Think Company, Code for Philly, 5th Square team up to fight SEPTA Key’s UX woes

Ever try to reload your SEPTA Key card and ended up getting a second one?

You’re. Not. The. Only. One.

And while it’s likely that you’re doing something wrong as you reload the card, it’s actually a user experience problem that leads to the double trouble. That seems to be the conclusion of a 27-page report put together by designers and urbanists from Code for Philly, Think Company and Philly-based nonpartisan PAC 5th Square.

As PlanPhilly’s Jim Saksa reports, the team found the interface of SEPTA Key kiosks to be confusing and offered SEPTA a series of proposed changes to the system.

“The team said they shared their recommendations with SEPTA but never heard back. SEPTA’s top Key project managers said didn’t see the recommendations until PlanPhilly shared them,” Saksa writes.

Following a drawn-out rollout process dating back to 2014, the keycard system was launched back in June 2016 through an Early Adopter program.