VIA Rail - a research case study
In this project we performed an analysis of VIA Rail’s Website from September 2023, where we discovered 3 major pain points that potentially caused users to abandon their task. These were -
1. Complicated booking process with many usability issues.
2. Difficult nomenclature of travel tiers and loyalty program.
3. Multiple destination booking - travellers’ search results cannot be saved easily.
After presenting to stakeholders, we decided to investigate users’ experience with 3. Multiple destination bookings.
We interviewed 6 participants and based on the data, created a persona - Jay. Upon mapping Jay’s user journey in the booking process, we discovered that Jay is frustrated when -
1. Deciding travel constraints with friends
2. Booking each destination individually, including connections
3. Receiving multiple email confirmations, restricting sharing with friends
Empathising with Jay’s pain points, we can now address them with improvements in future designs.
1. Goal
2. About VIA Rail
3. Competitor analysis
4. Elevator Pitch
5. Persona - Jay
6. Jay’s User Journey
7. Conclusion
8. Final Takeaways
Via Rail Canada Inc. is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada.
Major Findings-
1. Confusing Nomenclature - Gift Cards were referred to as “E-Certificates”
2. Navigation issues in the purchase path that redirects the user unnecessarily to a new page.
3. Nomenclature Issues in the Purchase path - “Compare our advantages” &”Select class and fare plan” may mean a booking class but it is unclear.
4. Improper text layout and hierarchy in Travel Advisory warnings could make the user to skip it, causing serious problems.
5. The “Calendar” and “Track your train” features do not function properly.
Presented to Stakeholders
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Through this deep-dive into the travellers' experiences booking multiple destination travel, we've discovered what problems and frustrations they face. Our goal is to transform VIA Rail's user experience by addressing these pain points and aligning the booking path with the expectations of multiple destination travellers.
In order to achieve these goals and create better experiences, our team will be looking to build a booking experience based on the opportunities presented above. This will make sure booking multiple destinations is not a chore, but a delight.
Our next steps will be as follows:
- TaskFlow
- Wireframing
- Prototyping
- Usability Testing
This project achieved its intended goal of learning. Having received feedback from my instructor, I’ve learnt -
- Conducting a competitor analysis can be incredibly valuable, and next time I would conduct the competitor analysis more thoroughly, looking at the heuristics more keenly and digging deeper to uncover more valuable insights.
- User Interviews are indispensable in research, and I am on the path to becoming a better moderator. I’ve learnt to ask more open ended (non-leading) questions, follow active listening and speaking practises to avoid biases (while keeping the user comfortable), and ask myself everyday “How can I ask better questions?”.
- This project has taught me about collaborating in a design team and how to grow in harmony with other designers. The importance of open communication, mutual respect, and harnessing diverse perspectives to uncover solutions has become clearer.