mobile

Mobile Application Review – London Underground Tube Status

Martin Rosenmejer takes a look at the London Underground tube status app for the Android platform.

Offering his thoughts and insight as a user experience consultant on what the app does and does not do.

As well as an overview of the app itself, plus what it is and what it is used for.

The article also offers the thoughts of other users of the app.

By Martin Rosenmejer,
User Experience Research Consultant
at fhios.

What is it?
London Tube Status app for the Android platform tested on the Motorola Dext

Purpose
Provides tube status information and departure times of up to four selected stations.

Download?
Free. Downloaded from the Android Market app store. Does not require Wi-Fi connectivity.

Overview
The London Tube Status app has received very good reviews in the Android Market app store.

So what does it do?
This app provides live updates of the London Underground service. The app can be accessed via the ‘Menu’ page or an icon can be added to the home screen on the Android platform. The main difference between the two ways to use the app is that the home screen icon can display live information whereas the user needs to click the icon in the ‘Menu’ page to enter the app. When the icon is added to the home screen, the tube status is updated automatically either via Wi-Fi or 3G. There is no way to change these settings if manual updating is preferred. This can be convenient if your phone plan supports unlimited mobile internet, but can be costly if you are paying per minute.

Figure 1. Home screen icons.

When adding the app to the home screen, a list of all the tube lines is displayed indicating service status with:

• Green (Good Service)
• Yellow (Minor Delays)
• Red (Severe Delays) (figure 1)

The icon is relatively big and it could be more convenient if it only displayed lines with delays. Although taking some space, it doesn’t indicate when the status is updated and there is no refresh button to manually update the information.

Figure 2. Tube status – line overview.

When clicking the app icon on the home screen, a list is loaded with the current tube line status (figure 2). Each line is clickable and will show a list of the stations of the line.

Figure 3. Live departures.

By tapping one of the stations, the three next departures in each direction displayed (Figure 3). When delays occur, a click on the specific line shows a contextual popup message providing more detailed information about the delay (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Delay information.

The app also allows users to add up to four station departures to the home screen. This is done by adding an additional icon to the home screen. By selecting a tube line, a preferred station and the direction, the app displays the next three departures from this station (See ‘Jubilee Line Status’ – figure 1). It can be very convenient if often using the same stations e.g. to and from work. The app is also useful for people changing tube lines.

Thus, it gives a quick overview of potential delays and if it is worth looking for another way to reach the destination. Whereas the line status updates automatically on the home screen, the departures icon allows the users to manually update the information via a refresh button. This is convenient and the user can click ‘Refresh’, when departure times are needed.

What doesn’t it do?
The app is only useful to people familiar with the London tube lines. In particular, commuters using the same stations on a daily basis will find the departures feature useful. However, it doesn’t provide any help to find a station or journey plan. It would have been helpful to include a tube map and a journey planner. Our version did not show planned closures, which could be useful since many lines are closed during the weekends. Finally, it is worth mentioning that ‘DLR’ and ‘River Service’ are listed when opening the app but the status information says ‘N/A’.

What others have to say
The app has generally received very positive reviews on the Android Market app store. Some users have complained that it doesn’t show consistent information on the home screen and when entering the app. We didn’t experience such problems during the testing.

Final thoughts
The Tube Status app takes advantage of the Android platform in order to display information directly on the home screen. This is useful but it lacks a refresh button for manually updating the information.

In terms of user experience, the app can be valuable for people familiar with the Tube. However, it doesn’t cover all needs and it would have been obvious to include a tube map to find stations and a journey planner to plan unexpected journeys.

© 2010 fhios insights.