Lesson
Focus on usability when designing traffic information Web sites.
Experience from the nation's top traffic and transit information Web sites.
6/1/2006
Washington,United States; Louisville,Kentucky,United States; Houston,Texas,United States; Atlanta,Georgia,United States
Background (Show)
Lesson Learned
- Think in terms of audience. The Washington State Department of Transportation (www.wsdot.wa.gov) Webmaster thinks in terms of audience and usability. There are functionality standards for Web pages, developed for use by different functional units of the agency so that all parts of the Web site look and function the same way, no matter who is the source of the information. The site was originally designed for Web-savvy users based on usability testing. The department redesigned the site for more basic users, allowing people to start with a statewide view and drill down to local areas.
- Design with accessibility in mind. The Louisville-Southern Indiana traffic information Web site, TRIMARC (www.trimarc.org), views ease of use as very important, so they gather information and ideas from other good traveler information Web sites and make its Web site as compliant with accessibility standards as possible, even providing interactive maps. The Virginia Department of Transportation integrated information provided by various sources and organized it such that the user could get to the information they needed as quickly as possible.
- Use technology to enable a broader range of information to be presented in multiple formats and on multiple devices. Houston TranStar restructured their Web site’s map display to zoom so that it can include arterial information, originally only in text format, and work on mobile devices. In the long run, the map will be made available for display in properly equipped automobiles.
- Consider providing personalization and customization. Georgia Navigator (http://www.georgianavigator.com/), the Georgia Department of Transportation's intelligent transportation system, includes customized information on travel times, "My Navigator" personalized home pages, and sends information automatically to mobile devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and cell phones.
- Be persistent in quality control. Keeping information current is critical for maintaining credibility and usefulness of the information. The San Diego Metro Transit System technical staff focuses on the technology and business processes to make the Web site quick and efficient, and to ensure the Web site content stays current. The Web site is designed with templates to allow staff providing content edit information faster.
States
Countries
Systems Engineering
Show the V
None defined
Focus Areas
Major Initiatives > Mobility Services for All Americans
Major Initiatives > Integrated Corridor Management Systems
Major Initiatives > Nationwide Surface Transportation Weather Observing and Forecasting System - Clarus
Major Initiatives > Emergency Transportation Operations
Other Program Activities > Real Time Traveler Information
Other Program Activities > Rural ITS Deployment
Goal Areas
Keywords
None defined
Lesson Comments
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