOR AUDIENCES WITH DIFFERENT GOALS  RECOGNITION RATHER THAN RECALL  FLEXIBILITY: MULTIPLE SEARCHING METHODSLOW BOUNCING RATE

TARGET ESL USERS

SEO PLAN  Website has clear hierarchy. H1 and H2  Strong introductory paragraph with ‘keywords” or “search terms” in content  Every page has a descriptive title tag  Use text rather than images or use “alt” tag to explain the description of images  Use Meta Description tags and keyword tags: “low bus fares”, “Cheap Bus tickets”, “Intercity Bus Tickets”  Use Google’s Keyword suggestion tool to find keywords related to main target keyword

SIMPLICITY: EASY TO NAVIGATE

SIMPLICITY: LAYOUT

SIMPLICITY: SELECTION

PERSONALIZED TO USERS’ NEEDS

DESIGN FOR “WAYFINDING”  Breadcrumbs

DESIGN FOR “WAYFINDING”  Logos

DESIGN FOR “WAYFINDING”  Recent Searches

DESIGN FOR “WAYFINDING”

DESIGN FOR AUDIENCES WITH DIFFERENT GOALS  Novice users: Step by step

DESIGN FOR AUDIENCES WITH DIFFERENT GOALS  Expert users: Filters and Sorting o Ratings o Amenities o Prices o Travel Duration o Travel Time

DESIGN FOR AUDIENCES WITH DIFFERENT GOALS  Registered users: speedy check out

DESIGN FOR AUDIENCES WITH DIFFERENT GOALS

RECOGNITION RATHER THAN RECALL  Suggested Bus Stations

RECOGNITION RATHER THAN RECALL  Maps instead of address  Recent search

RECOGNITION RATHER THAN RECALL

FLEXIBILITY: MULTIPLE SEARCHING METHODS o By recent search o By Map o By Stations

FLEXIBILITY: MULTIPLE SEARCHING METHODS

LOW BOUNCING RATE  Present deals in search result

LOW BOUNCING RATE  Show local offer details after payment process

LOW BOUNCING RATE

NAVIGATION FLOW

FINDINGS Based on 8 user interviews for iPad and web platforms  Navigation flow  Show offers upfront: incorporated in the flow  Incorporate Go On My Terms in the flow  Provide promotional code at the end of process  Search  Show amenities  Layout  Filters and sorting moved to top

FINDINGS  Social  Friends  Option to opt out of social media  Station locator  Search by map  Terminology improvements  Special requirements changed to special needs for users with disabilities

FINDINGS  Traffic Alert  Delay report

CONCLUSION  Defined strategy  Designed content and behavior  Revised design and behavior according to user needs  To keep current customers and attract new users in order to generate revenue

QUESTIONS