“The application gets out of the way and delivers a simple, intuitive trip-planning tool that’s particularly well suited to tourists and visitors.” —Eric Karjaluoto
“MTA On the Go is successful because it focuses on a singular task, helping people to get where they need to go through just a few simple steps.” —Jon Jackson
Overview: Control Group partnered with the New York City MTA to develop the On the Go digital kiosks that simplify wayfinding and communication for the Big Apple’s vast transit system. The MTA moves 1.6 billion people a year along 22 subway lines through 468 stations. On the Go kiosks are designed to give the most relevant information to the greatest number of people, so the information riders receive is limited to exactly what they need at that place and time, with as little interaction as possible.
• The kiosks provide countdowns to arrivals based on real-time train status, neighborhood maps and one-touch visual directions.
• Contextual advertising on the kiosks provides a source of sustainable ad revenue for the MTA.
• On the Go is an extensible digital platform for future innovation that helps modernize MTA infrastructure.
Comments by Control Group:
What was the thinking behind the navigation structure? “We designed the digital interface to dim and recede information that riders don’t need so they can concentrate on the things they do need—like departure station, route line, transfer station and destination station. The kiosk also knows which station it’s in, so a rider only needs to tap a destination station or place of interest to map the route. Systemwide data feeds allow the kiosk to suggest the fastest route to a selected destination based on the real-time status of trains at both the departure and transfer points.”
Are there any other technical features you'd like to call attention to? “We studied the travel patterns of riders and selected locations for the kiosks that would have the most impact. And in addition to knowing which station it’s in, the kiosk knows where it’s located within the station, so it prioritizes messages to display based on context and location.”
