Case Study
Understanding Transit from a Rider's Perspective
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority wanted to go beyond satisfaction scores and demographics to truly understand the rider experience.
Our team immersed ourselves in the system, listening to riders, stakeholders, and operators, and turning insights into tools like traits, archetypes, and journey maps.
This work provided KCATA with clear opportunities to simplify planning, improve reliability, and communicate the value of transit in a car-centric city.
CLIENT
Kansas City Area Transportation Authority
PROJECT TYPE
Experience research and analysis
INDUSTRY
Transportation, Government
SERVICES
Discovery and evaluation
Walking the system revealed where riders lose trust.
By putting ourselves in riders’ shoes, we uncovered the everyday hurdles of using transit. Field studies, heuristic evaluations, and journey maps helped us see how small usability gaps and unclear information create friction points that add up across the journey. Walking the system revealed where riders lose trust.
Field Studies
Sending teams on journey challenges across the city, with destination and time constraints, we experienced first hand many of the issues that RideKC’s users could face.
We determined that some problems might be alleviated with experience — such as confusing schedules, unclear stops, and the anxiety of not knowing if you were on track . But there were also serious problems beyond the riders control, including safety issues, an on-demand no show, a cancelled bus, and a broken scooter.
Usage of the system exposed many negative aspects to overcome.
Heuristic Evaluation
Further review of RideKC’s digital tools illustrated that common planning scenarios broke down quickly, leaving users stranded without alternatives. The process was intimidating and difficult to know where to begin.
Initial trip planning is a barrier to first-time transit riders.
Experience Mapping
Experience maps highlighted when rider confidence drops — at long waits, uncertain transfers, or when real-time information didn’t match reality. It was also confirmed that riders rarely re-plan routes once familiar, making service changes a hidden risk.
Frequent riders become less reliant on planning tools.
Interviews and surveys
Transit connects far more than riders — it shapes work, health, and community life.
We interviewed a wide range of people across the transit ecosystem — from employers and healthcare providers to social service agencies, developers, and bus drivers. Their perspectives revealed how transit can help or hinder their operations in different ways. Alongside this, rider surveys and one-on-ones gave us additional numbers to understand the choices people make.
Stakeholder Interviews
Employers pointed to hiring challenges, healthcare partners described relying on bus passes for patients, and drivers revealed how delays and disruptions shaped daily service. These perspectives helped us understand transit as an ecosystem, not simply a way to get from point A to point B.
Partner trust was low—local developers admitted transit wasn’t part of their planning, even when it added value.
Rider research
Over 700 rider survey responses showed cost, convenience, and environmental values as the top motivators, while one-on-one interviews revealed the personal workarounds people use when systems fall short — from avoiding unsafe waits to checking social media for updates.
“The app doesn’t always match reality, so I check Facebook to see what’s really happening.”
— Daily Rider
User analysis
Riders weren't just simple demographics — their traits showed real complexity.
We translated research into strategic tools. The trait system distilled common behaviors and motivations into building blocks, while user archetypes combined those patterns into rider profiles. Together, they gave KCATA a relatable framework to plan around authentic needs rather than surface level statistics.
Modular Trait System
Our research showed that motivations, actions, and pain points intersect in ways demographics alone can’t explain. Based on clustered behavior patterns, we developed a set of defining traits the organization could use to target any number of user types.
Utilizing a base set of user traits creates a foundation for large diverse groups like public ridership.
User Archetypes
We then utilized those traits to build common archetypes like the Thrifty Planner, Established Commuter, and Reluctant Traveler. This made our research human — showing how differing motivations and barriers play out in real lives. We defined primary and secondary rider sets based on our research, as well as ancillary sets likes partners and influencers to provide a complete landscape.
Insights to action
The research revealed opportunities to rebuild trust and add value to ridership.
The findings pointed directly to many opportunities for change. Riders needed simpler planning tools, more reliable real-time updates, and safer waiting environments. By also surfacing motivations like cost savings, convenience, and environmental values, we gave KCATA a clear roadmap to guide service design, digital improvements, and marketing strategy. They have since streamlined their services, and adopted a more customer-focused approach to their mobility options.
Opportunties for improvement
As a final output, we compiled all our findings and provided recommendations focused on streamlining trip planning, improving the accuracy of real-time tools, and addressing safety concerns at stops. We also highlighted how marketing could tap into riders’ choice motivations. Together, these steps provided KCATA with a practical roadmap for aligning transit services and communications with real rider needs.
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Outcomes
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