Presto
Unifying all
transit services on
one platform.
Unifying all transit services on one platform.
Servicing across all cities in the entire Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and leveraging integrated payment through existing Presto infrastructure.
2025
Independent
Feasibility Study
[MaaS]
Mobility
As a Service
[MaaS]
Mobility
As a Service
Role
UX Design
User Research
/Role
UX Design
User Research
Feature Highlights
1/ Context
The
1/ Context
The Problem?
A Disconnected Journey
1
Juggling Apps
2
Too much thinking
3
Practical usability, not data
A Disconnected Journey
1
Lack of integration
2
Too much thinking
3
Practical usability, not data
A Disconnected Journey
1
Lack of integration
2
Too much thinking
3
Data ≠ practical usability
Rider Core Insights
Demanding real-time updates
%
of Users
Demand
%
of Users
Demand
%
of Users
Demand
Information On Transit Delays
Stop Changes and Route Updates
Key Decision
Learning
from the past
Triplinx (2015 – 2025)
Confusing, poorly organized & glitchy
The now retired Metrolinx platform that was aiming for full local integration. Garnering a mediocre 63% satisfaction score, proved that simply providing information isn't enough.
The Target User?
Defined as a user who relies on two or more distinct transit networks – prioritizing both speed and cost control.
The issue is not
a lack of options.
It's the lack of
a single tool
to rely on.
Analysis
Competitive Context
The Market Gap
Integration vs. Aggregation
Competitive analysis confirmed that local existing solutions are data aggregators, and fail for full integration.
Precedence Study
3 Products
Google Maps
Data Aggregator
Pros
Seamless exploration and discovery
Ubiquitously available data
Cons
No fare/transfer integration
No e-mobility integration
Opportunities
Fare integration
Unifying e-mobility
Transit
Data Aggregator
Pros
Strong real-time data
Thriving alternative to Google Maps
Cons
Poor multi agency flow
Lack of price transparency
No e-mobility integration
Opportunities
Unified route comparison balancing time & cost
Jelbi (Berlin)
Multimodal Integration
Pros
Deep transactional integration of 13+ modes
Cons
Requires high institutional alignment (Gov. ownership)
Opportunities
Complete transit management designed for full integration
Key Finding
2/ Develop
Approaching the problem
Developing
Feature Prioritization
The Target
Combating Confidence Killers
Our design was engineered to directly combat the three biggest "confidence killers" identified in research: fare uncertainty, transfer anxiety, and last mile friction.
Data Backed Strategy
3 Solutions
Solution 1
Combating Fare
Uncertainty
89%
of users
59%
of users
Desire a PRESTO wallet balance for informed decisions
Design Execution
a
Wallet balance and fares on routes. A proactive answer to users top financial question.
Feature #1
Live Account Balance
Feature #2
Total Fare Cost
Solution 2
Eliminating Transfer
Anxiety
Top Priority
Real-time
Accurate Info
Previous Top Complaints
"Sometimes accurate" or "glitchy" directly erodes trust.
Design Execution
a
Using strong hierarchy to highlight the task - reducing the cognitive load of interpreting complexity under pressure.
b
Seamless Transfers
Actionable transfer steps with real time data, transforming a moment of anxiety into a moment of calm confirmation.
c
Transfer Timer
Eliminates uncertainty with an always visible tracker.
Guiding Intent
Clear & actionable steps + real time data
Feature
Omnipresent
Transfer Timer
Solution 3
Solving the
Last Mile Friction
Popularity Surge
Personal
Mobility Services
Building Trust First
Can't plan the last mile when users can't trust the "first fifty"
While only 49% of users felt integrating e-mobility was important; this is not a lack of desire, but a symptom of the previous broken experience.
Recent surge in last mile transport popularity further supports this decision.
Design Execution
a
Trust Building
Strategically building the trust necessary to make micro mobility a viable extension.
b
Actionable Info
Instead of passive information, UI directly informs decisions, such as "3 Docks Nearby."
c
Universal Scan to Unlock UI
Allows transition from transit to mobility services to be seamless, contained entirely within the trusted ecosystem
Guiding Intent
Solving the fragmented journey between multiple services
Feature
Universal
Scan to Unlock
Project Structure
Information Architecture
IA Strategy
Prioritizing Decisions First
To combat deep menus, I flattened the hierarchy into a Decision First Model - ensuring all actions are immediately accessible.
The Dashboard acts as a persistent status indicator, prioritizing immediate data: location, wallet, and transfer, orienting the user instantly before they act.
Contextual Access
The flow prioritizes immediate mobility over administration, using a shallow depth structure to reduce interaction cost, as well as to maximize map screen real estate.
Detailed View Partition
High velocity actions (Navigation, Unlocking) remain on the surface. Low frequency admin tasks (Reloading, History) are tucked in the expandable Detailed View, ensuring the app remains a tool for movement, not management.
Scan Carousel
A swipe interaction toggles providers (Bike Share, Scooter). This keeps the critical Scan to Unlock CTA accessible in a single gesture, preserving screen space while allowing for infinite partner scalability.
Ideation
Wireframing
Dashboard Design
Balancing Context Vs. Speed
The design challenge was reconciling two competing user needs: the need for spatial orientation (Where am I?) and the need for immediate action (Unlock a bike). Early explorations swung too far in either direction before landing on a hybrid solution.
Lofi Wireframe #1 + #2
Two Initial Approaches
1
Pure Exploration (Map First)
While excellent for context, it buried the primary utility (Unlocking/Booking) inside a minimized bottom sheet, creating high interaction cost for commuters who just wanted to ride.
2
Selection
Prioritized
While accessible, it siloed the experience. It forced users to commit to a mode (ex. "Bike Share") before seeing if a bike was actually nearby, violating the "Decision First" principle.
Final - Lofi Wireframe #3
Third - Hybrid State
3
Informed & Quick
Decisions
The final direction synthesizes the best of both worlds. It retains the live map for immediate spatial awareness but elevates the "Quick Access" row to the surface level.
It allows for an instant transportation decisions without blocking the user's view of their transfer status or location.
Key Decision
From Theory to Practice
Developing The Approach
Refining Core Flows
Maximizing Function, Minimal Cognitive Load
Developing the hybrid model, the focus was on refining three critical points: the dashboard dynamic state, universal mobility unlocking flow, and multi-modal navigation logic.
Ensuring every transition felt continuous, reducing the cognitive friction of switching between transit modes.
Dynamic Design
Dashboard
The default view prioritizes the Quick Access options, keeping high velocity actions (unlocking a bike) immediately available.
The Expansion
Dragging up reveals the Detailed View, which houses lower frequency tasks like Reload Presto and Ride History.
This partition ensures the map remains the hero, preserving spatial context while allowing complex account management.
Mobility Services
Unifying the Action Layer
To integrate disparate providers (Bike Share, Lime, Bird) without fragmenting the UI, the interaction model was unified.
Regardless of the provider selected in the carousel, the primary action remains a consistent "Scan to Unlock" button. This simplifies the complexity of third party APIs into a single, predictable user behaviour.
The Scan Carousel
Elegant and seamless solution to numerous fragmented service providers, unified by Scan to Unlock.
Minimizing Thinking
Integrated Navigation
Multi-modal routing is complex
To prevent decision paralysis, I designed the route selection screen to expose the trade-offs explicitly. Instead of a generic list, options are categorized by critical user priority: Fastest, Cheapest, or Optimal.
Simplifying Decisions
Complex algorithmic output into a simple human decision.
Fastest / Cheapest / Optimal
"Do I have more time
or more money right now?"
Key Decision
3/ Execution
Final Design
Final Design
The Dashboard
From a static wallet
to actionable confidence
Building Trust
/Live Transfer Timer
/PRESTO Wallet Balance
/Real Time Map view
Information
Architecture
Dashboard
Search
Transport
Balance
Proactive Information
The map first interface is designed to answer a user's most critical, high anxiety questions without a single tap.
Proactively presenting the three data points that ensure commuter confidence.
PRESTO Wallet Balance
Directly Answers -
/Can I afford this ride?
/When should I reload my PRESTO?
Live Transfer Timer
Directly Answers -
/Am I still on my transfer?
/When does it end?
Real-time Route Data
Never miss a route again.
Delays? Early? No problem.
Final Design
Bike Share TO Integration
Seamless Connection
To Current Infrastructure
Cycling The Last Mile
/Real time Dock Stats
/Integrated Unlock API
/Proximity Based Context
Information
Architecture
Dashboard
Bike Share
Scan to Unlock
Final Design
Last Mile Mobility
A Unified Interface
For A fragmented Market
Standardizing Fragmentation
The micro mobility landscape is fractured by competing operators, often forcing users to juggle multiple accounts. We prioritized a provider agnostic design, distilling the complexity of multiple APIs (Lime, Bird, etc.) into a single, consistent interface.
By normalizing the interaction into a universal "Scan to Unlock" pattern, we decoupled the utility of the ride from the specific app required to use it: shifting the user's decision metric from "Which app do I have?" to a simple "Which vehicle is closest?"
/Provider Agnostic UI
/Unified Payment Layer
/Real Time Inventory
Information Architecture
Dashboard
E-Mobility
Scan to Unlock
Final Design
Public Transit Integration
From Data Overload
To Clear Direction
Removing the noise
Isolating for transit
This view renders complex transit data into a simple visual hierarchy.
Active Transit Map
Route Corridors
High contrast lines visualize the multiple transit lines for rapid service recognition.
Stop Nodes
Specific markers (ex. 97AB) surface critical transfer points.
Vehicle Tracking
Enables passive monitoring of live arrival times without requiring the friction of a destination input.
Supporting Habitual Behavior
Transit maps are often paralyzed by data density. For daily commuters who need status rather than directions, I implemented a "Zero Input" transit view led by dynamic visual hierarchy.
By suppressing irrelevant data and isolating real time vehicle positions, the interface transforms from a static map into a focused real time monitor: eliminating the cognitive load of "planning" a known trip.
/Active Line Isolation
/Real Time Vehicle Tracking
/Contextual Stop Data
Information Architecture
Dashboard
Transit
Final Design
Multi-Modal Navigation
Clear and Actionable
Decisions at a glance
Suggested routes
Algorithmic Sorting
The interface replaces raw data analysis with clear value decisions. By tagging routes as "Fastest" or "Optimal," the system instantly calculates a "Time vs Cost" ratio, allowing users to identify the best option at a glance.
Unified Integrated Services
Multi modal journeys are often rejected due to the cognitive effort of comparing variables, across numerous services. Research shown that users want to sort by time (84%) and fare cost (79%).
A routing engine was designed that democratizes this data. By presenting "Lowest Fare" alongside "Fastest," users are empowered to make active value based decisions, trading 10 minutes of time for $3.00 in savings - without leaving the flow.
/Time vs. Cost Sorting
/Multi-Modal Stitching
/Live Step-by-Step
Information Architecture
Dashboard
Search
Route Select
4/ Reflection
[Under Construction]
Reflection Coming Soon.
Currently busy reflecting, come back shortly.
Thinking…