Prototype Change 01
The live map home screen — with its dense overlays and moving ferry icons — consistently disoriented new users. Participants found the simplified routes map far more useful as an entry point but couldn't locate it without guidance.
The redesign sets the simplified routes map as the default view, surfaces a prominent "Plan a Trip" entry point, and reduces the visual weight of the search bar that consistently confused users about expected input format.
"Plan a Trip" entry point moved from buried sub-menu to prominent center-screen CTA — reducing path from app open to route found from 7 taps to 2.
Plan a Trip
From
Current Location
Where are you going?
Search destination…
Prototype Change 02
Participants consistently tried to enter their destination first — then got stuck when the app offered no clear path from "where am I going" to "which ferry gets me there." The routing logic was ferry-first, not user-first.
The redesign integrates the full journey: origin → ferry stop → destination as a single continuous trip. When redirecting to an external map, the ferry route is passed as context so Apple Maps surfaces ferry options by default.
"Current Location" auto-fills the origin field. Users select destination and the app resolves which ferry route, which terminal, and which connecting transit gets them there — end to end.
Prototype Change 03
New users couldn't identify which ferry terminal served their destination. Terminal names like "Stuyvesant Cove" or "Schaefer Landing" were meaningless without geographic context — leaving participants to guess or abandon.
Every terminal label now leads with neighborhood or borough context: "St. George (Staten Island)", "Stuyvesant Cove (East Village)". Stop detail views include nearby landmarks and cross-streets, with an optional toggle between terminal name and neighborhood name.
In testing, 4 of 5 participants failed to identify a terminal serving their destination. With neighborhood-first labels, the same task became immediately solvable without external lookup.