mumbai navigator
July 15, 2008 at 8:45 am | In creative, interface design | 4 CommentsTags: interface design, mobile application
After a long time, i think !!! Few days back, during a meeting in my office i came accross an application called Mumbai Navigator. Mumbai Navigator helps to find out any bus and train routes by just entering the origin and destination. This application is designed by IIT Bombay.
Also, by entering train name or bus number would lead you to the detail of that particular train or bus number. I found this application very useful for people of Mumbai, as daily lacs of people travel by trains and busess. Currently this application is on the website which does not help people when they are on a move. I am designing the interface of Mumbai Navigator on mobile phones. Some of the initial ideas i am sharing with you, would love to get feedbacks.
The is the very first screen when you open the application. Here you can put your origin and destination in “from” and “to” option. By pressing the “select” button, by default it shows desired trains of chosen route.
“Option” button lets you look at other options like choosing a bus instead of train, also finding route by typing train name/bus number through “find by train name” and “find by bus number”.
This screen pops up when you choose “find by bus number”. Here i have shown some basic screen (though there are lot more) which is still on the design stage, but would like to get feedback from all of you to make it better.
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Hey thats a cool project to work on. I was thinking it’d be great to have an option to find when the next best train or bus is going to arrive, given the from and to places, since the cellphone already knows what time it is.
Also, i feel somewhere a user keeps waiting for a map when using a navigator application. I’m not sure how it will figure into your designs now but its just something i thought of.
Comment by Milind — July 28, 2008 #
In the mobile interface
1. What result would you show if I put kandivli in the origin and Hiranandani in the destination. (There is no direct train connecting kandivli and central suburbs)
2. Unlike the original mumbai navigator interface, here I dont have anything to choose from. I would like to be more specific. Selecting here would be faster and appropriate rather than typing the complete word. And what if somebody spells the origin or destination wrong. Typing ‘k’ should give me all the locations starting from k and then I can choose using the navigation key in the handset.
3. How do I know what mode of transport would cater to me if I am new to Mumbai. People residing in Mumbai would anyways know how to manage. Problem is for somebody who is new. So all the ‘options’ are of no use to me. Interface should guide me as to what should I do for going from one place to another.
4. ‘Select’ as a terminology doesn’t suit here when assuring that now you want to find the commutation details. ‘Ok’ would be more intuitive.
Comment by ananya — August 5, 2008 #
Hi Milind,
Completly agree.I think this is a nice idea and one can work upon it.But right now, the focus is to make a basic function working perfect, and then look foward for new good application that can be put on the same platform.
But a very nice sugesstion Milind.
Thanks.
Comment by keyurbsorathia — August 18, 2008 #
Hi Ananya,
Thanks for your comments. But as when i put the post, it was a very basic idea and interface.
1. If you select an option which does not have direct train and buses, it will show the different routes with 1 change or 2 change. So it will show two different busses or trainsto reach at the particular destinaion.(which is currently shown in the mumbai navigator website)
2.True. But as it isa mobile interface, i can not give option which is given in the wbesite.So forexample you type “k” and it shows all results of “k” which is not the case right now because of the screen size constraint. But i think it is nice option and one can look forward to it. Also if someone spells wrong then currently we have given any option,but we are thinking to give related search result. So if you type “kandeewali” it may show like” are you looking for kandiwali?”, something like it.But we need to figure it out.
3. I somehow do not agree with not putting “option” as it aloows user to search a bus and a train, also by putting just a bus number, you get the route of that bus, time and other details. Even if you are old to mumbai, it helps user to see all other buses which goes to destination and also timings.
4. when you click on “select” option, it asks you to choose train or bus.Thats why “select” option is put. Otherwsie i complelty agree that we need”ok” option.
I think, i will put the whole interface here, so you get more idea about the whole structure. The interface is ready. Just needto ask whether i can put the interface publicaly as the implementation is under construction.
Thanks Ananya for your comments.
Comment by keyurbsorathia — August 18, 2008 #