Challenging user interaction in Public Transportation Spider Maps: a Cobweb solution for the city of Porto

Abstract

In Public Transportation systems, accurate representation of information has been key for users to take the more advantages of the services and fulfil their travel needs. The Spider Map is a particular schematic representation to illustrate all travel possibilities from a given geographical location. Recently the Spider Map interaction and generation process automation have been studied, although there are yet different possibilities to explore in the technological approach and interactive solution fields. This research proposes the Cobweb solution, dissecting the components of an Interactive Spider Map, focusing on the interactive dynamic potential, the ways to represent information, challenging the existing standard. An implementation of this solution is evaluated using carefully designed user tests to validate the design decisions, taking into consideration different interaction alternatives for each phase of the map generation. The results show improvements regarding the traditional alternative, with positive user response, valuing highly context awareness and information features.