The metcard is the current ticketing system for trams and trains in Melbourne. I take the odd tram, which means that every few weeks I need to buy a new metcard. What’s it like buying a metcard? It’s a pain in the ass.
Here’s why: there are about 28 different kinds of metcards, each covering a combination of different travel zones, concessions rates, number of trips on the card and so on. Like most people, I always buy the same variety. My personal metcard of choice is the “two hour, ten trip, zone one, full fare metcard”. In order to buy this metcard, I need to give five pieces of information to the salesperson. Here’s a typical conversation (in which I only remember three of the required parameters)“
Hi, can I get a 2 hour ten trip metcard?”
“Yep is that zone one?”
“Oh yeah zone one”
“Full fare?”
“Ah right yeah, full fare”
“OK that will be $29.40”
I don’t think I’ve successfully recited these five pieces of information correctly ever. I don’t think anyone else has either. Cause every time I’m buying a metcard, I see other people having the same problem.
I can’t think of anything else in the world that I need five pieces of information to buy. In the non-metcard world, when you need to use five terms to describe something, you come up with a new name. Have you ever wondered how IKEA name their furniture? They definitely don't call it the "131cm ceiling spotlight lamp with 5 bulbs", they call it the "Barometer". In fact, they have a pretty sophisticated system for naming their products.
So here’s what I propose for metcards - a naming system based on fruits:
- The “two hour, ten trip, zone one, full fare metcard” becomes the “banana metcard”.
- The “two hour, ten trip, zone one and two, concession metcard” becomes the “apple metcard”
- The “daily, five trip, zone one, full fare metcard” becomes the “lemon metcard”
And so on. The colour of the fruit reflects the colour of the zones (zone 1 is yellow, zone two is blue, zones one and two combined can be green). I could go on, but you get the point.
Whoever is in charge of metcards hasn't thought through the whole user journey (including the act of purchasing). The consequence is that every day, thousands of people waste their precious minutes buying metcards. Pretty trivial right? Who cares if it takes a few extra seconds? Well it all adds up. Every extra annoyance makes me feel a little bit worse about spending that $29.40. Don't make your customers feel that way - make sure someone is thinking about the user experience end to end.
Footnote: if you are a Melburnian, you will know that the metcard is soon to be obsolete, it’s being replaced by a new system which has been “almost ready” for the past few years. But that’s not really the point :)