IMPROVING THE ORCA CARD CONTENT FLOW

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Role: UX Writer/Content Designer

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Project Plan: As part of the Writing for User Experience program I completed through the School of Visual Concepts, I proposed content changes to the ORCA public transit card ordering process to make it more user friendly. 

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Design Process: To start, I reviewed the current ORCA card ordering process, mapping out the steps in a digital flow chart to better visualize the complicated process and identify places where the information could be simplified. 

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As I was mapping this flow out, it became clear that one of the more complicated sections was determining whether a user may qualify for a reduced fare card. There are a number of different qualifiers for various discounted cards, and so it’s difficult to determine which a user might want or need. 

 

On the current ORCA card website, this information is all presented in a very dense section of text at the very beginning of the process. It feels immediately overwhelming and many users may not read through the entire list, which could lead to users not getting the right card for their situation. 

 

One of the initial problems I wanted to solve was to actually cut down on the amount of content a user would be presented with on a given page. And so I split information regarding the different types of ORCA cards a user might qualify for from one screen into several. I also wanted to make it easier for a user to move through the process, and so I tried to mimic a friendly conversation a user might have with a customer service representative. 

 

Based on the answers a user gives to specific questions, they would be presented with additional questions to determine the right card for their needs. If at any time a user wants to end this process and just purchase a regular adult card, they can. 

 

I learned a few very important ideas during this project: 

• Thinking about both the user and business goals and intents is useful for understanding what areas to focus on.

• Creating a conversation can be a helpful way of thinking about how to structure content in more digestible chunks. 

• A consistent voice and thoughtful use of tone can make content much more user friendly. 

 

You can view my full presentation with visuals.