Gilbert Lee

Commute

This project is Day #1 of 10 Designs in 10 Days. Check out all 10 projects.

My daily commute is planned: 19 mins, same entrance to the freeway, same exit, same side streets. After testing different routes, I've optimized my commute down to the minute. But sometimes accidents happen and because I don't always check the traffic before I leave the house or office, I find myself stuck on the road. How can this not happen again?

Commute is an app that tells me one thing: “there's traffic 5 miles ahead.” It learns my route one time including the usual time I leave the house and office, then from there it will always warn me if there's traffic ahead. If traffic is normal, it just stays quiet. That's it.

Why would someone use this app? Most of us daily commuters have our planned routes and we probably use the same route everyday. Commute is designed for this everyday planned commute.

Inspiration for Commute came from Dark Sky, an app that tells you if it will rain or snow up to an hour in advance. It tells you the near future and that is my hope with Commute.

Commute app

I wanted to create an interface that communicated quickly using only colors and typefaces. Red meant to take action, orange to warn, and green to keep going. I also wanted to use a clear typeface and a large font size because you need to quickly glance and keep your eyes on the road. I imagined that the app talks to you to prompt you when heavy traffic is ahead and help you re-route.

Commute app

Below are screens on when traffic is normal or slightly heavy. It includes your arrival time and commute length.

Commute app

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