How do you take three apps, each essential to the daily commute of millions, and combine them into one seamless experience?
This case study explores how I tackled the challenge of consolidating Transport for London’s (TFL) three apps—TFL Go, TFL Pay to Drive, and TFL Oyster & Contactless—into a unified platform.
With the aim of improving user experience and increasing app engagement, I dove deep into the pain points and overlaps of each app, proposing a cohesive solution that streamlines journey planning, ticket purchasing, and real-time updates—all in one place.
Part 1: How could the TFL Go app be improved?
Highlight what’s working well but also where there are opportunities for improvement. Use Psychological laws and principles to inform this and structure similar to how the growth.design case studies are done to keep it concise and clear.
Part 2: How could Transport for London (TFL) Migrate their apps to one app?
TFL currently have 3 separate apps; TFL Go, TFL Pay to Drive in London, TFL Oyster and contactless. Highlight the key JTBD across each app and show how these could be mapped together in one experience. Are there cross-overs currently which cause additional friction where migrating would help?
For this part, Josh McDonald focused on improving the TFL Go app by leveraging psychological laws to uncover areas of improvement. He approached this in a similar style to the growth.design case studies, making it concise, actionable, and clear.
My Objective was to provide TFL with a strategy to merge TFL Go, TFL Pay to Drive, and TFL Oyster & Contactless into one app. The goal was to streamline user experiences, reduce friction, and create a unified platform that addressed users' key needs without losing the strengths of each individual app.
This work was done using Figma and Miro, which allowed me to go through the discovery-to-ideation cycle. This way, I was able to seamlessly share screens, collaborate on wireframes, and gather feedback from stakeholders in real time.
I kicked things off by mapping each app's unique value propositions. Using Miro and screenshots of critical user flows, we identified the core functionalities and broke them down to discover where consolidation could add the most value.
To expedite the process within our tight timeframe, I used Miro AI to group the commonalities across the apps. This approach allowed me to identify key patterns and recurring features that could be centralised in the new app structure.
Research the existing apps:
Analyse all 3 apps (TFL Go, TFL Pay to Drive, and TFL Oyster and contactless) to understand their functionalities, user interfaces, and user experiences. Identify the key Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) that each app serves.Identify common functionalities:
Look for overlapping features and functionalities across the three apps. Identify the common JTBD that can be addressed within a single app.Requirements Analysis:
Identify pain points, frustrations, and areas where the user experience could be improved. Note down any cross-overs that currently cause additional friction or confusion for users.Create 4 user personas to represent the 4 transport method commuters:
Bus Commuter
Tube Explorer
Vehicle Owner
City Cyclist
Design the consolidated app structure:
Based on the analysis conducted in the previous steps, propose a new app structure that consolidates the functionalities of the three apps into one unified experience. Create a clear navigation hierarchy and consider how users will access and interact with various features within the app.
Wireframing:
Create home screen & journey planner with integrated ticket purchasing and journey cost estimate. Create wireframes and user journey for these screens.
Prototyping:
Apply visual design elements to the wireframes to create a more polished look and feel for the app. Ensure that the app aligns with TFL’s branding guidelines, including colours, typography, and visual assets.
I focused on merging the common functionalities across all three apps into a cohesive platform. Journey planning, ticket purchasing, account management, and real-time information were integrated into one flow, minimising user friction and maximising ease of use.
Here are the app commonalities observed:
Journey Planning: All three apps offered variations of route planning, scheduling, and real-time updates.
Ticket Purchase & Payment: Users could buy tickets or top up Oyster cards across all apps, but the processes were fragmented.
Real-Time Information: Updates on public transportation were accessible in each app, but inconsistent between them.
Account Management: Managing profiles and payment methods was spread across the apps.
Key Recommendation: A consolidated app is needed to maintain these core functionalities, creating a smooth, single app experience that streamlined everything—from journey planning to payments and account management.
Simplified User Experience:
By consolidating the apps, users wouldn’t have to switch between multiple platforms. They could manage journeys, payments, and account details from a single app, reducing friction.Streamlined Journey Planning:
Instead of toggling between apps for different transportation modes, users could plan and execute their entire journey in one place—whether taking the bus, tube, or paying for a vehicle in the congestion zone.Seamless Ticket Purchase & Payment:
Purchasing tickets or topping up accounts for various modes of transport became easier, with all options integrated into one streamlined flow.Real-Time Information at Your Fingertips:
With all real-time transport updates consolidated into one app, users would no longer need to switch between different apps to check for delays or disruptions.Increased Commercial Success:
A consolidated app with a unified user experience would encourage more frequent use and open up new opportunities for partnerships, advertising, and increased ticket sales.
1. Consolidation of Apps: Combining TFL’s three apps into one not only simplifies the user experience but also enhances commercial opportunities. A unified platform would allow for better user engagement and increased app usage.
2. User-Centric Design: The design of the consolidated app must prioritise user needs and preferences, ensuring a seamless and intuitive interface that makes it easy to manage all transport-related tasks in one place.
3. Integration of Oyster Payment: Though merging the Oyster app may take time, the design should future-proof this integration to create a full transportation solution for users.
4. Continuous Improvement: Once the app is consolidated, continuous user feedback will be essential to refine the experience and ensure that the app continues to meet evolving user needs.
Overall, this was an interesting project for me. I got to collaborate with my colleague Josh, and together we designed mockups that included solutions we recommended to contribute to their overall app improvement and guide them towards an improved app experience for the sake of all Londoners and commuters alike.
Recommending the consolidation of TFL’s apps into one unified platform was a strategic move that significantly elevated the user experience and unlocked commercial opportunities. The tight timeline of two 2-hour blocks over two days was used to its fullest potential, allowing us to deliver meaningful insights.
The collaboration with Josh McDonald went smoothly, with our focus on psychology-based evaluations providing a strong foundation for actionable recommendations. The positive feedback from TFL’s team, especially their lead engineer, reinforced the value of our work and validated our approach.
While we maximised the time we had, the short timeframe limited our ability to explore deeper levels of advanced wireframing and prototyping. Diving further into these aspects would have given us the opportunity to deliver a more comprehensive vision for the consolidated app experience, ensuring the recommendations were backed by a visual roadmap of the potential solution.
This project highlighted the importance of maintaining strong relationships with partner brands by delivering thoughtful, actionable design solutions, which in turn strengthens trust and collaboration. We also learned that a user-centric approach to app consolidation not only improves the overall user experience but opens up significant commercial opportunities.
Additionally, working within a short timeline reinforced the value of focusing on core design principles, like psychology-based evaluations, to produce impactful insights that resonate with clients even under tight deadlines.