Case Study: Service Design
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Centralis cleared the way for transit riders to travel effortlessly around Chicagoland.
The Challenge
Chicago’s Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) oversees the region’s subway, commuter rail, and bus network, serving more than two million riders daily. The three transit agencies operate independently but overlap at several complicated interchanges throughout the city where riders transfer from one mode of transit to another. Unfortunately, different signage and design standards across the three agencies made it difficult for riders to effectively navigate transfers and ultimately get to where they needed to go.
RTA asked Centralis to evaluate the effectiveness of a new design system featuring uniform standards for maps and signs across all three transit systems. By adopting consistent colors, iconography, and placement, the goal of the new system was to ensure riders could navigate the entire system seamlessly.
The Process
First, in our lab, we asked transit riders to show us how they would use the new maps and schedules to plan a future trip that required transfers. The lab environment was ideal for diving into the map details, testing their clarity in a distraction-free environment where clients could observe and iterate on their designs.
Next, we tested the revised designs in a real-world context: a large public transportation hub. We observed how participants used the maps and signs to physically move through the space and get where they needed to go. Unlike in the lab, we could also assess how sign placement, lighting, and accessibility issues affected riders.
The Impact
Our research helped transform the Chicago transit system from a disjointed and frustrating experience to an integrated system for getting people from point A to point B. Our recommendations went beyond the designs of the signs and maps to include usability guidelines around effective placement, accessibility, and environmental factors.
Based on our extensive user research and testing, the RTA developed an Interagency Design Standards Manual for prototype signs and other information products such as maps, schedules, and route diagrams. To date, over 380 stations and 11,000 bus stops have new inter-agency signage and wayfinding based on our work.
Our Value
Centralis empowered commuters and visitors to use public transportation to get anywhere in Chicagoland without missing their connections or getting lost. The redesigns maps and signs ensure that three independent transit systems feel like one seamless system for riders. The RTA continues to work with Centralis to help riders plan and execute successful journeys through the Chicago transit system.
- RTA's Interagency Design Standards Manual