Design and Development of a User-Centered Mobile Application for Intermodal Public Transit in Bangkok: A Design Thinking Approach

With the constant increase in public transit coverage in Bangkok Metropolitan Area in Thailand, many people are still hesitant to switch from using private to public transit, with one potential cause being the unavailability and difficulty in accessing accurate and timely information about their itineraries, while they are commuting. To assess and tackle such issues, the researchers adopted the user-centric Design Thinking methodology to empathize with target users' pain points in this study. They proposed a solution in a user-centric manner by assessing the usability flaws of existing mobile navigation applications, such as Google Maps and ViaBus. By developing a holistic mobile application called 'Disgovery' that covers all modes of public transit in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area and provides relevant information about their trips, the researchers aim to help commuters in Bangkok easily access it in a timely fashion. Through the user-friendly interface, commuters can eliminate the difficulty of finding routes and prices suitable to their needs. By making public transit more accessible with the help of ubiquitous mobile computing, commuters are also encouraged to switch from using private vehicles to public transit, which also can reduce accidents and carbon emissions. The findings from the usability testing in this study suggest that 'Disgovery' is an effective and user-friendly application for daily commuters in Bangkok that can help them achieve their goals without difficulties. The findings also indicate the importance of user interface and user experience guidelines in designing such applications.