Case Study

45% of riders still struggle to navigate BART.

Redesigning wayfinding so riders stop getting lost.

Transit DesignWayfindingSide Project

Jan 2025

Report in

7.15%

Ridership increased by

4.15M

Total trips

162K+ daily riders

BART is a critical transit system for

Work, school, and home

Helping commuters get to

Problem

45% of riders still struggle with navigation.

Missed stops, wrong trains, and unclear exits waste time.
Confusion creates anxiety, especially for new or occasional riders.
Unintuitive wayfinding discourages people from choosing public transit.

This isn't just an inconvenience — it's a trust issue.

Reduced ridership growth

Higher car dependency

Increased traffic congestion

Research

Why is navigation so difficult?

I rode BART 15+ times over 3 weeks, documenting every moment of confusion. From Fruitvale to Embarcadero, I photographed signs, timed how long decisions took, and watched where other riders hesitated.

Many ads are distracting, and the signage is tiny.

Documentation of station signage — red marks for distracting ads, blue marks for directional signs — Red marks distract; blue ones indicate signs.

Lack of onboard navigation support

Waiting area with small, overloaded text on signage — Text is too small and overloaded with information.

Onboard train map with complicated line layouts and illegible typography — The complicated lines and small text (Left) make the map hard to read.

Poor exit signage wastes time

New riders and tourists struggle the most, relying on trial and error to find the right way out. Over 4.15 million trips per month, yet exit labels are unclear, inconsistent, or missing at key stations.

Documentation of unclear exit signage at BART stations — Unclear exit signs. Take "B2 exit" to the right at the blue mark.

Riders experiencing stress, delays, and uncertainty at BART stations — Riders experience stress, delays, and uncertainty, making public transit feel unreliable.

Inspiration

How to make BART more intuitive?

To address these issues, I designed a wayfinding system that enhances clarity, confirmation, & consistency.

Inspired by the best transportation systems

I studied transit systems that do wayfinding well — NYC's subway, Tokyo's rail system, and London's Underground.

Comparative analysis of metro wayfinding from New York, Japan, and London — Metro stations from New York, Japan, and London — transit systems that excel at wayfinding.

Testing

I tested with real riders.

I tested paper prototypes with 5 riders at Embarcadero station. The numbered system clicked immediately — one rider said, “Wait, that's it? Blue line, stop 12?”

I interviewed 3 riders about their worst BART moments. One rider told me:

“BART feels a lot riskier because the maps aren't as clear, it's a lot less efficient (it takes me like an hour to get to Fruitvale Station from Walnut Creek!) and the trains come much less frequently, so if you miss a train or get on the wrong one, you're screwed.”
— Ch.

“Which platform? Which train? One look.”

Solution