Mission

Overview

Background

Research

Insights

Problem

Reflections

UX Research

2026 · Case 02/04

Mission

Overview

Background

Research

Insights

Problem

Reflections

UX Research

2026 · Case 02/04

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UX Research · Service Discovery

Finding the Mission Bay Shuttle

RESEARCH QUESTION

Why is a free, well-used shuttle so hard for potential riders to discover, understand, and trust?

GOAL

Identify the barriers that stop first-time and occasional riders from confidently finding and using a service that already exists.

Through field recruitment and six in-depth interviews, this study investigates why a shuttle carrying 213,000 riders a year stays invisible to the people it's built for — and what would make it findable, legible, and trustworthy.

This case study presents research findings and opportunity areas. It does not represent a redesigned, prototyped, or implemented shuttle experience.

Tool

Figma

Google form

Mural

Zoom

My Role

UX Researcher

Partners

Peiran Xia

Ning Zhang

Time line

January 2026 -

march 2026

Background · The Context

A free, daily shuttle carried 213,000 riders in 2023 — running right past our campus. Most of my participants had never heard of it.

The Mission Bay Shuttle connects students, employees, and residents across one of San Francisco's most dynamic neighborhoods. It's free, it's frequent, and it's nearly invisible. That gap between a service's quality and its discoverability is what this study set out to understand.

213,000

riders

This isn't a failing service; it's a hidden one. The shuttle works; almost nobody knows it's there.

5 of 6

Couldn't find the website or didn't know the shuttle existed. The problem isn't quality. It's awareness.

Research Editorial

Six methods, each narrowing from context to cause

The study moved from broad grounding to specific rider pain points. Two methods did the heavy lifting — the rest set them up.

Literature Review

Grounded the study in transit UX, community-shuttle, and wayfinding research.

AEIOU Field Observation

AEIOU Field

Observation

Mapped the real stop experience — and the near-total absence of signage.

Screener Survey

13-question Google Form; recruited across rider types and usage patterns.

Heuristic Evaluation

CORE METHOD

Assessed the site against Nielsen's heuristics before involving a single user.

Semi-Structured Interviews

CORE METHOD

Six 30-minute sessions, in person at CCA and remote via Zoom.

Affinity Mapping

Three-pass LUMA clustering that surfaced nine recurring themes.

Key Finding

A Free Shuttle Nobody Knew Existed

Six in-depth interviews surfaced a consistent pattern: riders who knew about the shuttle loved it — but most people had no idea it existed, and those who tried it once often couldn't find it again.

The Ride Experience

Half praised safety, friendly drivers, and uncrowded buses, but first-timers hit friction from poor signage and confusing navigation.

Digital Experience

Most riders use the shuttle sporadically. Only 1 in 6 rides daily. Unexpected holiday closures created service gaps nobody anticipated.

5/6

Usage Patterns

5 of 6 participants found the website difficult to navigate or didn't know it existed. Most relied on third-party apps instead.

Outcomes of Interview

Q: How do you feel about your commute?

Most riders don't depend on the shuttle. Their commute is already "easy."

4 of 6 described their commute as easy or very easy. Only a few rely on the shuttle daily; others walk or have no fixed commute.

Q: What have your experiences been like?

Riders who use it like it. First-timers hit friction immediately.

3 of 6 praised the ride itself (safe, friendly drivers, uncrowded). But 2 of 6 flagged sharp friction for first-time users: poor signage and confusing navigation.

Key finding

Q: What do you find useful about the website/app?

5 of 6 couldn't navigate the site, used third-party apps, or didn't know it existed.

Only a few found the real-time tracking accurate. The digital experience is where the service loses people — this became the study's central problem.

Q: What was your most recent trip like?

The shuttle is used occasionally, not daily, so everyone stays a beginner.

Most ride sporadically for specific errands (heading downtown, transferring to Muni). Only 1 of 6 rides daily. Some hit barriers like unexpected holiday closures.

Q: What do you like or dislike?

The complaints cluster on discoverability, not the ride.

Riders appreciate cleanliness, safety, and convenient routes — but dislikes centered on inaccurate online schedules, missing physical signage, and confusion about where the route actually goes.

Actionable Insights

I used affinity mapping to cluster interview notes into themes.

93%

37%

73%

The Problem

Website Discoverability & Usability

A critical challenge for the Mission Bay Shuttle was the website itself. Even though the site exists, first-time riders struggle to understand where to start, how to find route details, and how to use the service confidently.

Current state of the Mission Bay TMA website

(https://missionbaytma.org/)

Current state of the Mission Bay TMA website

(https://missionbaytma.org/)

Current state of the Mission Bay TMA website

(https://missionbaytma.org/)

Findability

Navigation labels are ambiguous, routes are buried two clicks deep, and schedules are split across multiple PDFs. Riders can't tell which page holds what they need.

First-time orientation

The homepage explains the organization but never tells a new rider what to do next — no CTA, no "start here," no onboarding path for someone trying the service for the first time.

Spatial understanding

Stop locations live on a static PDF, real-time tracking is hidden in a sub-menu, and the mobile layout breaks the route map — exactly when riders need it most.

Website Usability Audit

Zooming in on one piece of the problem: the website

Discoverability is the big barrier — and part of it lives online. I audited the site against Nielsen's heuristics to see exactly where a first-time rider gets stuck. Each issue below is written as the moment a real rider feels it.

The verdict wasn't "start over."

The site already works in real ways — essential schedules are reachable, the interface is clean, and it has genuine accessibility support (ADHD, color-blind, seizure, motor). The job is fixing three specific gaps, not rebuilding.

Where a first-time rider gets stuck

HIGH

“Did the bus already leave? I can't tell.”

You're rushing to the stop and the site won't say what's happening right now.

Heuristic: wording isn't action-oriented — no live, plain-language status.

MEDIUM

“Which colored line is mine? They all look the same in the sun.”

Standing outside at the stop, the route colors blur together on a phone screen.

Heuristic: insufficient color contrast between shuttle lines.

LOW

“What does this icon even mean?”

You see a symbol for tracking or accessibility and have to guess its purpose.

Heuristic: non-standard, non-universal iconography.

Recommendations

Riders weren't asking for a different shuttle. They were asking for three things: a stop they could find, a schedule they could trust, and a way to know when the bus is actually coming. These solutions respond to exactly that.

Physical

Wayfinding
at Stops

Wayfinding
at
Stops

Permanent signs at every stop: route name, a simplified map, operating hours, and a QR code for live arrivals. Right now, nothing marks the stop at all.

I couldn't tell where the stop actually was — there's no signage at all.

“

A new rider finds the stop and sees the next arrival without asking anyone

Digital

Website  
Information  
Architecture

Rewrite the site to answer the rider's actual question. Not "View schedule information" — "Next bus: 4 min at 4th & King." Fix the schedule errors and add route maps that match what's on the street.

“

The website was hard to find and didn't help me plan anything.

“

Planning a trip takes one glance, not three pages

Real time

Live
Tracking

Fix the broken tracker and make it the first thing on the homepage — not buried under menus. Riders stopped trusting it because it was unreliable. If they can't trust the arrival time, nothing else on the site matters.

“

I just need to know when the bus is actually coming. That's all I want."

Riders check their phone instead of standing at the curb wondering

Physical

Wayfinding
at Stops

Install permanent stop signs with the route name, a simplified map, operating hours, and a QR code linking to live arrival time. Permanent signs at every stop: route name, simplified map, operating hours, and a QR code for live arrivals. Right now, nothing marks the stop at all.

I couldn't tell where the stop actually was — there's no signage at all.

“

A new rider can find the stop and see the next arrival without asking anyone

Takeaway

Polarized Sentiment, One Clear Signal

Overall sentiment was highly polarized. Some participants absolutely loved the service — rating it highly for safety and friendly drivers. Others felt frustrated by the lack of awareness, poor physical signage, and inadequate digital tracking tools.

What Riders

Loved

Cleanliness, safety, friendly drivers, convenient routes, and uncrowded buses

What Caused Friction

Inaccurate schedules, invisible physical signage, confusing route maps, and a website most riders couldn't find

What Riders Loved

Cleanliness, safety, friendly drivers, convenient routes, and uncrowded buses

The Magic Wand Wish

Riders didn't want new buses — they wanted informational clarity: better signage, clearer route maps, and a more intuitive website

Mission Bay Shuttle Research Plan:

Ridership, Discovery, and Digital Experience

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