Citymapper Can Plan the Journey — But What About the Ticket?
Planning a journey is easy — until you realize you still need to buy the ticket.
Citymapper is widely known for making urban mobility easier. The app helps users navigate cities using public transport, walking, cycling, and other shared mobility options. By combining real-time data, route comparisons, and cost estimates, Citymapper turns complex transport systems into journeys that feel understandable and manageable.
At least on the surface.
Because while Citymapper is excellent at planning routes, my project explores what happens after the route is chosen — when users still need to figure out how to actually buy the right tickets.
When planning isn’t the problem
In everyday life, public transport rarely feels like a problem. Most people rely on transport passes and follow familiar routines. Routes are known, pricing is predictable, and mistakes are unlikely.
However, user interviews showed that this comfort disappears the moment users leave their usual environment. Traveling abroad, changing cities, or navigating an unfamiliar transport system turns simple actions into uncertain ones. What was once automatic suddenly requires effort, attention, and decision-making.
In these moments, anxiety replaces confidence.
The real gap: from route to reality
Citymapper does an excellent job at answering one question:
“How do I get there?”
But it doesn’t fully answer the next one:
“How do I pay for this journey, safely and confidently?”
Users are still left to manage queues, unfamiliar ticket machines, limited payment methods, and the fear of buying the wrong ticket or getting fined. This creates friction at the exact moment when users need reassurance the most.
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The core problem I chose to focus on is therefore the stress and cognitive load caused by purchasing multiple transport tickets, especially in non-routine situations such as traveling abroad.
Defining the core problem
The main problem identified through this process is the cognitive and emotional load associated with purchasing transport tickets, especially when users are outside their routine. Managing multiple ticket systems, payment methods, and pricing rules creates friction at a moment when users need clarity and reassurance.
A focused solution approach
To address this issue, I explored how ticket purchasing could become part of the journey-planning experience rather than a separate challenge. The proposed approach integrates price transparency and ticket purchasing directly into Citymapper.
Instead of asking users to navigate external machines or platforms, the app would allow them to review all tickets required for a journey, see the total cost upfront, and complete the purchase in one place using their preferred payment method. The intention is not to add new complexity, but to remove unnecessary steps and reduce uncertainty.
Prototype
The paper prototype focuses on a single idea: simplifying decision-making at the moment it matters most. Ticket purchasing is introduced directly from the route selection screen, where users are already evaluating their options.
By grouping all required tickets into one clear overview and one checkout flow, the experience becomes more predictable and easier to trust — particularly for users traveling in unfamiliar environments.
What I learned from this process
This project highlighted how user pain often emerges in edge cases rather than daily routines. Familiar systems hide friction, while unfamiliar ones expose it quickly.
It also reinforced the importance of emotional factors in UX. Stress, fear of making mistakes, and lack of confidence can have as much impact on the experience as functional issues. Finally, working with low-fidelity prototypes showed how effective early sketching can be for testing ideas quickly and keeping the focus on user needs instead of visual details.
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