RTD adds new features to Service Change webpage

Another September, another service change. RTD implements routine service changes three times a year designed to optimize trips and travel times based on several factors, including traffic patterns, ridership trends, economic factors and the seasons. However, after a summer of expected and unexpected rail maintenance projects, the next service change on Sept. 29 will see several big changes, one being how customers access service change information on the agency’s website.

Beginning with September’s service changes, customers will notice the new webpage and a new layout, with each route and line separated into its own “card” to improve readability. Within the card, icons indicate the change(s) at a glance and provide more context on why the change(s) were implemented.

“We recognized that the old layout was not useful to our customers,” Manager of Digital Communications Andrea Sucherman said. “The web page was very content-heavy, and you could not search or filter to narrow down the content. Customers would have to scroll through the entire page in order to find any proposed or final changes to the route/line that affects their commute or trip plans.”

The old webpage proved to be difficult for the Digital Communications team to update. A solution was needed that made updating the page faster and easier.

With the changes comes the addition of a search bar and filtering. Customers can now search by route, select a service type and/or choose a change category, allowing them to fine tune searches.

The redesign has been in the works since May.

“This was a joint effort by those in the Marketing Department,” Sucherman said. “Madelyn Vagle, User Interface (UI) Developer, did the design, quality assurance testing and content build-out; Front End Developer Peter Washington collaborated with third-party vendor representative Sarah Egan for the development of the page; and Marketing Communications Specialist Josh Opat was the project manager.”

Making a webpage with so much information more accessible requires a lot of thought into the design philosophy, one into which the project team put a lot of effort.

“First, we researched other transit agencies to find inspiration for a user interface that would fit our needs,” Sucherman said. “Second, we created our own design concept for a desktop and mobile interface using our prototyping tool, ‘Figma.’”

Figma is a collaborative web application used primarily for website interface design. It allows users to create, share and test designs for websites, mobile apps and other applications in the digital space.

“Using the component library we have from our website redesign project back in the fall of last year, we were able to create a user interface that matches the rest of the website UI,” Sucherman said. “We presented our concepts to our stakeholders to get their feedback and approval. Finally, we took the approved designs and developed a custom content type in our content management system for building and maintaining service changes on our website.”

Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved, the webpage launched a month ahead of schedule.

“The goal was to launch the new interface by October in preparation for the January 2025 service changes,” Sucherman said.

Completing the project early means customers will be able to use it to prepare for the September service changes, which will reinstate service through the Downtown Loop.

The Downtown Loop has been closed since May for the Downtown Rail Reconstruction Project, while RTD improved five intersections that serve as at-grade crossings for the D, H and L light rail lines. This required the suspension of the L Line and the rerouting of the D and H lines to Union Station. Effective Sept. 29, D, H and L lines will resume service through the Downtown Loop.

Visit the improved Service Changes webpage to check out the new features and to see what changes will take effect Sept. 29.