Finding
Your Way around Phoenix
Help! I’m in Phoenix
with no personal transportation and I need to get across town! Is this you? Navigating
Phoenix without a car may seem like a daunting task, but thanks to a
user-friendly and resourceful website, it is much easier than one might think.
The
Valley Metro website is a good resource for those wishing to travel within
Phoenix and its surrounding areas because it is easy to use, rich in system
information, current, and aesthetically pleasing.
One very attractive
element of the Valley Metro website is its ease of use. Many modern websites
appear rather complex to the first-time viewer, but this is just not the case
with the Metro website; almost all the information one could possibly need is
accessible from the home page. The home page is set up with a series of tabs in
the upper toolbar, which all pertain directly to system usage for the common
user. The tabs put all the necessary information to make a trip only a click or
two away. Once a tab link is clicked on, the user is taken to a page that
covers all the content previewed in the tab. Additionally, the home page
includes an array of links that makes finding the right tools fast and easy.
One click on the link of your choice takes you to the exact location you desire
and you are half way done. The homepage makes all the information a user could
possibly need readily available.
Accessible directly from
the home page is perhaps one of the most useful tools on the entire Metro
Valley webpage; The Transit Trip Planner. The planner tool is one of the
website’s highlights because it allows the user to easily plot their entire
trip, door to door in a matter of seconds. One simply puts in the addresses of
the starting point and the destination and sets preferred time intervals and a
route is rapidly generated. If you wish to use multiple methods (bus, light
rail, walking, etc.) to reach your destination, the system can generate routes
tailored to the user’s preference. This helpful tool is readily available on
the home page for a quick look up, or you can click the link and find a more
detailed version. Largely due to its ease of use, the Valley Metro website is a
good resource for those wishing to travel within the Phoenix metropolitan area.
One of the most
important characteristics of a website is the quality of its content. A website
can be very aesthetically pleasing, but possesses poor content, it is of little
value to the user. The Valley Metro transit system is very complex, so
therefore it is imperative that the system website has the necessary
information readily available to the user to make sure that trips around the
valley can be planned easily and efficiently. Accessible directly from the home
page of the website is a rich supply of system maps and timetables, as well as
the latest news on the system.
Without a map,
navigating an unknown area is little less than a nightmare. A metropolis the
size of Phoenix and its surrounding areas is no exception and it is highly
unlikely that the average person would know their way around every part of the
valley. Due to this disconnect, the Valley Metro has provided a bank of system
maps, readily accessible to those who chose to use the website. One can run
their cursor over the tab on the top of the home page that reads “Planning Your
Trip” and multiple sub tabs will appear. Clicking on the system map sub tab
will bring up a page with a link to a map of every route that Valley Metro
operates. The maps are laid out in a simple format with every stop labeled by
cross street on the routes. Maps for the light rail show all the different
stops on the line and give a detailed layout of the actual route of the train
and where its path is in relation to different areas of the city. Another
interesting feature about the maps is that you can download different versions
of them based upon how detailed you need to be in planning your trip.
Also found in the
“Planning Your Trip” tab, under the maps section, timetables are available for
all the routes. Maps for a transit system will only get you so far; you need a
schedule to make sure you can get on the transit line at a time that will work
for you. The timetables show each departure time for a specified route on any
given day of the week and weekend and are accurate down to the minute. The
instructions on the timetables are also given in Spanish if that is the preferred
language of the user. If the user wishes to have a permanent reference for maps
and timetables, they may also download a copy of the system user guide, which
is good for each calendar year unless permanent changes have to be made to the
routes.
One more very important
feature to the content of the website besides maps and schedules is the
availability of real-time updates and notifications for the system. The update
center is located about midway down the home page of the website and provides
the most current information on things such as delays, closures, and route
modifications. Information such as this is invaluable because it provides users
with a way to stay up to date with the system and helps avoid travel headaches
and delays. There is also an application available for mobile devices that
provides users with similar information.
All of these features come
together with a unique and colorful design layout. The website’s color theme is
purple and green. The purple represents problem solving and creativity since
the website is dedicated to assisting travelers with their trip planning
questions. The purple is also used to offset the negative stereotypes
associated with public transportation such as a lack of organization,
non-professionalism, and untimely deliveries.
Along with the color
scheme, the font has been strategically chosen to appeal to the viewers of the
website. The website utilizes san-serif font, which is a plain font that is
easy to read on a computer screen due to its compatibility with screen
resolution. San-serif fonts also tend to be easy on the eyes and retain clarity
due to the simplicity of the letters. The use of heavy weight font in the
titles and section headings adds to the aesthetics of the webpage as well. The
heavy weight font of the titles makes the website easier to skim through while
the zero slope of the text keeps the specific content looking clean and
organized. Through the careful planning of the website’s creators, all the
characteristics of the font add to the simplicity of the Valley Metro site.
As with
all fairly good websites, there are several small changes that could be made to
better the quality of the Valley Metro website for the user. Overall, the
Valley Metro Website is very easy to use and informative, but it has some
slight drawbacks when it comes to aesthetics. The main concern is that the
homepage is very crowded with words for a website that is simple in its layout
and use. This flaw can leave the user searching for an extended period of time
(more than several seconds) for the information that they may wish to locate.
Also, the section at the bottom of the homepage is overwhelming with the masses
of internal website links it displays and makes it time consuming for the user
to sift through them. In addition, the text on the links is hard to read due to
its size and in part to the contrast of the background it is placed upon. These
defects are of minute importance to the website’s overall quality and we
believe that they do not detract much from the basic function of the resource.
These days the price of
fuel keeps climbing higher and higher, so if you plan ahead, public
transportation is a much more economical way to get around Phoenix, in addition
to the amount of time it can save you at certain times of day. Several times in
the past, we have used the Trip Planner widget on the website, and needless to
say, collectively, we have been impressed with how easy it is to plan a trip
across Phoenix. . The trip planner simplifies the routing process greatly and
is a big time saver for riders. If the user fills out the criteria forum
carefully, the rest is a cakewalk. The user will be fed all the necessary
information in regards to what routes you will take and when and where you will
board and exit the bus. The route schedules are accurate to several minutes and
you will have no problem with your trip if you arrive five or so minutes before
your departure. Well, a website may seem like a good resource, but the ultimate
assessment of its worth is when you put it to a real world test. Needless to
say, the Valley Metro website aced the reality test.
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment