Customer experience design for Stagecoach
Overview
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Stagecoach, one of the UK’s largest bus services, asked me to review their app to understand why downloads were low—and why those who did download it weren’t using it regularly.
I looked beyond the app to explore the full customer experience of bus travel across the UK, identifying key pain points and barriers for different users. The goal was to uncover what was getting in the way, and how the app could become more useful, usable, and worth coming back to.
Step 1: Stagecoach app review
I kicked off the project by reviewing the Stagecoach app for usability and UI, forming hypotheses around where users might be getting stuck.
I flagged a few key issues:
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Unfamiliar UI patterns that could confuse users
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Design elements added for aesthetics rather than user value
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A lengthy setup process that could put people off
From there, I lined up testing sessions with regular public transport users to dig deeper into the real-world experience.
Step 2: Creating initial wireframes for test
After sharing my design hypotheses with stakeholders, I created initial wireframes to walk through key user journeys—based on business use cases and UX best practices.
The wireframes focused on core app tasks:
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Checking bus times and locations
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Viewing delays
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Exploring ticket types and availability
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Purchasing tickets
Step 3: User testing CX and UX
Working with a limited budget, I sourced 8 diverse participants using a short screener focused on UK public transport use—making sure to include a range of ages, locations, and accessibility needs.
Each one-hour session was run online. The first half explored general bus travel habits, preferred journey-planning tools, and motivations. In the second half, I walked participants through my wireframes, gathering feedback on what worked, what was missing, and what would encourage them to use the app.
Step 4: Common themes and iterations
I compiled a report giving quotes from each user (as well as access to recordings of the full interviews) and pulled out common themes - I asked about the full experience of bus travel, including travelling to and from bus stops, the experience at the bus stop, and while riding the bus, as well as using the app. I also interviewed a partially sighted participant about his experiences and what could help.
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User research uncovered key pain points across the entire bus journey—from getting to the stop, to riding the bus, to using the app—with valuable insights from a range of participants, including a partially sighted user.
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Low awareness of the app was a major barrier—there was no promotion on the website, at bus stops, or on buses themselves.
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Ease of ticket purchase was the main driver for using the app, but confusing purchase flows and unclear ticket types were turning users away.
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Users expected a more familiar UI, similar to Google Maps, and based on feedback, I delivered updated frames and detailed notes for development to support the next phase.
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The report went down well with stakeholders and I handed over iterated frames based on feedback with notes for development at the end of the project