Urban Flow —

Pathways to Sustainable Urban Transport in Melbourne

Project Overview

Role: UX/UI Designer (with team: Lyn, Leyan, Evening-Star, Justine)
Tools: Figma, Illustrator, Miro, Systems Mapping
Timeline: [insert duration]
Type: Major University Project

Urban Flow is a conceptual design project that addresses Melbourne’s growing congestion and reliance on private cars. Our goal was to reimagine public transport accessibility by creating a sustainable, user-centred system supported by a multimodal journey planning app, improved infrastructure, and incentive programs.

Audience & Context

Fringe to CBD commuters — spend 43% of commutes stuck in traffic.

  • University students — rely on public transport, but face delays, crowded trains, and lack of safe cycling integration.

  • Elderly community members — experience limited mobility, accessibility barriers, and dependence on others.

  • Public transport workforce — bus and tram drivers facing unsafe roads, stress, and pressure from congestion.

This project combined service design, systems thinking, and conceptual UX/UI prototyping to explore future mobility solutions.

Research & Insights

We developed personas to capture diverse transport needs:

  • George (45, suburban commuter): frustrated with traffic and long drives to work.

  • Friya (36, bus driver): faces safety risks from impatient drivers and pressure to stay on schedule.

  • Abby (20, student): environmentally conscious but struggles with late/crowded trams and unsafe bike storage.

  • Lidia (72, retiree): relies on public transport but finds schedules confusing and stations inaccessible.

Through empathy mapping and scenarios, we identified pain points: unsafe bike lanes, unreliable schedules, inaccessible infrastructure, and stress caused by traffic.

[Placeholder: Persona cards + empathy maps]

User Testing & Feedback

Feedback from peer testing and critique highlighted:

  • Strengths: clear visual design, easy navigation, integration of modes in one app, incentive system motivating greener choices.

  • Challenges: ensuring inclusivity for non-digital users, clearer signposting for elderly commuters, and providing more visible safety indicators for cyclists.

Final Solution & Visuals

The Urban Flow system supports a multimodal, sustainable transport ecosystem through:

  • Mobile app: optimised routes, gamified rewards, real-time updates.

  • Station kiosks: accessible wayfinding for non-digital users.

  • Incentive model: points + lower fares encourage public transport uptake.

  • Systems map: integration across hubs to sort passengers and optimise flow.

[Placeholder: Final app screens + service blueprint]

Outcomes & Reflections

Urban Flow demonstrates how digital and physical interventions can combine to tackle Melbourne’s transport challenges.

Impact goals:

  • Reduce congested roads by over 60%

  • Save travel time by up to 48%

  • Improve accessibility and equity for diverse commuter groups

What I learned:

  • Designing transport systems requires balancing user empathy with systems-level feasibility.

  • Incentives and behaviour change are as important as infrastructure.

  • Inclusive design must account for both digital natives and those less familiar with technology.

Next steps:

  • Partner with government and transport providers to pilot Urban Flow.

  • Test kiosks with elderly commuters and tourists to refine accessibility.

  • Explore integration with micromobility (e-scooters, rideshare).

Problem Statement

Melbourne faces worsening urban congestion, rising car dependency, and limited equitable access to reliable public transport. Many commuters experience long, stressful journeys with few sustainable alternatives.

Challenge: How might we design an improved urban environment that prioritises sustainability while enhancing access, efficiency, and equity in Melbourne’s transport system?

Process

Research & Insights

Population growth: +2.3M people projected, with 34.3% growth into urban areas.

  • Space efficiency: trams and dedicated lanes far outperform private cars in capacity.

  • Equity concerns: those without cars face barriers to jobs, education, and services.

  • Health impacts: car dependency reduces incidental exercise, while stress and long commutes harm mental health.

Key takeaway: Sustainable solutions require both better infrastructure and user incentives to shift behaviours.

Concept & Design Direction

How might we create an improved urban environment that prioritises sustainability through enhanced access to public transport?

Our solution focused on:

  1. Urban Flow app — integrates real-time schedules, multimodal route planning (bus, tram, train, bike), and AI-based rerouting.

  2. Gamified incentives — users earn points for sustainable transport choices, redeemable for fare discounts.

  3. Public touchscreens — station kiosks to help non-tech users (elderly, tourists) plan routes with live updates.

  4. Infrastructure vision — dedicated bike lanes, safer crossings, and efficient transit corridors.

[Placeholder: Urban Flow app mockups + kiosk screen designs]

Iterations & Improvements

Simplified kiosk interface with larger text/icons for accessibility.

  • Adjusted app icons for faster recognition of modes (bus, tram, bike).

  • Refined point system to clearly communicate savings/benefits.

[Placeholder: Before/after iterations]

Final Solution & Visuals

The Urban Flow system supports a multimodal, sustainable transport ecosystem through:

  • Mobile app: optimised routes, gamified rewards, real-time updates.

  • Station kiosks: accessible wayfinding for non-digital users.

  • Incentive model: points + lower fares encourage public transport uptake.

  • Systems map: integration across hubs to sort passengers and optimise flow.

[Placeholder: Final app screens + service blueprint]