Metro Pass Checkout

The transit app let riders buy single tickets and monthly passes, but most riders still queued at ticket machines. App reviews repeatedly mentioned a confusing purchase flow and tickets that were hard to find at the gate.

Senior product designer

Buying a ticket took too many steps and asked riders to choose between fare types they did not understand. At the gate, riders had to dig through menus to find a valid ticket while people waited behind them.

I analysed the existing funnel with the product team to see where riders dropped off, then ran moderated usability sessions with commuters, occasional riders and visitors to the city. We tested three flow concepts as prototypes before refining one through two further rounds of testing.

We replaced the fare-type menu with a simple question about the rider's journey and recommended the best-value option. Saved payment and a one-tap repeat of the last purchase shortened the flow for regular riders. Active tickets were moved to the app's home screen and a lock-screen widget, with a high-brightness QR code sized for gate scanners.

In follow-up testing, participants completed a purchase noticeably faster and far fewer needed help choosing a fare. After launch, complaints about finding tickets at the gate largely disappeared from app reviews.

The most important moment in the journey was not the checkout but the gate, where the ticket actually gets used. Designing backwards from that moment reshaped the whole flow. I would also test with visitors earlier, as their needs differed most from daily commuters.