City Sense

CitySense

A navigation app designed for people who feel anxious or inexperienced with public transit. It doesn’t just “find the route” it reduces uncertainty, helps users prepare mentally and guides them with contextual support.

The problem

Traditional navigation apps (Google Maps, Citymapper) work well for experienced users: they assume familiarity with transit systems, provide dry turn-by-turn directions and ignore the emotional factors that shape the experience.

The real problem isn’t finding the route. It’s feeling confident you can actually do it.

Pain points

• Performance anxiety: fear of slowing others down, making mistakes in public, looking “incompetent”
• Information overload: too many options at once create decision paralysis
• No mental preparation: there’s no way to “rehearse” a trip before taking it
• Hidden critical moments: apps don’t flag where problems may happen (confusing exits, multiple platforms, tight transfers)
• Lack of contextual support: no guidance on what to expect, what to look for, how to behave in specific situations

The solution

CitySense introduces a navigation experience that combines learning, mental rehearsal and progressive guidance tuned to the user’s confidence level. The goal is to turn a stressful trip into a sequence of simple, manageable micro-decisions.

Information architecture

A three-pillar system:

• Learn: understand the system
  How metro and buses work in your city, what to expect in specific scenarios, a glossary and local conventions
• Practice: prepare mentally
  Preview the trip before leaving, simulate key decisions, identify potential friction points
• Navigate: navigate with contextual support
  Progressive directions, layered information and guidance that ramps up when needed and steps back when not

Adaptive modes

CitySense adapts to the specific trip, not just the person.

Beginner Mode (new routes or stressful situations)

• maximum step-by-step detail
• contextual explanations
• “what to expect” before critical moments

Local Mode (familiar routes)

• minimal UI
• focus on real-time times and service status
• quick access to reference tools
• no unsolicited explanations

Key principle

One action per screen
Every screen leads to a single clear decision. Users always know what to do without being hit by multiple options at once.

Design language

Not Boring: a visual language built to communicate emotional support, clarity and confidence.

• Bold typography to make key cues impossible to miss
• Illustrations to make the interface friendlier and reduce tension
• A minimal 2-color palette: primary blue, coral accent to reduce visual noise
• Progressive disclosure: start simple, expand only when necessary
• Generous whitespace: the UI should breathe, not overwhelm