Lagos TMS
Lagos TMS is a Traffic management solutions platform that was developed by the Lagos State Government to help manage traffic and enforce traffic laws in the state.
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Role
User Experience Designer, Visual Interface Designer
Responsibilities
Conducting user research, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
Tools
Figma, Figjam, Google suites, Slack, Jamboard.
Product overview
Lagos is the most populous city in Nigeria and the most populous urban area in Africa, with a population of over 20 million people in 2023. This large population strains the city's infrastructure, including its roads, leading to traffic congestion and offenses.
The Lagos Traffic Management Solution (TMS) is a platform launched by the Lagos State Government to help manage traffic more effectively, reduce congestion and help enforce traffic laws in the state.
The Lagos TMS provides a number of features, including:
- A real-time traffic monitoring system that uses CCTV cameras and other sensors to collect data on traffic conditions.
- A traffic violation enforcement system that uses cameras to detect traffic violations and to issue citations to violators.
- A public awareness campaign that educates the public about traffic laws and safety.
The Problem
- Traffic congestion: Lagos is one of the most congested cities in the world, with traffic jams that can last for hours.
- Traffic violations: Traffic violations are a major problem in Lagos, and they contribute to traffic congestion and accidents.
- Lack of public awareness: Many Lagos residents are not aware of the city's traffic laws and regulations. This lack of awareness contributes to traffic violations and accidents.
The Solution
- Real-time traffic information: TMS provides users with real-time traffic information, such as congestion levels, and incident reports. This helps users to plan their routes.
- Traffic violation enforcement: TMS uses cameras to detect traffic violations, such as speeding, running red lights, etc. This helps to improve compliance with traffic laws.
- Public awareness: TMS uses public awareness campaigns to educate the public about traffic laws and safety best practices.
My role and design process
Although the TMS platform was launched earlier on, it was not actively used due to flawed design and user experience that did not meet stakeholder needs. I carried out an extensive UX audit and user research, redesigned the platform's user interface and user experience to address these issues.
My process: I conducted a comprehensive evaluation of our old designs, read the product requirement document to understand the product's goal, held sprints with product managers and stakeholders to understand their pain points, and conducted user research to identify overlooked problems on the platform and develop solutions. Based on the feedback and data I gathered, I understand that the current information architecture and user journey map are confusing and frustrating users, and that the visual interface does not meet the product requirements or provide enough precision.
Some key insights from my research
1. The traffic law enforcement officers who are responsible for enforcing traffic laws
2. The government officials who are responsible for managing the city's transportation system.
3. The drivers and commuters who use the city's roads (aka the citizens).
Each user group has different roles and uses a different mobile or web application tailored to its needs.
TMS user architecture
- The traffic management agents, stationed in different areas of Lagos roads, are law enforcement officers who monitor traffic conditions, enforce traffic laws, ensure traffic orderliness, and capture traffic violations using their TMS device, a mobile application installed in customized devices. They are further classified into two types:
- The traffic officer, who are focused on traffic violations such as illegal parking, traffic light violations, illegal U-turns, etc.
- The compliance officer, who focuses on compliance violations such as license plate violations and faulty car parts, is responsible for ensuring that all vehicles meet the required safety standards.
- Government officials are the backend of the platform, consisting of various roles focused on different aspects of TMS management, such as administration, human resources, violation processing, and finance. They manage traffic officers and ensure the smooth operation of the TMS platform.
- Drivers and commuters (citizens) have access to a dedicated app that is custom-built to meet their needs. They can add their vehicles, view traffic and compliance violations associated with their vehicles, and provide eyewitness reports.
TMS design breakdown
- Two mobile apps which are installed on customized devices for traffic enforcement officers.
- Web applications which are used by the officials to ensure the smooth operation of the TMS platform.
- A mobile application (the citizen app) for drivers and commuters, they can download it on their mobile devices.
For confidentiality reasons, I cannot include additional insights and processes that I used while working on this project.
How the TMS platform works
The traffic law enforcement officers use the mobile application on their customized devices to capture traffic and compliance violations. This captured data is then sent to the violation processor agents (VPAs), who are government officials working at the backend. The VPA processes these captures and issues a traffic or compliance violation ticket to the offender (citizen/driver). The offending citizen or driver receives a violation ticket notification on the TMS-Citizen app, which they can download and install on their mobile device from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Redesigning the TMS platform
Based on the new insights and data gained from my UX audit and research, I developed a deeper understanding of the platform and designed a new information architecture, user flow, and visual user interface for each mobile and web application of the TMS project.
- Due to the complexity of this project, i would be only sharing some redesigns.
New design system
Redesigns
Old design
New design
Old design
New design
More Visuals
Exploring the TMS - Citizen App
The citizen app provides Lagos residents with real-time traffic information and other services. The app allows users to report traffic situations and traffic incidents. Furthermore, users can add their vehicles and get notified when a traffic violation has been ticketed to them, they can pay for this violations or challenge the violations. They can also view educative resources about traffic laws and safety measures.
- Due to the complexity of this project, i would be only sharing some redesigns.
High fidelity prototype of the citizen app
The high-fidelity wireframe for the citizen app is an interactive digital representation of the app's screens that looks and feels like the final product. It includes all of the essential elements of the app, such as the layout, typography, colors, and images.
Impact
I redesigned over 500 screens of the TMS platform, improving the user experience and meeting the needs of stockholders and users. We successfully launched the TMS device for traffic law enforcement officers, and the web applications for government officials are fully functional. The mobile app for citizens is optimized for Android and iOS use.
Over 500 traffic law enforcement officers in Lagos now use the TMS Device to capture traffic and compliance violations transparently, enabling government officials to better manage the city’s transportation system.
- Overall the the Lagos TMS-citizen app is now used by over 6000 car owners, and it has helped to reduce traffic congestion in Lagos by up to 40%.
- The app has also helped to reduce the number of traffic accidents by up to 30%.
- With the inclusion of real-time information, the response time to traffic incidents by up to 40%.
- Increased public awareness of traffic laws and safety.
What I learned
Throughout the project, I learned a number of things, including:
- The importance of user research: User research is essential for understanding the needs and pain points of users. This information can then be used to design products and services that meet the needs of users and solve their problems.
- The importance of collaboration: The Lagos TMS app project was a collaborative effort, and I learned how to work effectively with product managers, developers, and stakeholders. I also learned how to communicate my ideas clearly and concisely, and to get feedback from others.
- The importance of design thinking: Design thinking is a process that helps designers to think creatively and to come up with innovative solutions to problems. I learned to use design thinking to develop the Lagos TMS project, and I believe that it was essential to the success of the project.