LagRide is a mobile app concept designed to improve the experience of commuters using the Lagos State Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. The project tackled the biggest pain points of daily BRT users including long queues, uncertainty about bus arrival times, no seat reservations, inconsistent pricing, and safety concerns. The goal was to design a product that made public transport in Lagos feel reliable, safe, and easy to use.
Millions of Lagosians depend on the BRT daily but the experience is frustrating. Commuters had no way of knowing when the next bus would arrive or whether seats were available. Buying tickets required physically queuing at the bus stop. Prices were inconsistent. Security was a concern with reported cases of harassment. And once on the bus, there was no way to alert anyone in an emergency. Time is everything in Lagos and the existing system gave commuters no information to make smart decisions about their journey.
I was part of the design team on this project, working alongside Egbemode Abayomi and Bisiriyu Tomiwa. I was involved in the research, define, and design phases of the project covering user surveys, interviews, persona creation, user flows, wireframes, design system creation, and final interface design across all screens.
The team started with thorough user research. We ran an online survey that received 45 responses in a few days and identified 5 common pain points. We followed that with 4 user interviews conducted remotely using an open ended script focused on the daily routines and frustrations of BRT users. From there we created two user personas and empathy maps to keep the design grounded in real user needs throughout the project.
With the research complete we defined the key features the app needed. Ride ordering so users could book a seat before the bus arrived. Real time bus tracking on a map. Seat reservation so commuters could choose their seat in advance. An integrated digital wallet to replace the physical Cowry card. Live traffic updates. And an SOS button for emergencies on the bus.
We built a full design system with over 1000 components and 200 styles before moving into interface design. The final product covered onboarding, authentication, home screen, ride ordering, seat selection, payment, live tracking, wallet, trip history, and account settings.
The product was tested using two user journey scenarios. In both cases the app gave users the information they needed to make better decisions, either completing their journey smoothly or avoiding wasted time when a bus was not coming. The project deepened my understanding of user research and its direct impact on design decisions. It was one of the first projects where I saw clearly how early research shapes everything that follows.
