I love Los Angeles.

But sometimes you have to acknowledge hard truths about the things you love. Most Angelenos can agree that the city’s public transit system leaves much to be desired. Despite vast improvements in recent years, one core component is still lacking: the TAP app.

Each day, thousands of Angelenos use the TAP app to pay bus and Metro fares, reload their balances, and get real-time information about schedules and delays.

The problem

Despite its best intentions, the TAP app is not intuitive to use. It is rife with ambiguous features, cyclic redirects, unclear prompts, and—my personal pet peeve—unactionable error messages.

In essence, it makes navigating a complex transit system that much more frustrating. If the app were a person, it would be like talking to a brick wall. But it has a powerful capacity to guide people through this urban labyrinth of bus lines and light rail. A UX overhaul could unlock that potential.

My solution

As an LA-dwelling public transit rider myself, it was easy to define user personas. On one hand, there are people like myself who don’t rely on public transportation for their daily commutes, but instead use it primarily in their leisure time, like taking the E line downtown for a night out with friends. Many of my peers fit this mold as well.

But, of course, we represent a small fraction of LA transit’s ridership. Many folks rely on public transportation for their daily commute. For them, ambiguous error messages and unintuitive features could make them late for work, potentially costing them their jobs.

The third persona is a tourist, which LA has no shortage of. They are complete strangers to LA’s transit system and are often overwhelmed by the sheer size of the city. They need an app that’s easy to use and gives clear instructions for a first-time user.

I tweaked the app’s language with these three personas in mind.

Scroll through the gallery below to see my revisions.

I cleaned up the grammar in the "Tap Cards" section to sharpen its clarity. I also rewrote the error message in the "Nearby" section to include a simple fix the user could try rather than asking them to just try again later. If someone is short on ti

I cleaned up the grammar in the "Tap Cards" section to sharpen its clarity. I also rewrote the error message in the "Nearby" section to include a simple fix the user could try rather than asking them to just try again later. If someone is short on time and trying to catch a bus, trying again later isn't an option—they need to solve the issue immediately.

I edited this panel to encourage the user to add their favorite stops. It previously declared that the user has no favorite stops without providing a way to add them. I also answered the "why?" by explaining that they can get real-time updates after

I edited this panel to encourage the user to add their favorite stops. It previously declared that the user has no favorite stops without providing a way to add them. I also answered the "why?" by explaining that they can get real-time updates after adding their favorite stops.

I tweaked the button on this page, changing "Add Stored Value" to "Add Value." This small edit streamlines the text, while reducing confusion over what "stored" may mean. Indeed, it seems illogical to add stored value as it only becomes stored once y

I tweaked the button on this page, changing "Add Stored Value" to "Add Value." This small edit streamlines the text, while reducing confusion over what "stored" may mean. Indeed, it seems illogical to add stored value as it only becomes stored once you add it. But I digress...

When I spoke with my focus group of friends, everyone was quick to point to this panel as a source of constant frustration. It often erroneously tells the user that there is no active service nearby. However, as it is only referencing the user's imme

When I spoke with my focus group of friends, everyone was quick to point to this panel as a source of constant frustration. It often erroneously tells the user that there is no active service nearby. However, as it is only referencing the user's immediate vicinity, the user simply needs to zoom out to view transit options. I edited this page to include that context.